Run Your Plumbing Business
From One System

Plumbing businesses operate in crisis mode with unique operational challenges:

• Half your calls are emergencies requiring 2-hour response
• Customers demand immediate action regardless of route efficiency
• Flat rate pricing prevents techs from underbidding complex repairs
• Aging infrastructure creates decades of repeat business at same properties

1Emergency Dispatch Cuts Response Time

Emergency plumbing calls need immediate dispatch to the nearest available tech. Manual dispatching takes 10 to 15 minutes checking who is where and what skills they have.

Impact: Automated dispatch finds the closest tech in under 30 seconds. For shops running 100 emergency calls monthly, this saves 15-20 hours of dispatcher time.

2Flat Rate Pricebooks Protect Margins

Time and materials pricing creates margin erosion. A drain clearing job takes an experienced tech 45 minutes but takes a newer tech 90 minutes. Under hourly billing, you make less on the slow tech.

Impact: Flat rate pricebooks maintain 35-45% gross margins vs 25-35% on T&M work. For a $1.5M annual business, that's $150K-$300K in added gross profit.

Digital pricebooks let techs look up prices on-site without calling the office.

3Property Tracking Builds Recurring Revenue

Plumbing work happens at properties, not customers. A property manager oversees 30 buildings. Each building has 4 to 8 units. Track equipment by customer and you lose which building needs backflow testing this month.

Impact: Property-based tracking shows every water heater, sump pump, and backflow preventer installed at an address. For shops managing 200 commercial properties, this generates $80K-$120K in predictable maintenance revenue annually.

4Route Clustering for Non-Emergency Work

Emergency calls kill efficiency, but routine maintenance and installation work can be scheduled intelligently. Cluster non-emergency jobs geographically to minimize drive time between appointments.

Impact: A 10-tech shop running 30-40 scheduled jobs weekly cuts 8-12 hours of drive time. At $85/billable hour, that recovers $35K-$50K annually in productive capacity.

5Mobile Forms Work in Crawl Spaces

Plumbers work under sinks, in crawl spaces, and next to water heaters in basements. Cell signal is nonexistent. Cloud-only apps fail when you need to record water pressure readings or snap photos of corroded pipes.

Impact: Offline-capable apps download job details before arrival and sync when signal returns. For shops running 150 service calls monthly, this eliminates 10-15 hours of office staff time transcribing handwritten notes.

6On-Site Payment Collection Improves Cash Flow

Plumbing jobs get paid faster when techs collect payment on completion. Sending invoices via email adds 15 to 45 days to payment cycles. Mobile card readers let techs run credit cards and ACH transfers in the field.

Impact: Shops collecting 70% of payments on-site vs 30% reduce outstanding receivables from $180K to $80K. That frees up cash for truck inventory, better tool packages, and hiring additional techs without needing a line of credit.

7Multi-Option Estimates Close More Residential Jobs

Residential plumbing customers balk at single-price water heater replacements. Good, Better, Best pricing gives them options. The customer who rejects a $3,500 tankless install often accepts the $1,800 standard tank replacement.

Impact: Multi-option pricing closes 55-65% of residential estimates vs 35-45% with single-price quotes. For shops writing $800K in residential proposals annually, that converts an extra $120K-$180K in sold work.