Milwaukee vs DeWalt Tools, which one?
We’re Lock Nerds Locksmith, a Buffalo, NY-based company that’s always relied on Milwaukee tools. But we’re curious—what tools do other pros trust? We're looking for honest pros and cons between Milwaukee and DeWalt to see if it's time for us to reconsider our setup.
How to set up automated yearly service reminders in Jobber?
I know I’ve seen this come up before but as a service based industry, I rely heavily on repeat customers. I’d like to remind a customer about 11 months after they book with us that their service is coming up. The work around is that I can set them up as a recurring customer and have it remind them that their schedule is coming up a month before the scheduled date. My issue with that is one, I have to wait for paperwork for the customer, and two, I don’t like to have to stay on top of seeing if customers actually still want the service. I want reminders sent via email and txt automatically after 11 months (Not a year) and then they can reach back out to us when they get paperwork in for scheduling. There’s got to be a way for Jobber to do this and I can’t seem to figure that out.Upsides and downsides of hiring a summer helper?
I am thinking about hiring someone to help me in the busy season and the idea of a high school kid as a summer job sounds like a promising idea. I wouldn't have to pay them a crazy salary, they are like sponges with information and they are typically more physically full of energy. I wouldn't be able to send them on their own, but they could help me get a few more jobs done in a day. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and what would be the pros and cons of doing it?
Some Much Needed Fixes in Jobber
Jobber just updated Booking Forms so that customers can now book directly to the schedule like how Online Booking and the AI Receptionist does it. This a great update and gives real purpose to the booking forms. BUT... there's a couple things.. Customers can only book Business Day(s) Away. Weekends are not possible. I literally watched my AI Text Receptionist argue with a customer saying Sunday is not possible when it very much is. Most businesses on Jobber are service companies and also need a dropdown to change Days Away to Hours Away. If our schedule is wide open: A - We're missing out on jobs B - Customers are going to find someone else that's faster. I created a Automatic Approval and Auto Payment Form. The most reasonable way to do this was by making a custom booking form. It's fine. It works. But an optional signature box like how there is on Job Forms would be extremely useful. Other issue: My last employer was a Plumbing, Heating & Electric business that used Service Titan. There were hundreds of line items. Service Titan allows a manager to create folders for the line items. There was one for Plumbing, Heating, etc. It kept things very organized. Pulling this off in Jobber without folders or any means of organization would be a nightmare. Searching is not reliable enough as nearly everything in the trades has multiple names. For example: the thing you connect your garden hose to can be a hose bib, spigot, sill **bleep**, hose connection, etc.When is it time to hire an accountant?
I am wondering at what point some of you guys have hired an accountant? Did you hire one to grow? To maintain what you have? Or are you simply using one to file taxes at the end of the year? I am thinking about hiring an accountant to manage my finances for me and see where things go, but wondering when is the right time.What Should Home Service Businesses Automate First to Save Time?
Small manual tasks start stacking up, catching up on follow-ups, re-adjusting scheduling, invoicing, review requests, the list goes on and on. Sound familiar? What’s one task you’re still doing manually that you know could be automated? What’s stopping you from setting it up?How Much Should You Really Be Charging?
The number one question I receive is tied directly to the fact, most contractors are still guessing when it comes to pricing. Overhead. Profit. Labor rate. Trip fees. They think just because they throw a number they hear their competitors use, thats all that they need. It may work, but how and what do you divide these funds is just as important for your business health. If you don’t know how to do the math, you’re not building a business. You’re surviving check to check and think you need more work, when you do not. So here’s the plan: This Tuesday & Thursday on IG, I’m walking you through our Contractor Price Builder Worksheet FREE on instagram live. We will cover: - How to calculate your real hourly rate - The difference between markup and margin - Why profit is a non-negotiable - And how to price with confidence Join the session. Bring your numbers.
Technician Performance Report
I am just coming over from service titan.. One report that is really important to me is technician performance report we had. We could see their avg ticket, their daily avg, month to date sales ect... a report that I can see how much a tech has invoiced for is imperative. Any chance this is coming? How are you other business owners tracking how your tech's are doing? I don't want to pay the guy who is doing bare min. the same as the guys who are taking their job seriously well organised and hustling.
