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A Guide to Generative AI For Trades Business Owners

All of the job management systems that we love and recommend have increasingly incorporated AI into their features. If you’ve ever felt like your software was reading your mind and anticipating your needs, it’s probably artificial intelligence helping it along.We find that most clients welcome these AI-driven features—like ServiceM8’s AI photo tagging, or Tradify’s SmartRead which extracts details from invoices, when they’re hidden away in their beloved software platforms. However, g...

The Role of Job Management Software in Reducing Administrative Burden

Can job management software reduce the administrative burden for a trades business? The answer is unequivocally yes—the right JMS can change your systems and your life by minimising or even eliminating a whole range of administrative tasks. So many trades business owners have reported that good software, implemented to full effect, works miracles when it comes to getting time back in their day. They are freed up to spend time with family, take holidays, and work ON the business rathe...

Finding the right software for YOUR business

We all love a recommendation! Whether it’s a cleaning product, a power tool, or an app, it stands to reason that what works for your friend, family member, or acquaintance will work just as well for you, right?Yes and no.When it comes to something like job management software (that will streamline, organise, and automate many crucial processes of your trade business), there is no one ultimate option that will suit your company as much as anyone else’s. Think of it like this: the drill someon...

Fergus: Job Management Software Review

Job management software is what we live and breathe here at FreeUp, and as a Kiwi company we love to be able to use and recommend homegrown JMS platforms like Fergus! Created by NZ tradespeople for NZ tradespeople, it is unsurprisingly an intuitive tool with all the features necessary to run your trade SME efficiently and profitably.Read on for an overview of what Fergus can do, who it’s good for, and our tips for making the most of it from an experienced virtual assistant who specialises in c...

Benefits of Job Management Software

If you’re operating a trades business without using job management software, you are missing out on potential profit, efficiency, and growth. A bold statement, but we’ll stand by it.The effect that the right job management software can have on your operations is huge. And while choosing and setting it up might seem like an overwhelming task, six months down the line you’ll be thanking your past self for tackling it.Here’s why you need to be taking advantage of JMS:...

ServiceM8 Automations To Streamline Your Workflow

ServiceM8 is a long-running favourite piece of software here at FreeUp, and one of the reasons for this is the focus on automation. It’s our job to help clients use tech to create efficiency and ease in their operations, saving them time and money. Automating as many tasks as possible is a great way to achieve that objective!Bronwyn’s vast experience with ServiceM8 means she knows all the tricks, including the very best automations on offer. If you’re using this powerful piece of software,...

Our Top Automation-Adjacent Tips to Optimise NextMinute

NextMinute’s website drives home the message that it’s all about making life easier—and we have clients who’ll attest to that! If you’re in NextMinute’s target market, this is a powerful piece of software. What makes life easier if not automations? Although this JMS is not known for automations per se, when set up properly it can replicate and complete many of those repetitive tasks. You know the ones; the little jobs that eat up minutes and even hours when humans have to do (and re-...

Rave Build JMS Review

Have you heard about Rave Build?It’s software for Kiwi builders: homegrown, targeted, and effective. It was founded in 2008 as a simple but powerful scheduling tool, and has grown to include financial integrations and CRM features.We’ve had the opportunity to take a look at the Rave Build software and how it works—here are a few thoughts for anyone considering this JMS for their operations!...

Making the Most of your JMS: Insights and Analytics

A good job management software can do more than just streamline your administration. With the right features, used correctly, you can draw out benefits that will have a significant impact on the financial performance and long-term growth of your business.A lot of data gets put into your job management app every day: hours worked, costs, invoices, job and customer details, timeframes, and more. It’s keeping records of everything that goes on in your operations, whether you use them or not. So w...

Transitioning From Manual Processes to Job Management Software

We believe in the incredible efficiency power of job management software: that it can save you time, money, and stress when it’s set up properly and used to its full capacity.It’s kind of our whole schtick.However, we can also recognise that taking a leap into the world of digital business tools is daunting for those starting more or less from scratch. Manual processes like pen and paper or simple spreadsheets have served many trades business owners very well for a long time, and when system...

ServiceM8 13: Improvements Galore

Staying up to date with software updates is, unsurprisingly, crucial for the FreeUp team! We make it our business to know the latest so our clients don’t have to.Recent big news is the ServiceM8 13 update, with an array of new features and adjustments that will add value for a lot of trades companies using the platform. We’ve picked the top five changes to highlight—read on for what they entail and what they could mean for your business!...

Supercharge Your Customer Service with Software

The trades and construction industries are competitive. But you already knew that! In a world where each customer has myriad options to choose from for their building project, plumbing fixes, roof maintenance, aircon install, or wiring jobs, top-notch customer service is what will make you stand out.Your professionalism, punctuality, and communication will bring you repeat business, referrals, and a good reputation. And the right job management software, used well, is how you can ensure you’re...

Making Your Business Systems More Efficient With Automation

For busy trades business owners, efficiency is paramount. Time saved is time for billable work and big-picture growth projects—or an opportunity to take that holiday.Automation is a fantastic way to create efficiencies in your processes and systems. There are so many powerful digital tools available that reduce the amount of time you or your people spend on repetitive and replicable tasks.Of course, each software will have its own unique features, and we’ve highlighted our favourites for Ser...

What’s Your Software ROI?

Return on investment is a fairly simple concept: what are you getting out of what you put in? Often used to refer to monetary investments and their direct or indirect payoffs, it can also be considered in a broader sense. Your investment might be time, effort, money, or other resources—whatever it is, how is it returning value?Understanding and being able to measure or anticipate ROI is crucial to good decision-making and planning in a trades or service business. When choosing a job management...

Why Back Costing is Worth Your While

Back costing is another of those pesky financial tasks that can make or break a trades company. It boils down to a simple idea: you need to be charging more than it costs you to complete the project, or your profits will be nonexistent.To back cost a job is to look back over a completed job or project, or one in progress, to determine whether your quoted cost has covered or will cover the actual costs incurred (labour, materials, overheads) with a profit on top. Whether or not it is too late to ...