Sticky beak into major job management software

STICKY BEAK INTO THE MAJOR JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

Job management software is always a hot topic of conversation between trade business owners. Why? Because job management software is the glue that keeps trade business humming along, without hiccups (if implemented correctly) — and is the only way you’re off the tools. Just like going to open homes is appealing (who doesn’t love a sticky beak?), most of us tradies in business are interested in what’s happening in the job management software landscape. We want to know we’ve got the best product in place, doing the best job possible.

Here’s a snapshot of five of the major job management systems — AroFlo, Fergus, simPRO, Buildxact and Ascora.

1. AroFlo

Founded in 2001 by CEO Guy Arrowsmith, AroFlo came to life to fill a growing gap in the market. Gary envisioned the software as a tool belt, explaining that “with AroFlo, you won’t always need everything that’s there right away, but when you do, it’ll always be close to hand”.

Based on this philosophy, here are three things to love about AroFlo:

1. Fully customisable: This means trade businesses of all sizes and scopes will never outgrow AroFlo, even if you choose to scale either upwards or outwards into the future. 2. Feature-complete on delivery: This means, every feature is available from day one if you choose, with ongoing support at a set price (no hidden fees was a big plus for us!). 3. Aided by customer collaboration: This means

AroFlo is consistently developing and improving based on community feedback. In our own trade business, Dr. DRiP Plumbing, we’re impressed by how adaptable the software is to the needs of our tradespeople. As a primarily maintenance-style business, AroFlo’s workflow flexibility, accountability, transparency and reporting functionality has been a great match for our professional work.

2. Fergus

The brainchild of veteran tradie, Dan Pollard, Fergus is the result of him working in the trenches of his own trades business, where it didn’t take long for Dan to realise that in order to run a successful trades business, proper systems are needed to keep it going.

Based on this philosophy, here are three things to love about Fergus:

1. Fergus-only ‘status board’: It helps you see where money is behind held up in your business with pre-built financial summaries, which show the most profitable jobs or where you lost money on the job.

2. Easily integrates with other platforms: With a suite of New Zealand and Australian trade materials supplier and accounting integrations, with Fergus, you can connect to the supplier’s customer portal. 3. Two-way invoice sync: Fergus’s two-way invoice sync with Xero and MYOB means

Fergus automatically syncs all your invoices and contact records with Xero in real time. From startups to established enterprises of up to 50 employees, Fergus is designed to help trade business owners get jobs under control — and keep it that way.

3. simPRO

As trade business owners, providing an exceptional customer experience and lifting the game of your team falls on your shoulders.

Here are three simPRO apps designed to improve your field-to-office workflows, for current simPRO customers and curious tradies:

1. simPRO Mobile: Designed to optimise common, in-the-field workflows, the app for Android and iOS can be used on tablet and smartphone devices to execute multiple-service workflows. 2. simPRO eForms: A standalone app, it targets workflows associated with paper-based forms like

COVID-19 contact tracing, JSAs, compliance and regulation reports. 3. simTRAC: Also a standalone app, knowing the exact location of your tradies in the field means your dispatcher can decide who is the best person for the job and most readily available to attend. When you’re using your job management software, like simPRO, to its full potential, you and your team of tradies benefit through wins in efficiency, building customer relationships, transparency and support.

4. Buildxact

Buildxact has been developed specifically for small builders and trades, is easy to learn and easy to get started with. It’ll lighten your day-to-day load to help you focus on growth and profit-making activities.

Buildxact provides a bird’s eye perspective of your projects. You’ll love Buildxact for the following three reasons:

1. Easy and simple takeoffs: You can get your quotes out faster to your customers. Higher quality quotes, delivered faster, means more jobs won for your building or trade business. 2. Online scheduling: Buildxact allows you to schedule notifications and update all your subbies or suppliers in one go. The Gantt charts will help you stay on top of where your project is at during any point in the job. 3. Tracking costs and profits: Buildxact allows you to accurately manage your costs on-the-job and report on them when the job is complete to create more accurate estimates. You’ll always be stuck working long hours in order to keep up with the admin, if you don’t have job management software like Buildxact in place – leaving you without the scope to grow.

5. Ascora

Even though you’ve hired more staff to handle your paperwork, the only way you’re going to get on top of your game is with a job management system.

Here are three reasons to love Ascora:

1. GPS trackers: Directly integrated into Ascora,

GPS units let you track your vans and also other key assets. With GPS trackers, you’ll know where your assets are in real-time. 2. Auto geofencing timesheet: Timesheets are the lifeline of your trades business. With just a click of a button on the Ascora app, you track the exact number of hours spent on a job. 3. Inventory tracking: Ascora has multiple levels of inventory tracking from capturing only purchases and receipts through to multiple stock locations with reorder levels.

Finally, did you start a trade business wanting ‘me’ time or money — or both? You’ll never achieve freedom without job management software and keeping on top of how to use it to its full potential.

LIFESTYLE TRADIE VIRTUAL EVENT

AUGUST 2020

A pivot is a change in strategy without a change in vision. — Eric Ries

While virtual formats will never replace the ‘real thing’, the August event was a cracking success. Let’s relive some of the best moments.

Yes, ‘pivot’ is the word of the moment. The Lifestyle Tradie community has really embraced the concept, throwing its support behind our plan to pivot from our usual in-person R&R on the Gold Coast to a virtual format. A massive 90 percent of members joined us on the day, which shows just how important it is for all of us to get together — no matter how. For Andy and Ange, and the Lifestyle Tradie team, it was a learning experience bringing you the event from a studio. But the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, giving us a thumbs up for professionalism, calibre of content, seamless delivery, overall learning experience, and just the dose of motivation everyone needed.

Michael Crossland: perspective and inspiration

You’ll agree Michael Crossland’s presentation put a few things in perspective for all of us. It’s not easy doing a remote presentation because you don’t have that audience interaction. However, Michael’s raw and powerful story came through loud and clear.

Some of the takeaways include:

• You need to do what inspires and motivates you — the choices we make each and every day can help shape, remould and redefine our future. • Like Michael’s mum, she wanted to know the changes in his survival NOT the changes of him dying. • If you can instill love and hope, determination and courage, resilience and optimism, it’s remarkable what you can overcome in personal and business life. • Use your purpose to get through tough times.

This is of true value at the moment with the challenges we have all faced during this year and the experiences we have dealt with thanks to

COVID-19.

Mastermind: the power of brainstorming

Who doesn’t love brainstorming problems with your peers — and finding solutions? That’s exactly how Mastermind played out on the day. Breaking out into small, virtual groups, each business brought an issue/challenge/problem to the table, for discussion. The beauty of Mastermind is in that peer-to-peer support. Some of the topics that shone through include: how to get staff to follow systems, hiring and keeping good tradies, being an employer of choice, working as a husband-and-wife team, plus,

motivation and mindset.

PROBLEMS RAISED, PROBLEMS SOLVED WAS THE NAME OF THE GAME.

Prizes: who doesn’t love a giveaway!

The prize giveaways on the day were a hit — that spinning wheel keeping everyone in suspense until the end. Congratulations if you were lucky enough to win a jumper, breakfast, massage or accommodation voucher! Finally, a big shout out to Sam for bringing everything together for a brilliant execution on the day, along with the amazing support of Alexis, Jess

and Tracey. Good one, team!