Running a trades business is like juggling.
You’ve got jobs to do, people to manage, new business to win, and paperwork that seems never-ending.
But guess what?
There is a solution to make your life easier and help balance out your juggling act.
The solution?
Adopting technology in your trades business.
In 2024, there are tools out there that can save you bags of time, make your company more effective, and ease your day-to-day life.
Which is where Fergus comes in - the #1 job management software for tradespeople.
Of course, we would say that, wouldn’t we? But don’t just take our word for it!
In this article, we look at five real-life stories of businesses that adopted Fergus into their trades business, and got remarkable results.
Can you relate to any of the following examples in your trades business?
First up, we’ve got Baltic Electric.
These guys were doing everything the old-school way – paper here, paper there, paper everywhere.
Despite having an admin manager on board, they were still struggling to manage all their day-to-day tasks by hand.
Adopting Fergus job management software allowed them to save bags of time and helped the company to start working smarter, not harder.
What they said: "Before we were using the software, we were doing things manually, which was quite hard.
“We're a small business, so it just makes life a lot easier using software because we can delegate roles, give jobs out, and communicate with our customers."
Lesson: Embrace the technology, ditch the paper, and you’ll have more time for the real work.
Next up is Cosy Home Services, featuring Paul. And Paul alone.
Flying solo, Paul runs a plumbing and heating business. After a hard day on the tools, he would spend over three hours every night trawling through job cards and writing up invoices.
That is, until he decided to use Fergus.
Now, Paul can generate and send invoices in a matter of a few clicks, speeding up his whole operation.
He also no longer has to waste time filling in job sheets, and can track a job from quoting, all the way through to being paid. Because of this, Paul has saved 15 hours a week of wasted administration time.
Now, Paul is scheduling like a boss, sending out slick, professional invoices, and communicating with customers without breaking a sweat.
What he said: "I can go to a job and when I come back, it's there on the system and within 3 clicks I can send that invoice to that customer and attach any legal documents to it straight away.
“It’s saved me loads of time, which is absolutely brilliant, I’m really pleased with it."
Lesson: A one man band can look like a whole orchestra, with Fergus.
Asbestos Assessment Ltd. is all about keeping things safe and sound.
As well as dealing with the tricky stuff on the tools, one of the key challenges was managing information and communication among all of the team members.
To solve this issue, they gave job management software a go.
With the help of Fergus, Asbestos Assessment Ltd. were able to start working effectively as a team. They can now easily assign tasks, communicate remotely, track teams and get rid of timely admin tasks.
What they said: “Before implementing Fergus, our processes were somewhat fragmented, leading to inefficiencies in our day-to-day tasks.
“However, Fergus has revolutionised the way we manage our business.”
Lesson: Struggling to get a grip of your team? Empower them with job management software to keep everything simple.
Meet Able Property Services.
They fix things for letting agents, and there’s always something that needs fixing.
Before embracing technology, ‘everything was signed off on paper’, but the business, by their own admission, was inefficient and chaotic.
This makes it harder to get on top of the fundamentals, such as winning customers through job quotes and charging the correct amount to maximising profits.
Lucky for them, they chose Fergus to help them:
Not only did Fergus help to smooth operations, but also added the professional edge that was missing beforehand.
What they said: “Sometimes our quotes will be more than other companies, but because ours look more professional, customers feel more confident going with us.”
Lesson: Keep an eye on every job and every penny with a bit of digital help, making sure you get paid for every nut and bolt.
Last but not least, M B Electrical Services.
This family-run business has been lighting up lives for over 20 years.
Before going digital, the team would input everything manually, which was fine until the business started to grow.
Then it became impossible to manage.
Once M B Electrical went with Fergus, they were supported by the team to get fully trained up with the new software.
The job management software provides a colour-coordinated dashboard which makes estimates, job tracking, and invoice completion easy to learn (even for technophobes!).
With automated invoice reminders, the family business harboured less responsibility, while getting paid quicker, helping to streamline their operations.
What they said: “Whether you’re a small or large business but you’re struggling with keeping track of your jobs, give Fergus a try!
“You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!”
Lesson: Even old-school family businesses can get a boost from new-school tech. Use Fergus to scale up your trades business effectively.
So there you have it – five stories of trades businesses in the UK that are nailing it with a little help from a trades’ best friend.
Yes, we may be wagging our own tail, but the message of this article remains clear.
There is technology out there which will help your business thrive while making your life easier.
So why not give it a go?
And who knows?
Maybe you’ll be the next success story we’re all talking about.