7 Best Plumbing Invoice Apps and How to Choose the Right One

Plumbing Contractor Software vs. Standalone Invoicing Solutions

Before we explain how ServiceTitan and other all-in-one software solutions help plumbing contractors optimize the invoicing process, here are the pros and cons of standalone invoicing software.

Pros of Standalone Plumbing Invoicing Apps 

The obvious advantage of using standalone invoicing software is that it eliminates the need to generate invoices manually, with pen and paper. 

Other potential benefits include:  

• Often lower sticker prices than all-in-one software solutions 

• Easy tracking of outstanding invoices

• On-the-go digital signatures

• Estimating feature tie-ins, in some cases

Cons of Invoicing-Only Software

Typically, standalone invoicing apps are disconnected from the other elements of a plumbing service business. This means there are several disadvantages to using them:

• No integration: They don’t work seamlessly with the other tools contractors need to run their business, such as dispatching and scheduling software or payroll and timesheet tools.   

• Time-consuming: Plumbers have to manually transfer information from different documents (such as work orders), spreadsheets, files, software platforms, and/or mobile apps.   

• Can be error prone: Using disparate tools is tedious and increases the likelihood of mistakes. Invoices containing errors can result in underpayment and could damage customer relationships, ultimately resulting in reduced income.

• Missing functionality: Many invoicing-only apps are missing some of the advanced, modern mobile capabilities and API associated with some of the more cutting edge all-in-one solutions. 

• Costly: Invoicing-only software often works out to be more costly when you factor in the extra cost of paying for additional tools and platforms to manage other business processes such as CRM, dispatch software, inventory management software, etc.

ServiceTitan field service management software was built specifically for the trades including plumbers, HVAC, and electrical. In contrast to standalone invoicing apps, ServiceTitan optimizes the invoicing process and integrates invoicing with other essential features such as call booking, dispatching, and estimates, so that invoicing is a driving force for growth, efficiency, and revenue generation.

Next, we’ll explain how ServiceTitan works. Then, we’ll list four alternative all-in-one business software solutions and two standalone invoicing apps.

Note: Check out our article on 15 essential plumbing apps for contractors.

1. ServiceTitan: Optimize & Integrate the Entire Plumbing Invoicing Process 

Create Accurate Invoices in Real-Time

ServiceTitan automatically fills in certain fields (invoice number, type, terms, invoice date, payroll date, number of hours worked, subtotal, tax zone, membership discounts), ensuring that the right variables are used for calculating every invoice total, whether you’re working in the field or the office.

Key Invoicing Features 

• Generate custom invoices in the field with Our mobile app: Plumbers can create and customize accurate, professional invoices from our invoice templates with payment terms and PO numbers that can be texted or emailed to customers on the spot. The invoice is also printable for shops that don’t want to go paperless.

• Real-time invoice approval: All data is instantaneously available to users, so plumbing business owners can observe their techs’ invoice creation in real-time and sign off the final invoice remotely. 

• Request for signatures: Prompts the tech and customer to provide signatures for work and payment authorization, minimizing the potential for disagreements once the invoice has been delivered. 

• Photos & videos: Provide a record of the plumbing work carried out by including labeled photos or videos, for example, the “before and after” of a water heater repair or installation.

• Accessible customer information: All customer details are available with the click of a button. This comes in especially useful for commercial accounts where the tech can instantaneously send an invoice to a landlord, a property manager, and/or a tenant simultaneously from their mobile device, and know that each has been assigned the correct PO number, too.

• Upselling opportunities: Optional fields let you add service suggestions, warranty information, membership promotions, etc. This prompts plumbing techs to offer additional services from the job site to maximize revenue and enhance the customer experience. 

• Reputation management: Automate review requests on all invoices to ensure you monitor customer satisfaction. These can be delivered by SMS or email immediately after the tech marks the job as complete on their mobile app. 

• Automatic central invoice storage: Invoices are automatically stored in the customer database alongside everything else that relates to that customer (job details, estimates, warranty details, notes, etc) so no important details are lost.

Offer Flexible Instant Payment Options 

With ServiceTitan, plumbing techs can offer customers multiple options for accepting payment so you can be paid swiftly, optimizing cash flow.

• Self-Serve Customer Portal: Customers can view job histories and invoices and make online payments, reducing demands on your team.

• Techs can take a picture of a check and auto-deposit it immediately using the mobile app.

• Credit card payments can be processed using a Bluetooth Card Reader with a tap/swipe of the card.

• Google Pay™ and Apple Pay® integration provide another flexible payment option.

• We also offer Financing options, so if a customer applies for and is approved for financing through the estimate, payment is already taken care of.

