Matthew Powell, WarmZilla’s founder, has offered some advice to other tradespeople courtesy of the adoption of job management software.
Matthew created the business in September 2018 and launched it in late 2019, after 21 years’ experience as a plumber. He said that WarmZilla is “redefining the boiler purchasing and installation process”, as customers can click and pick a product, then it is fitted in the space of 48 hours thereafter.
Matthew added that he is now targeting a greater share of the 1.6m boilers which are purchased across the UK each year, with one eye on cracking the United States market.
He said: “If I could offer one bit of advice, it would be to invest in some job management software to run your business. We’ve seen in a 50% increase in productivity and huge efficiencies in managing more than 100 jobs per week. Without BigChange’s job management software, we simply wouldn’t be able to meet the needs of the number of customers we do.
“In simple terms, it does all of our heavy lifting for us. Some simple maths will equate a typical call-out to around £65 and by using BigChange’s solutions, we can fit in two to three more jobs each day. In other words, you are getting huge returns on investment within a day or two of using the software.
“I see a lot of hugely talented professionals, but many of whom are rushing to chase their tails because they’re scared of change and are using outdated methods, such as the notepad and pen. I know this better than most because I was that person, but I realised that I was spinning too many plates and letting customers down with timekeeping and scheduling, through no real fault of my own.
“I’d quantify an effective job management software system in the region of £5-£10k per year, not least when you factor in how it frees up my members of staff to focus on other things.”
According to a company statement, BigChange provides a cloud-based job management software, an integrated mobile app for WarmZilla’s field team, integrated Customer Relationship Management (CRM), automated job scheduling and allocation, live tracking of technicians and resources.
Matthew added: “I left school with five C grades at GCSE to my name, so when I see so many youngsters looking so crestfallen at this time of year, I want to tell them that their exam results shouldn’t define them. I’ve come from very humble beginnings, but I find that doors open when you follow your passion in life. That’s not to say that I haven’t made mistakes, because I’ve made more than anyone.
“But I saw an opportunity and I’ve managed to make the vision in my mind a reality, with the help of a great team of colleagues. With the convenience and reliability, we guarantee customers, we’re extremely confident of huge growth – and the £50m turnover target is a more than achievable one.”