Generating accurate estimates through an organised and efficient plumbing estimating process has always been a challenge in the commercial plumbing business. Systems are more intricate, materials more costly, and there is the risk of a greater financial loss if items are excluded from estimates.
The flip side of working in commercial plumbing is that it can yield a much higher profit if the plumbing estimating is done correctly. Fortunately, with comprehensive technical software today, plumbing estimating offers accurate and rapid plumbing estimates for general contractors, designers, plumbers, mechanical and insulation contractors, and others.
Let’s look at four common issues with commercial plumbing estimates.
1. Inaccurate Job Costing
A consistent struggle to deliver accurate estimates could lead to low profit margins in your plumbing businesses. It could be that you are not accurately factoring in all your costs, especially regarding labour rates.
Plumbing contractors can often underestimate their labour costs by failing to account for all their employees’ hours on activities for which their customers aren’t billed. These are called non-billable tasks and include time spent on job-related activities such as meetings, travelling, training hours, etc.
2. Communication Challenges
Customer communication is vital in the commercial plumbing industry to ensure payments are on time and that the client is updated on the progress of the work.
Paperwork can get lost or is hard to find if not filed correctly, which leads to project delays. Furthermore, emails and phone messages are inefficient and time-consuming, making a central, cloud-based repository necessary.
3. Poor Estimate Tracking and Follow-up
Quoting for a project is the initial step in commercial plumbing estimating, but to follow through with the initial projections is the real challenge. Your profitability depends on accurate estimating, and contractors often fail to meet projections.
Unfortunately, basic programs like Excel spreadsheets, email and Google documents don’t cut it anymore. Plumbing estimating software solutions offer precise tracking and follow-up features.
4. Risky Management Practices
If the person in charge is wearing many hats, this can deter them from the plumbing estimating process. Managers in charge of marketing, customer care, and plumbing estimations simultaneously may want to take the quickest route when balancing all these obligations. They can succumb to the pressure of many unfinished quotes and simply rush over a bid and submit it.
How ePlumbing Estimators Can Help
These obstacles are challenging to overcome without the necessary technical skills and software.
At ePlumbing Estimators, we rely on some of the most popular plumbing estimating software, allowing us to perform commercial plumbing estimates across Australia. Contact us for your commercial plumbing estimating needs.