Software for tradesman
Discussion
Guys,
Question for a friend who is a plumber. His plumbing work is EXCELLENT; he's great with customers; his prices are good. However he struggles to keep track of what work he has done for whom and when, what parts he has used (and needs to bill for) and sending invoices. He currently works by keeping a diary of what he's done and referring to the invoices from Toolstation and whatnot, but he is aware that it's time-consuming, faffy and he's missing out costs which he should be charging for.
He's asked me whether there is a simple-to-use software package which would help him. I'm thinking something that he can run on his 'phone to note how long he has spent in any one location, as well as giving him the ability to type in a list of parts used (and costs of them) while on a job or while in Screwfix. It could then generate invoices, and perhaps even eMail them out on his behalf. This is a rough list of functionality off the top of my head; if someone was to give it a bit more thought they could probably come up with a much better list.
Is there something on the market already which fits this bill? He's happy to pay for something that works well, as long as it's a genuine help.
Has anyone any experience of this sort of thing, either as a user or developer? If so then please let me know what you recommend.
Ta!
Question for a friend who is a plumber. His plumbing work is EXCELLENT; he's great with customers; his prices are good. However he struggles to keep track of what work he has done for whom and when, what parts he has used (and needs to bill for) and sending invoices. He currently works by keeping a diary of what he's done and referring to the invoices from Toolstation and whatnot, but he is aware that it's time-consuming, faffy and he's missing out costs which he should be charging for.
He's asked me whether there is a simple-to-use software package which would help him. I'm thinking something that he can run on his 'phone to note how long he has spent in any one location, as well as giving him the ability to type in a list of parts used (and costs of them) while on a job or while in Screwfix. It could then generate invoices, and perhaps even eMail them out on his behalf. This is a rough list of functionality off the top of my head; if someone was to give it a bit more thought they could probably come up with a much better list.
Is there something on the market already which fits this bill? He's happy to pay for something that works well, as long as it's a genuine help.
Has anyone any experience of this sort of thing, either as a user or developer? If so then please let me know what you recommend.
Ta!
He'll likely need to do MTD for his tax, so anything he get's should be MTD complaint. Does he use an accounting software now for invoicing etc? Most have a 'projects' option which he could use for each job.
Sounds to me like he needs to set aside more time for admin, I do mine every week, usually do a half day Friday or Saturday morning.
Sounds to me like he needs to set aside more time for admin, I do mine every week, usually do a half day Friday or Saturday morning.
There usually isn't a lot to keep track of; hours worked, materials used, travel and his overhead & profit. A spreadsheet will do this easily, too many proprietary software packages overcomplicate things.
The inevitable failing is getting this information recorded, it's too easy to ignore it after a hard day and forget the details. This isn't just a sin of sole traders, many small to medium firms are just as chaotic.
Many sole traders use "The Wife". She is there each evening, she usually is more focused on getting the money in and she can nag.
The inevitable failing is getting this information recorded, it's too easy to ignore it after a hard day and forget the details. This isn't just a sin of sole traders, many small to medium firms are just as chaotic.
Many sole traders use "The Wife". She is there each evening, she usually is more focused on getting the money in and she can nag.
No idea if it's any good but I've seen/heard this mentioned on a few YouTube channels I follow.
https://www.tradifyhq.com/uk
https://www.tradifyhq.com/uk
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff