If you’re ready to grow your landscaping business, utilize the power of technology to help make advancements without wearing out your labor force.
There are lots of technological tools available that can help you become more efficient so you can take on more jobs without adding extra burdens. Finding the right software and utilizing drone technologies are a few of the ways modern landscaping companies are growing and scaling their businesses. Best of all, these options are cost-effective and accessible to any business owner.
Consider putting some of these ideas into practice now, before the busy summer season hits.
Labor Management Software
No matter how large or small your landscaping company is, you can find ways to become more efficient with the right software. Investing in software is daunting for a lot of businesses, especially those that are just starting out or are relatively small. You’ll need to spend some time and money training your workforce on how to use it. Once you get on board, though, the tradeoff is huge, as long as you use the software correctly.
Here are some ways labor management software can help landscaping companies.
Improve Scheduling
A lot of businesses rely on spreadsheets or even pen and paper to keep track of scheduling. This can lead to a whole host of problems, including accidentally double booking. Also, it can lead to long periods of downtime that feel unexpected.
With scheduling software, everyone on your team can know exactly when and where your jobs are taking place. This makes it easy for you to create routes and know when you have downtime. These periods might be opportunities to boost your marketing efforts or offer promotions.
Improve Communication
When everyone in the company is using the same software, there are no surprises. You’ll notice a significant improvement in communication across the company. You’ll also improve communication with customers. Because you’re working with more accurate data, you can provide more accurate estimates for the times of arrival and completion of each job.
Understand Your Labor Force
Labor management software can help you understand and manage your labor force in several ways. First, it provides a streamlined method for workers to clock in and out. This lets you track hours for individuals so you can see who is working hard (and who is hardly working). Secondly, it can help you hone in on the areas of specialty for your workers by giving you visibility into the types of jobs each worker is doing and how long it takes for them to do it. Finally, it allows you to introduce a bonus structure when workers come in under budget, thereby encouraging efficiency.
Understand Profitability
One of the big advantages of using labor management software for landscaping companies is that it gives you instant insight into how profitable each job is. Instead of spending a week or longer waiting for paperwork to clear, you’ll know instantly how profitable a job was and whether it included overtime.
Manage Payments
Invoicing software makes it simple to invoice customers and manage payments. You’ll love getting paid on time, and your customers will appreciate the convenience of being able to set up recurring payments and paying through an online portal.
Drones
They seemed like Sci-Fi just a few years ago, but drones are the latest tool for landscaping businesses who want to become more efficient and find new and creative ways to market their businesses.
Here are some ways landscaping companies are using drones. Note that it’s a good idea to hire a professional to handle your drone flying unless you or someone in your company is already skilled at flying drones.
Marketing and Promotional Materials
Drones offer an aerial view and allow landscaping companies to capture amazing images and videos of their projects. You can use these videos and images on your website and in other promotional campaigns to highlight the work you have done.
Design
You can also use drones to help with design, especially when your landscaping project involves a complete overhaul of an area. You can capture images of the entire area, then digitally draw up a design to show your customers. This helps customers visualize the final product and helps you come up with a design plan that includes the exact dimensions and details necessary to make it happen.
Survey Potential Projects
Flying a drone over a potential project site can help you visualize the full scope of the project, including any potential hazards or dangerous work sites.
Fleet and Maintenance Software
How many times have you been caught by surprise when a piece of equipment needed maintenance and kept you from completing a job on time? This can cost you valuable time and money. It can also put you at risk of losing customers, particularly if you have to bail on a customer who then leaves a negative review online.
Avoid these headaches by investing in fleet and maintenance software. Here are some ways it can help your landscaping business.
Set Maintenance Reminders
You’re busy running a company, which means you don’t have time to remember when every one of your fleet vehicles is scheduled for maintenance. With fleet and maintenance software, you can set reminders for every vehicle. No more forgetting about maintenance or finding out too late that something is wrong with one of your fleet vehicles.
Real-Time Alerts
Your drivers can send you alerts in real-time when they experience a maintenance issue of any kind. You can then make an informed decision about what to do whether it’s dispatching another vehicle to a customer or simply making a note to get that vehicle serviced. With real-time reporting, your drivers are less likely to forget to inform you of maintenance needs, which will improve your operations.
Inspection Reports
Have your drivers inspect their vehicles from anywhere and report it in your software’s dashboard. This gives you a clear overview of your fleet and ensures that your drivers are safe while they’re on the road.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to upgrade your landscaping business with fleet and maintenance software, try Whip Around. You can sign up for a free trial today to get a feel for how it works and see if it’s right for your landscaping business. To learn more, contact us.
