In our experience, many plumbing contractors organize their customer interactions with a hodgepodge of tools such as Excel spreadsheets, paper invoices and receipts, filing cabinets, and the like.
Some small businesses have managed to operate profitably like this for many years, despite not having a systematic way of managing customer information and work orders.
However, we’ve noticed that the most successful plumbing contractors use a customer relationship management (CRM) software tool.
In this article, we’ll explain:
We’ll also explain why the best CRMs on the market offer comprehensive solutions — connecting customer relationship management with all the other essential areas of a plumbing company’s business.
If you’d like to learn more about how ServiceTitan can help your plumbing business become more efficient and grow revenue through improved customer relationships, schedule a call today.
What is a Plumbing CRM? And How Do Plumbing Companies Manage Without One?
CRM software helps plumbing contractors manage relationships with customers by storing all your customer data in one place so you can manage the entire lifecycle of work for each customer and provide excellent customer support throughout.
A comprehensive CRM also helps automate tasks like invoicing and appointment reminders to save plumbing businesses a ton of time and improve the customer experience.
However, it’s not unusual for the plumbers we work with to be a bit perplexed about what that means in practice. To illustrate the processes that CRM software tools can make easier, we’ll first take a quick look at how plumbers tend to manage customer relationships without a CRM.
The Challenge of Not Having a CRM
Generally speaking, plumbing contractors who don’t use a CRM don’t have a customer relationship management system, so much as a loosely connected collection of tools that they use to attract, win, and manage jobs and accounts.
The Traditional Customer Relationship Process
Typically, the conventional customer relationship process goes something like this:
Customers contact customer service reps (CSRs) via phone.
CSRs write down customer information using a pen and paper.
The information is then entered into a spreadsheet and perhaps a calendar. Note: The CSR may be fielding more than one call or may not have finished logging the information from one call before the next one comes in.
If all goes well, when the appointed date for a job comes around, the CSR calls the tech assigned to the job and relays the information they’ve entered into their spreadsheet.
The CSR calls the customer to let them know roughly when the tech will arrive at their home.
The CSR might also remind the tech of any work they’ve done for them in the past (if this has been logged in the spreadsheet).
The tech attends the job, calls the CSR to tell them what work was agreed, and provides the credit card number they’ve noted on the paperwork.
The CSR enters the info into the system and orders parts and equipment.
Then the CSR calls the customer back to schedule a time for the tech to complete the work.
The CSR will often also need to send a copy of the paperwork to the homeowner via email (or snail mail).
The Potential Issues
Each step in the traditional process introduces opportunities for error:
A forgotten detail
A misheard word over a bad phone connection
Handwriting that can’t be read the next time someone needs to reference a note
Information incorrectly logged against the wrong customer
Lost paperwork
The arrangement can sometimes result in work delays, billing problems, ordering the wrong supplies, and even lost business.
If you don’t have a CRM, this is incredibly time-consuming and requires someone with a superhuman memory to successfully juggle everything.
Additionally, many plumbing companies don’t have office staff on weekends. Mondays become especially challenging, as CSRs must review a backlog of messages and repeat the process described above for each one, even as new calls are coming in.
Some Plumbing CRMs Are Better Than Others
There are many customer field service management solutions that have been on the market for years, so it can be daunting to figure out what their differences are and which are best for your specific needs. But there are significant differences between them, and when businesses are looking to add a CRM to the mix — or to upgrade from their current CRM — there are several things to keep in mind.
In general, the best CRMs provide robust, flexible functionality that allows plumbing contractors to streamline their operation — linking customer relationship management with the other areas of their business such as dispatching, estimating and invoicing.
While by no means a comprehensive list, these characteristics often signal that contractors should shop further:
No option to connect with an answering service
No way to integrate with payroll
No accessibility for field service technicians
No mobile app access
Clunky user interface
Reports expressed in numerical codes — like the top of a fax
We would never advocate making a big decision like investing in a CRM on the basis of aesthetics. But it’s hard to tell if a product is up to the task by simply examining its interface. If a CRM looks like something that might have run on Windows 95, it’s probably not the best choice.
What a Best-in-Class Plumbing CRM Looks Like
By the same token, a top-notch plumbing CRM — one that will truly help a contractor grow revenue, increase efficiency, and improve long-term customer relationships — will be recognizable chiefly by the way it allows plumbers to seamlessly integrate essential elements of their entire business, including:
Follow-ups and upselling
Invoicing and payments
Tracking metrics
And more
ServiceTitan’s Plumbing CRM
To illustrate how the best CRMs improve holistic business management, let’s walk through what customer relationship management looks like for plumbing contractors who use ServiceTitan.
Calling Booking Feature for Instant Customer Information
With ServiceTitan’s plumbing service software, when a customer call comes in — either via phone, web inquiry, or chat — there’s no need for the CSR to juggle a pen, paper and spreadsheet.
