Getting on top of a house or business and working on someone’s roof requires a good sense of balance. However, just landing the contract that gets you the work is a tricky balancing act in its own right.
Balancing Your Business Needs
Most consumers are going to get multiple bids for their project before they choose one, and you need to come in low enough to be not just competitive but the winning bid without being so cheap that you sacrifice the quality of your work. On the other hand, you need to make enough money to actually be profitable, or there’s just no point being in business.
Estimating software helps you project how much a particular contract would cost you and what you would need to charge to make it worth your while. Project management software helps you stay on track once you actually have work contracted.
Top 10 Software Options to Consider
Knowing the top 10 picks for 2022 puts your roofing business in the right place for the coming year.
- Service Proz: If you run a small business, you might not think you can compete with the big boys. Service Proz levels the playing field. Use the CRM to come up with professional estimates, convert them into work orders, schedule them on your calendar, and then finish the work order. Your history stores all data, including notes, images, messages, and money information. The included SMS message center lets you have ongoing communication between clients and technicians alike who can communicate via mobile app and desktop interfacing. Additional features include invoicing, reporting, and inventory tracking.
- YourTradebase: Brought to you by Forty Two, this amazingly fast app gets right to the point. Track work you win, work that is done, and work that is paid for. Come up with quotes and invoices, keep notes, get client approval, schedule your work, maintain communication, get paid, and manage your teams all in one no-frills app. This simple platform increases business efficiency so much by sparing you paperwork that you might wind up freeing a while workday each week you can now use to focus on other matters. A 30-day free trial lets you try it for yourself without commitment.
- Commusoft: Manual scheduling and dispatching are a thing of the past with this program. You can know what your technicians are up to anytime you want to look. Professional quotes with a variety of options speed up your sales and improve your cash flow. You can even get instant approval on a job site without haggling with your office. Automated and customized client communications offer your customers a frictionless experience that earns their loyalty. Enjoy flexible payment options with both daily and rolling licenses for any subcontractors you work with.
- Tradify: This all-inclusive job management package is oriented towards any trade business involving one to 20 employees. Manage your business administration with quotes and estimates, timesheets, invoices, purchase orders, job scheduling, and field service management. More than 20,000 professionals in various trades around the globe have already discovered Tradify and love it due to simple set up and use.
- Marketing 360: Offered by Madwire, you can get all the tools you need for not just managing your business but also growing it. With a 4.7 rating out of 5 stars from nearly a thousand respondents, it might be worth creating a free account so you can explore this platform. There are multiple plans and pricing levels to choose from, so you can scale it to the current needs or size of your roofing business.
- Vonigo: This online booking platform elevates your business management to new levels. Use it to boost your sales and streamline the operations of your roofing company. The unified suite of modules are cloud-based and can be streamline for reporting, work order management, scheduling, routing and dispatching, estimates, payments, and CRM. All of this is accessible via mobile and desktop technology with an online connection, and millions of roofing jobs have already happened thanks to this platform.
- Archdesk: This all-inclusive software is not just cloud-based but also possibly a good representation of the next generation of online tools for those in the construction industry and related professions. Manage everything from start to finish about your workflow. Handle initial client inquiries, estimates, contract, budgeting, procurement, asset and labor management, and team collaboration until you issue every invoice. The easy interface is accessible from all online devices around the clock.
- JobNimbus: This program is fast, flexible, and simple to use. Track your potential leads, actual jobs, and assigned tasks all in one simple to use hub. Access your business information anywhere you have an online connection. Get everybody on the same page and then keep them there. Technical skills aren’t necessary with JobNimbus so you can focus on your own business and what you do well.
- BidBook: Brought to you by CRM Evangelist and developed using the Salesforce platform, this option lets you develop and foster closer relationships with clients and contractors alike. Enjoy always-on access to activities, bids, projects, and relationships. Loss analysis helps you maximize your profits, and a revenue stream visualizer lets you see everything from your backlog to your bid requests.
- Roofr: Offer precise roof measurement reports at just $10 and delivered the same day, or use a free version of the software for DIY measurements. Reports include detailed breakdowns that include total squares, edges, and pitch. Create impressively branded proposals to your prospects so your pitch pops compared to the competition. Join for free to see how much more work you can win.
Advantages of Using Estimating Software for Your Roofing Business
Technology is always advancing, but the last few years have seen leaps and bounds in what creative applications professionals in that industry are coming up with. You certainly don’t need to understand how the technology works to know the advantages that come with it:
- Accuracy: Tracking your expenses is always vital in volatile economic times and high market competition.
- Improved Project Management: Manage your materials through procurement, purchase, and use. Optimize time-management and workflow.
- Consistency: Do enough roofing projects and you’ll start seeing the same circumstances over and over. Estimating software helps you streamline processes, formulas, and estimates so that you deliver consistent results to many clients. Your reputation will grow over time.
- Convenience: Tracking the costs involved with equipment, labor, and materials can generate a mountain of paperwork. Doing it all digitally frees up a lot of administration and time you can spend on growing your business instead of operating it.
- Efficiency: Online estimating software speeds up your quotes and operations for faster estimate processing and tracking your roofing projects.
- Professionalism: The biggest benefit is just looking professional. You’ll not only impress potential clients but also subcontractors and technicians.
Don’t Forget to Get More Business
Managing your business processes does wonders for keeping costs down. That way, you keep more of the money you have coming into your roofing business.
Just don’t forget to keep generating new business. Do all you can to draw visitors to your website and then convert them. Sign up for the free website audit we offer to see how well your website is working. We’ll identify pain points and potential fixes free of cost or obligation so you can see how much better you might be doing.