Integration with Accounting Software

For the many plumbing contractors that use QuickBooks, ServiceTitan’s QuickBooks integration means that all transactions (such as purchase orders and invoices), including those carried out in the field, are instantly captured and exported to your QuickBooks Online account, with no manual re-entry needed.

ServiceTitan also integrates with Sage Intacct and various other accounting software platforms so you can keep all your financial management in one place.

Track & Follow Up on Unpaid Invoices Quickly & Efficiently

While ServiceTitan lets you collect payments instantly, there will always be some invoices that are not paid promptly. 

ServiceTitan helps you track unpaid invoices and chase payment at the appropriate time via the Accounts Receivable Summary Report. 

This shows all the invoices that are yet to be paid and includes fields such as:

• Customer name and phone number

• The outstanding balance

• The outstanding balance for different timeframes:

  • Less than or equal to 30 days

  • For 31–60 days

  • For 61–90 days

  • And so on

You can filter this information and save time by bulk-sending notifications to customers with outstanding balances, for example, for more than 30 days. Simply select your target audience, craft the email, and send it out. 

Using this report ensures that payment processing emails are sent only to the correct customer and saves a huge amount of time if you were to track and chase each customer individually.

Integrate Invoicing with Core Business Workflows

In addition, ServiceTitan software streamlines invoicing with all of the core elements of a service business, including: 

• Call Booking: Our user-friendly call booking software includes dropdown menus with the name and location of the caller, along with property and equipment details, so CSRs can book plumbing jobs quickly and accurately. 

• Scheduling & Dispatching: With our dispatch software, you can book jobs days, weeks, or even months in advance, use custom tags to flag technical specs or even languages spoken, and track techs and traffic delays in real-time so routes and techs’ time is optimized.

• Pricebook: Upload or build fully customizable pricebooks with up-to-date pricing that’s linked directly to our estimating features. Upgrade to Pricebook Pro for a pre-built, fully integrated, and maintained flat-rate pricebook with features like explainer PDFs for techs to show to customers to maximize revenue opportunities.

• Estimates & Proposals: Build plumbing estimates and create Good Better Best proposals including photos, manufacturer videos, and product information that can be viewed and signed off by the customer on site     

• ServiceTitan Mobile: With ServiceTitan Mobile, you can access real-time info via iPhone, Android, iPad, and other iOS devices to offer services while out in the field. (All ServiceTitan features are also available via desktop.)

Our software also includes reporting and marketing tools, and more.

2. Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro is a holistic FSM solution for home service businesses. Similar to ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro offers a wide range of features outside of invoicing, such as scheduling and dispatching, estimates, QuickBooks integration, and more.

3. Jobber

Jobber is a field service scheduling software that also offers a wide range of other features for running a field service business. Like ServiceTitan, Jobber offers functionality for estimating, quotes, scheduling, invoicing, and more. 

Jobber is popular with small businesses that want a simple, easy-to-use solution. 

4. Service Fusion

Service Fusion describes itself as an “All-In-One Field Service Management Software.” Like ServiceTitan, Service Fusion offers a wide range of features including estimates, invoices, customer management, scheduling and dispatching, and more. 

5. FieldEdge

FieldEdge is a field service management software and field service app for service businesses. FieldEdge offers a wide range of features like ServiceTitan, including functionality for quotes and invoicing, scheduling and dispatching, service agreements, and more. 

Standalone Plumbing Invoice Apps

6. Joist

Joist is an app that specializes in estimating, invoicing, and payments for contractors. The product, like ServiceTitan, has a mobile app for facilitating business functions in the field or office. Joist also offers QuickBooks integration to sync activity with your accounting. 

However, Joist is a standalone invoicing software solution, lacking tools for other key business activities such as scheduling and dispatching, managing maintenance agreements, reporting, or marketing. 

7. JobFLEX

Like Joist, JobFLEX is an estimating and invoicing point solution for contractors. JobFLEX offers similar features such as mobile functionality and the ability to create estimates and invoices, however JobFLEX doesn’t appear to offer payment functionality. And like Joist, JobFLEX doesn’t offer features or the ability to seamlessly integrate with the other core tools used to run a plumbing business. 

Which Plumbing Invoice Solution Is Best for You?

Standalone plumbing invoicing apps can appear to be a cost-effective solution. But in reality, they separate invoicing from the other business processes that plumbing companies rely on to do their best work. This can result in workflow inefficiencies, errors, and, ultimately, restricted growth and revenue.    

Using a comprehensive software solution like ServiceTitan centralizes invoicing with all of the tools and functionality that a plumbing business needs on a single, cutting edge software platform. 

Plumbing business owners using ServiceTitan spend less time correcting mistakes and putting out fires so they can focus their attention on our streamlined workflows and business efficiencies to beat out competitors and grow revenue.