A handyman business lets you use your knowledge and skills to become your own boss and set your own hours. But, besides power tools, here are a few business tools that you’ll need to get started.
As a handyman business owner, you’re responsible for all of the inner workings of your business. You probably have pictured yourself painting, repairing windows and garage doors, and assembling furniture. The other side of running a handyman business, such as marketing, collecting payments, and keeping track of expenses, is what many people forget to make a plan for.
The business side of things can feel like a big hassle for some people. They might wish they could just outsource all of it so that they can focus on their craft. Today, it’s possible to make that wish a reality.
ServiceWorks is an all-in-one platform that you can use to manage your field service business. The software handles everything from booking to dispatching to invoicing, leaving you time to build your business.
Here are some specific tools that you’ll need to launch a handyman business.
Appointment software
Managing your appointments well will keep your business running smoothly. Appointment software makes your calendar management automatic. You can schedule jobs more easily and keep track of everything in one place. You can also see what jobs your employees are assigned to, improving your communication and collaboration.
Acuity and Calendly are popular appointment management software. Both have monthly plans with prices that vary based on the number of users. ServiceWorks handles appointments and calendars as well. It provides an instant booking feature as well as a simple drag-and-drop calendar. View all of your jobs for the day, week, or month. It even has a Map View to see on a map where your appointments are for the day.
Bookkeeping software
Bookkeeping or accounting software is important for handyman business owners for a number of reasons. First of all, keeping track of finances manually is time-consuming and can lead to errors. Good bookkeeping software will help you be aware of accounts receivable and accounts payable. Second, an automated system will give you information about your profitability. Finally, this software will make your life so much easier when tax season arrives.
The number one bookkeeping software for small business owners is QuickBooks. The Simple Start plan is designed for service-based small businesses, and it’s only $25 a month. The software offers online training resources, as well. If you use QuickBooks, you can easily sync your payment, invoice, and customer data with ServiceWorks.
Payment processing tool
In the past few years, people have gotten used to paying for everything online. As a small business owner, you definitely want to make a plan to offer your customers online payments. A payment processing tool handles these payments for you. Customers pay for your service using a credit or debit card and the payment processor acts as the go-between with your back and your customers’.
Some of the most well-known payment processing tools are PayPal and Stripe. These processors, like all processors, charge a small fee for their use. Another payment processing option is the one that comes included in your ServiceWorks package. The ServiceWorks software allows you to process payments out in the field, so you can collect immediately after finishing your job. It charges a fee of 2.85% + 25 cents per transaction.
Customer relationship management software
As your business grows, you’ll connect with and complete services for hundreds of customers. It’s important to have an easy way of keeping track of all of these people. That’s where customer relationship management (CRM) software comes in. The most basic feature of a CRM is the storing of customer information, such as personal details, communications, and interactions. But, CRMs can perform a broad range of tasks including managing marketing campaigns and leads.
A CRM designed for new small businesses is Zoho. Zoho has customer management and lead generation capabilities. ServiceWorks has a CRM integrated into the rest of its field service business management software. You can keep track of your customers on the back-end and impress them with a branded customer portal on the front end.
Business phone number app
You probably don’t want to be fielding business calls from your personal phone number, but it’s costly to get a second phone for business purposes. A simple solution is to use an app that provides you with a second phone number for a small monthly rate. An app like Nextiva receives your business calls through your personal phone or laptop. It also offers business services like forwarding calls and the ability to share the number with people on your team.
To further streamline your customer service, look into SMS automation. You can send out automated confirmation messages and appointment reminders. ServiceWorks includes this feature in its software package.
Starting a handyman business is an exciting moment in your life. Make sure that your business is set up for success with the right business tools. If you’re interested in trying out ServiceWorks for 14 days, you can sign up today without a credit card.
