Solutions to Build, Enhance, and Streamline Your Business Operations

FieldVibe (www.fieldvibe.com) is a job scheduling app for solopreneurs and micro business owners in the field service industries, designed from the ground up as a mobile app and available in three plans. Basic, which is free for one user on a single device, enables job scheduling and adding of tasks, attachments of job photos, clock-in/clock out, and the ability to capture and store customer signatures.

The SOLO and CREWS, each of which carries a monthly fee and removes the limits of the Basic plan (in terms of devices, export, and number of jobs), allows unlimited staff members.

The Basic plan enables the user to schedule jobs, add tasks, and attach photos to jobs, with a limit of 50 jobs per month and 3 PDF exports per month; SOLO, which is for a single user, allows 150 text messages every month; and Crews, intended for a few crews, allows unlimited staff members, devices, and jobs and 400 text messages per month.

The app includes automated text reminders to confirm jobs and to remind clients of the scheduled visits, automated time slot suggestions for new jobs, and greater message capacity for an additional monthly fee.  

Users can access up-to-date and historical client history, including notes for each visit, signatures, and revenue.

Besides the Business owner, the solution offers two types of user permissions: Staff, which lets that person manage his or her calendar, and Admin, which gives that member access to manage the calendar of the entire business, same as the owner.

Leap

Leap (www.leaptodigital.com, 844/775-1188) offers home improvement businesses (ranging in size from neighborhood contractors to national franchises) a comprehensive set of capabilities to help win and manage jobs, handling business tasks centered on everything from sales and management to customer service in a single platform.

The solution provides features both for contractors in the field and executives at a desktop workspace in the office concentrating on growing the business. Leap’s tools allow a user to plan projects and create professional homeowner facing proposals and provides payment options and collection tools that empower one-call close sales teams.

Leap also includes LeapPay, a new feature which streamlines the payment process and incorporates sending invoices and accepting and tracking payments online and in person, via credit cards, debit cards, and ACH transfers, and sending of receipts by email.   

Two plans are available: Leap Essential, for solopreneurs managing all aspects of business, for one user only; and Leap Team, built for growing businesses, which allows up to 3 users.

Pricing: each plan carries a monthly fee.  

JobTread

JobTread estimating and project management software (www.jobtread.com, 972/388-1001) is an end-to-end solution with a range of capabilities, suitable for servicing all size contractors, specializing in residential businesses. 

Sales and estimating features include CRM, customizable cost catalog featuring database of items and assemblies to which you can add markup or margins to automate pricing you want to hit target profits, job templates for take-offs and budgeting, lead management with the ability to accept e-signatures and convert a proposal into a contract with a single click. You can customize the level of detail to include on each estimate and can convert proposals to contracts with e-signatures.

Project management features incorporate details of tasks and scheduling, utilizing color-coded charts and timelines; purchase, work, and change orders; daily log; time tracking; and the ability to store files and take and store photos and videos; and sub, vendor, and customer portals. The customer portal enables a client to see the status and the change history for all project documents, including estimates, change orders, and invoices, as well e-sign them. 

You can assign tasks with due dates to multiple people, create sub-tasks, and filter tasks by status, individual, and yet to be assigned.

JobTread integrates with Companycam (jobsite photo tool), Zapier (an integration hub), QuickBooks Online, and QuickBooks Desktop, and Gusto (an HR platform for payroll and benefits).  

Pricing: monthly or annual subscription  

Pipedrive CRM

Pipedrive CRM (www.pipedrive.com) helps sales professionals track sales pipeline, manage leads and automate the entire sales process from one central location, centralizing data and helping to visualize the entire sales process and win more deals.

The tool is fully customizable, enabling sales professionals to tailor the deal pipeline to plumbing and HVAC industry needs, from custom fields to sales pipeline stages. Pipedrive allows enhancing and streamlining operations by aiding a user in management of the sales cycles, analysis of customer data, and generation of critical reports to track inventory and forecast and manage demand and stimulate growth.

Pipedrive CRM offers five plans, priced per user per month: Essential, Advanced, Professional, Power and Enterprise, differentiated by key features and usage limits and tailored to the specific business needs of customers. Additionally, Pipedrive enables the enrichment of the plans with hundreds of native and third-party integrations to manage the sales pipeline and support different stages of the revenue management cycle.

Patti Feldman writes articles and web content for trade magazines and manufacturers of building products. She can be reached at [email protected].