How smartphones will change the trade industry
Lots of things are changing all around us on the technology front. Smartphones, which have seen the fastest-ever adoption of any technology in the world’s history, are the most obvious. Benjamin Dyer of Powered Now looks at what this will mean for trade businesses. It’s all still to play for The arrival of smartphones is finishing what the internet
started. The music, newspaper and magazine industries have already been compromised. It’s early days yet but it’s already clear where some things will change for trade businesses. That’s why it’s sensible for people working in the trade to
take a look. Being slightly ahead of the game could put you well ahead of the competition. General impact on trades The ‘connected home’, with everything communicating
with the web, will probably have the biggest impact on sparkies, but all sorts of other trades will be impacted in some way. Things will change, from alarms to electric gates to plumbing and gas installations. For instance, water flow can be monitored and cut off when there are leaks. Homes can be kept warm at a much lower cost. This will all be based on ever-cheaper sensors and controls connected to smartphones - it’s the way everything is going. The technology is evolving rapidly and I believe this will be good for trade businesses. Helping with the paperwork issue As a rule, people who run trade businesses hate paperwork. In business, you
should focus on your strengths and delegate tasks where you are less good. Smartphones can help, they provide the opportunity to delegate some of the heavy lifting to a computer! Most business owners understand the reasons for investing in good tools, but
investing in solutions to help with paperwork is less instinctive. This isn’t entirely logical. The benefits of an app include simple and quicker invoicing; invoicing straight from the job means it’s easier to remember the details;
you are also less likely to ignore small extras and will get paid faster. Your customer will be psychologically more willing to pay immediately after completion as they have less time to have second thoughts. Another benefit is automated reminders to customers. For instance, gutter cleaning, annual servicing and more. Quicker quoting means winning more business with less effort. The nitty gritty My company, Powered Now, is just one of several
providing smartphone-based solutions. While all the benefits listed above might sound impressive, much more detail is needed. Here is how it can work: You can do everything with less effort - create customer
details based on your contact list and postcode lookup, then re-use customer details with one click after that; create quotes and invoices while sitting in your van; base invoices on quotes with no copying, pasting or rekeying. Calculate VAT and totals automatically; keep running totals for a project, based on accepted quotes, invoices and payments. You can sell with more professional-looking quotes
created on the go, meaning that customers get them quicker. You get notified when quotes are opened, and
customers can accept or reject the quote online. You can run your team better, with a central diary of appointments connected
to customers; tracking every team member to see their proximity to appointments; sharing a company ‘chat’ facility that enables quicker and easier communication and problem solving. Tomorrow is already here The connected home is definitely arriving. But, if anything, it’s running behind
easy-to-use solutions to the paperwork problem. It’s my wish that there are some helpful thoughts in this article. So, wishing you all the best with your business.
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