IT MATTERS
THE smartphone is just about ubiquitous in the UK. Benjamin Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, explains what it can do for your business.
The smartphone is still arriving
New technology always takes a while to impact the world. The internal combustion engine and vehicles had a massive impact on railways, but it took some time. The internet and smartphones have already revolutionised the music and newspaper industries - even politics. But the full change to business practice is yet to come.
Grabbing your share of the pie
Not every bandwagon is good and a degree in cynicism is a useful defence. However, there are now enough people successfully using modern technology in their trade businesses to suggest that we are beyond “can it work?”. Being ahead of the game could provide you with a real competitive advantage.
Specifi cally, I want to focus on paperwork and administration for trade businesses. I realise that this is a big turn off and many people running trade companies hate paperwork, but that’s the point. Coupled with the internet, smartphones can make paperwork a lot easier. The bigger you get, the bigger the benefi t.
Effi ciency gains
Because this is only a short article, I will get straight to the point and list some of the benefi ts our customers tell us that they enjoy by using our trade-specifi c system. Of course, we aren’t the only ones; many competitors report similar results:
22 TBH February, 2019
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
Ben Dyer: Software Specialist
www.powerednow.com
Benjamin Dyer is the CEO of Powered Now. Powered Now aims to take the pain out of admin and paperwork for trade businesses like gas engineers, electricians, builders, and many more.
How to automate your business on the back of the smartphone revolution
• Faster and simpler invoicing means that you get paid more quickly. The easier it is, the less money you leave on the table by not bothering to invoice small jobs and extras. Invoicing straight from the customer’s site means you can easily remember the details too.
• Getting quotes out more quickly means winning more work. The quicker you can quote, the more business you will win. Trade businesses are notorious for not quoting or taking ages to do so, which drives customers mad.
• Automatic customer reminders mean more business. The big guys constantly bombard their customers with reminders that their warranty is running out, their boiler is due for a service or their landlord certifi cate needs renewing. It works.
• Knowing where your staff are and being able to communicate easily means you run your team more effi ciently.
• Having everything in one place means you spend less time shuffl ing paper. You can fi nd things when they are needed and work duplication is avoided.
Really?
You may wonder at these claims, but think of the benefi ts that apps have:
• They should be able to work at any time, whether there is a signal or not.
• Customer’s addresses can be looked up from the address book and
The fi nal impact
Smartphones are changing many things in the world. Rather than be beaten by competitors why not get a jump ahead? My hope is that this article provides some useful provocation and lets you rise to the challenges and opportunities from the smartphone revolution. Good luck!
postcode, minimising typing.
• Signatures, pictures and more can be captured on-site.
• Gas safety certifi cates, electrical forms and more can be generated on the go. Again, typing is minimised as there’s never a need to enter information twice – it is always saved and can easily be looked up.
• A diary can be shared among all team members.
• Everything can be recalled from anywhere at the touch of a button.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