Using drop-down menus and custom prompts, they can simply enter the customer information directly into their system, including job type, start date, priority, and more.
We even provide examples of plumbing call center scripts that can be used in your own plumbing business.
ServiceTitan gives plumbers the ability to attribute new business to a marketing campaign (for example, a recent Google Ads campaign), allowing them to track their efforts.
If the call is from an existing customer, ServiceTitan will tell the CSR exactly who is calling before they even answer the phone. That way, they can pull up their job history immediately, ensuring that they’re prepared to answer questions about previous or ongoing work, and quickly book new jobs.
With web-based, user-friendly service management software like ServiceTitan, there’s no need for CSRs to put customers on hold or call them back while they pull paperwork from a filing cabinet. Plus, they don’t have to hope that it’s legible, correct, and isn’t dirty from spending time in a technician’s truck.
Note: With ServiceTitan’s CRM, you can add a Web Scheduler or Chat to Text widget to your website and give customers an easy way to schedule a job or start a text conversation online.
Further reading from our ServiceTitan playbook:
Scheduling & Dispatching for Profit
With each existing customer’s service history at hand, the CSR knows right away which tech to assign to every plumbing job. And if there’s any confusion, ServiceTitan’s dispatch software offers a suite of features to help them sort things out quickly, including:
Geographical booking zones
Tech availability calendars
Skill ratings (to name just a few)
These dispatching features help CSRs send the right tech to the right job.
ServiceTitan’s route optimization feature uses GPS to track techs and job progress so that visits can be organized to suit the technician’s location, taking into consideration traffic conditions.
Being able to view the exact location of each truck in real-time means dispatchers can group nearby jobs together and utilize the most efficient route. This allows techs to handle more jobs in a given day or do the same number of jobs in less time, increasing employee experience and satisfaction and bringing in more revenue.
Scheduling changes can be made easily, too, for example, when a customer reschedules or a different technician needs to be assigned to a job. So, when that call comes in about a burst pipe, the emergency job can be slotted in without manually juggling multiple pieces of information. This saves a lot of time and reduces the risk of errors that could affect the customer experience (e.g., no tech showing up at a job because it wasn’t reassigned properly).
ServiceTitan also offers an add-on product, Dispatch Pro, with more advanced dispatching features. Using machine learning, Dispatch Pro’s algorithm runs thousands of scenarios to find the best technician for every job. This, plus its intuitive dispatch board automations saves your dispatchers time, improves customer satisfaction, and maximizes profit.
For further reading, take a look at our article on dispatching tips.
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Automated Texts That Optimize Customer Satisfaction
Plumbing contractors who use ServiceTitan don’t need to worry about making confirmation calls the evening before a visit or about calling the day of the appointment to let them know when their tech will arrive.
The software takes care of both of these contacts with automated texts — including a link — providing customers with a GPS tracking tool so they can monitor their tech’s arrival in real-time, as well as a photo and some fun facts about them. That way, customers already have a degree of comfort with their tech when they get there.
Read more tips on how to improve the customer experience.
Call Recordings for Accountability & Training
With ServiceTitan, every call is recorded and logged into the relevant customer’s account. So, before a tech enters a home, they can listen to the CSR’s conversation(s) with the relevant customer via our Mobile App (available for android and IOS), arming themselves with every detail that might improve their sales or service call.
The feature is also great in the event of minor confusion — for example, a home address number that was inadvertently entered as 612, rather than 621.
Plumbing business owners love this feature for the accountability it provides. It allows contractors to better coach CSRs on how to handle customer interactions, as well as how to negotiate with customers when disagreement or nonpayment occurs, with background intelligence that is as accurate and well-documented as possible.
Follow-Ups to Increase Revenue
Using the Follow Ups menu, ServiceTitan users can efficiently execute a range of post-call tasks that are crucial to maximizing revenue. For example, CSRs can follow up on unsold estimates in a regular, methodical fashion, ensuring that their employer is leaving as little money on the table as possible.
Just by following up on unsold estimates, we’ve seen contractors improve their bottom line by as much as $1 million in a single year.
Further reading:
Upsell Memberships for Business Growth
As we’ve written previously about plumbing contracts, membership agreements can also provide a huge influx to a contractors’ revenue stream and boost relationships with your customers.
ServiceTitan helps business owners facilitate memberships and service agreements in a variety of ways, including from a CRM standpoint.
CSRs can select Recurring Service Types from the Follow Ups menu to keep their company (and their customers) up-to-date. That way, nothing gets lost in the system.
Further reading: Maintenance Agreements | The Ultimate Guide to Profit
Instant Payments via Mobile
ServiceTitan simplifies the payment process for membership agreements and standard plumbing services. Plumbing techs can create invoices and take payments from their mobile devices on the spot. Customers can enter credit card information directly into their tech’s tablet, or follow a link via text to submit payment online.
Being able to create invoices and take payments in this way is convenient for customers and means revenue hits your bank account sooner, too.
