The Importance of Planning Software for Electricians

According to Electrical Construction and Maintenance, project management for multiple electrical contracting jobs can be a chore, especially since it requires paying attention to detail and maintaining high levels of organization.

For an electrical contractor, having the right planning software can help to deal with many administrative and technical tasks. No software exists that can perform the job of an electrician in the field, but for almost any other detail, the right project management software can offer huge benefits.

Planning software can bring about a change in the fundamental running of a business if the company decides to integrate it into the existing business model. Chron mentions that effective project management in small business enables those businesses to meet their deadlines while staying within budget.

Planning software offers a link between software and project planning and gives the contractor a single location where he or she can see the detailed running of their business, including scheduled jobs and outstanding payments.

For an electrician, project planning software offers quite a few benefits, such as:

1. Collaboration

While some tasks can be done independently, having an option to collaborate with another electrician (either because of the scope of the job or because of the client’s specifications) could prove valuable. Project planning software helps keep all members of the team on the same page and working within the same boundaries.

Documents and timelines of different parts of the project can be shared across to each individual so that everyone is aware of what everyone else did on the project and what else remains for completion.

2. Managing Project Budgets

One of the downfalls electrical contractors have is ending up having to pay for projects long after those projects are over. Having an application to manage budget allocations for hires, material, and other fees can help to make an electrical contractor’s business more profitable. Planning software can compare estimated to actual values and determine where the financial budget needs to go to be most efficient in completing the job.

3. Communication

With proper milestones set out on a project, a contractor can have specific points to update his or her clients on the development of the project. Some software even offers clients the ability to log in to the system directly and see the state of completion. Those clients can then provide feedback directly to the contractor without the need for a third-party site.

Additionally, project management software allows for communication with suppliers, enabling the contractor to update material lists and have it ordered from the preferred supply point.

4. Optimizing Decision-Making

For a contractor, having all the information housed in a single repository can make for easier decisions.

A contractor that is aware of his or her budget constraints and time deadline for a particular project can set out work incrementally to make sure that the project comes in both within schedule and under budget. If multiple projects are going on at the same time, the software can quickly determine which job has priority in the queue.

5. Projections

Seeing the rate of completion of a project can offer insights into how the company completed it, and if the workers’ efficiency could be improved further.

Contractors that are well aware of the rate of their work can offer reliable projections for clients regarding completion times in the future, based on similar jobs done on the past. Having a running record of these jobs can give the business insight into how other tasks of the same type may progress, and enable the contractor to offer closer estimates to the actual cost of the job.

6. Customer Satisfaction Improvements

Satisfied customers are the hallmark of a respected company.

Forbes notes that satisfied customers are not necessarily loyal customers, but with excellent customer service, it’s easy to turn one into the other.

Small businesses have historically struggled with customer service after growing beyond a certain level and this can be traced back to how the company manages its customers. Planning software can help deal with customer engagement and management, turning satisfied customers into potentially loyal ones.

Planning Software and Competitive Edge

Competing in an open market means dealing with other competitors. Planning software offers any small business the competitive edge it needs when it comes to budget management and customer satisfaction. These elements are critical factors in determining the long-term viability of a contractor’s business. Having planning software that can help a business grow and scale up quickly. The choice of planning software might impact a contractor’s long term prospects far more than he or she may imagine at first glance.

Author’s Bio: Marie Erhart is a Success Manager at FieldPulse, creators of field service software that lets you run your entire contracting business from a single app. She works with contractors to help them grow their business using best practices.