It really depends on your customer base.
For strict residential service work often we find flat rate to be best, as it makes it easier for our office and techs in the field to quote work on the spot themselves and makes invoicing much easier.
For our contract work with larger customers it is usually T&M. They know our hourly rate and understand that jobs in larger buildings require more than a simple quick fix.
How do you deal with variables while still keeping things simple for both plumbers and customers?
For example, a kitchen sink leak could be the ABS drain, the strainers, the water lines, or a mix of all three. Do you usually build a few standard options for each fixture or situation?
I get stuck when people want a ballpark price over the phone before we even look at it. Then once we arrive, I want the plumber to feel confident diagnosing it and selecting the right price in Jobber.
Do we do free estimates in town, and or service call to diagnose and we delete the diagnosed if scheduled approach.
I keep going back and forth between flat rate and hourly pricing, and it is honestly driving me a bit crazy trying to figure out the best system.
Hvac Contractor here, Cant speak to your specific trade. However when I have customers Looking for pricing over the phone I let them know what our hourly rate is and an estimated time to diagnose the issue (typically 1 hour or less) we then Quote the job onsite and Include the 1 hour call out in the pricing structure. I Find it gives the customers a Framework to work with without "Going in blind" As well as increasing conversion rates because We're already onsite. We've had a lot of success with this model as it "gets your foot in the door " I have also found that with an hourly pricing structure Fuel/Truck charges aren't out of the ordinary and allows you to tailor them to your Companies specific needs. Hope this helps. Best of Luck.
Jacob
Dundas Heating & Air