It’s worth noting that ServiceTitan’s business software integrates with multiple types of accounting solutions, including QuickBooks. So there’s no need to re-enter payment info from one app to the next; everything stays up-to-date and organized for you.
ServiceTitan also streamlines your internal payroll processes. The time tracking feature automatically documents your technician’s drive time, vendor runs, and wrench time on their timesheets so you can be confident that it’s accurate.
Tracking Metrics to Improve CSR Performance
Being able to monitor individual phone calls with customers is great. But ServiceTitan also gives business owners a more comprehensive, instantaneous view of their CSRs’ performance, in the form of a technician scorecard.
Contractors can see how many calls their employees are booking, what percentage of potential business they’re booking, how long they’re taking to do it, and more. They can also zoom in on individual calls to see what might have gone right or wrong, and where improvements can be made.
In addition, ServiceTitan tracks company metrics and KPI’s. This includes total revenue, total sales, total average sales, total job average, call booking rate, and your total conversion rate. You can even look at this over an 18 month trend (or weekly trend) to keep an eye on how your business is running.
Integration with Other Business Processes
While all CRM software tools have features that help you manage customer data and focus on improving the customer experience, as we’ve mentioned earlier in this article, they may not integrate with the rest of your business operations, such as building estimates or creating invoices.
That’s why we recommend a more holistic field management software, such as ServiceTitan, that provides the tools for your staff to manage all of your operational processes along with day-to-day customer relationship management (scheduling appointments, dispatching, etc.).
We’ve touched on some of ServiceTitan’s CRM features including call booking, scheduling and dispatching, and how customers can make instant payments. But the best plumbing software should offer an effective CRM solution and also help you manage these aspects of your business:
ServiceTitan’s field service software solution provides a comprehensive CRM system for plumbing contractors with features ranging from call booking and dispatching to invoicing and reporting. Our software solution improves efficiencies, simplifies tasks, and enhances customer satisfaction, which leads to increased revenue.
If you’d like to learn more about how ServiceTitan’s various tools and features can facilitate better customer relationships and grow your plumbing business, sign up for a free demo today.
Here’s our lineup of five alternative CRMs:
5 Alternative Plumbing CRMs
Commusoft
Commusoft is an all-in-one work order management software designed for field service companies. Used by small businesses, the software helps with job management, quotes, scheduling, inventory management, invoicing, and customer communications. It also integrates with accounting and payment solutions.
Plumbers can access customer information via their mobile device, and all data is synced in real-time so staff are up to speed on work orders at all times. Techs can also create invoices on the go and email them to customers. Commusoft also provides users with performance reports and charts.
Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is an all-in-one service tool that helps electrical contractors run their entire business from their smartphone or from their web portal. This solution supports all aspects of the workflow, including job scheduling, dispatching, customer database, invoicing (including QuickBooks Online), and payment processing.
Housecall Pro is competitively priced and is best suited to businesses with one to 30 employees.
Jobber
Jobber helps home service businesses (including plumbing companies) provide a seamless customer experience and keeps jobs on track, from the customer’s request through to payment.
Jobber is customizable to fit your process, so you can schedule jobs, optimize routes, send quotes and invoices by text, and get paid on-site via the software’s mobile app. Jobber is popular with small businesses that want a simple, easy-to-use solution.
Simpro
Simpro is a powerful job management software solution that lets you track multi-stage projects from start to finish. The platform automates tasks for dispatching, scheduling, inventory management as well as detailed financial reports.
Simpro connects office operations with plumbing techs in the field with Simpro Mobile and integrates with QuickBooks and Xero to help with accounting tasks, too.
SmartServ
SmartServ is a cloud-based field service management software for plumbing businesses as well as HVAC and electricians. Its features include real-time notifications, dispatch, contact management, customizable reports, and analytics.
The software lets users allocate jobs according to skills and availability as well as handle payments and generate estimates and invoices. SmartServ also offers an inventory management module that helps with order fulfillment.
Try ServiceTitan’s Plumbing CRM Solution
There’s no question that as more and more of the plumbing industry embraces tech-forward solutions to old obstacles, it will become increasingly difficult for business owners to compete without a CRM in their toolbelt.
In choosing one, though, it’s vital that plumbers are careful to select an option that integrates customer relationship management with the other essential elements of their business — scheduling, dispatching, job management, invoicing, inventory management, marketing, customer management, sales, etc.
Often, the alternative ends up being a clunky add-on, one that frequently aggravates some of the very same problems it was meant to address. However, with a field service software solution like ServiceTitan, plumbing contractors can improve their business exponentially.
If you’d like to learn more about how ServiceTitan can help your plumbing business become more efficient and grow revenue through improved customer relationships, schedule a call today.
ServiceTitan Plumbing Software
ServiceTitan is a comprehensive plumbing business software solution built specifically to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and achieve growth. Our award-winning, cloud-based platform is trusted by more than 100,000+ contractors across the country.
