Pretty much everyone now has a smartphone and the number of things you can do with it increases every week. And this has an impact on the trade space too. Benjamin Dyer of Powered Now looks at the benefits for installers of going digital.
With grandmas now jumping on WhatsApp to talk to their grandchildren, even the most hard-bitten of us must realise that smartphones really are revolutionising the world. So, it’s worth keeping an open mind on what can be done for installers. This article tries to cut through the clutter and look in detail at some of the possible pluses.
Chase, chase, chase
Everyone hates paperwork. But what is the most tedious thing about administration? Possibly chasing customers who haven’t paid or haven’t bothered responding to a quote.
So, the first thing to highlight in terms of concrete benefits from going digital is automatic chasing of prospects and customers. Not only does it get rid of a tedious job, but you also always have the excuse that “the computer did it” if you get any push back.
Chasing quotes will improve your chances of winning the business and letting the system do this by email is simple. There’s also a big benefit from automatically chasing invoices – the longer things are left the less likely the client is to pay. So, you should get more money in the end.
Taking control
I recently visited one of our customers who had a good number of engineers. I didn’t see the guy who owned it, I saw his sister. She controlled the whole operation from her kitchen. She could see all the jobs for the day, where everyone was, and when the work was finished.
One of the engineers completed a job early while I was watching. As a result, another job was slotted in for them. And it immediately appeared on their smartphone.
For some people, a light dawns as they see their system move from nice-to-have to vital tool. Knowing the status of each job and where your staff are, in real time, is a major plus. Knowing the profit on each job and accessing paperwork with one click, moves it to “must have.”
Tedious regulation
We all know that the trade, which many moved into to get away from admin and office-work, has some of the most painful regulation of any industry. It’s not just Gas Safe and CIS (Construction Industry Scheme). It’s Health and Safety risk assessments and method statements, plus VAT and DRC. MTD for IT (Making Tax Digital for Income Tax) has three upcoming deadlines in April 2026, 2027 and 2028. This will increase the paperwork overhead and will introduce a new legal requirement for most sole traders to keep all sales and costs digitally.
Most of the job management apps, including mine, Powered Now, can make complying with these regulatory burdens much simpler.
Certificate reminders
People like an easy life. Thinking that your system can generate work for you while you sleep must fall into that category.
With the big contractors always trying to encourage your customers to join them, you need to be contacting your customers regularly. Sending an email reminder to customers when a service or landlord certificate becomes due, will help a lot. It’s even better if your customer can simply click to book their next appointment. That’s the way your app can be generating work while you sleep!
Reminding them we exist
Most of us feel that business is important. Unfortunately, our customers aren’t so bothered. However, when they need you, that may change. But not any other time and that’s why you need to stay in touch. Here’s an example of what you might send using a system:
“Hello, this is a quick hi from Superb Gas. We enjoyed working for you. I wondered if you have any small jobs that need doing? For the next two weeks we’re offering a 10% discount as every little helps. In the meantime, I hope all is well with you”.
This could produce some business. But more importantly you keep yourself at the front of their mind.
Onward and upward
If you are a one-person band, there are many ways that going digital can help. But if you have a team, it’s close to compulsory. With so much more paperwork, it’s all too easy for the administration to get out of control.
The biggest benefits may simply be having everything easily accessible and easily searchable. Smaller businesses may find the greatest gain is from easy compliance and a better image. All, in all, it’s worth a look.
About the author
Benjamin Dyer is CEO and co-founder of Powered Now. Powered Now’s job management system takes the pain out of paperwork for installers and other trade businesses.