Running a plumbing business means juggling a lot: emergency calls, scheduled maintenance, material runs, invoicing, and somehow finding time to actually fix pipes. This guide will show you how to automate the business side so you can focus on the work.
What Can Be Automated?
Let’s break down the typical plumber’s administrative tasks:
| Task | Can Automate? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Answering phone calls | Yes | AI phone handling |
| Scheduling appointments | Yes | Online booking + AI |
| Sending appointment reminders | Yes | Automated texts/emails |
| Providing estimates | Partially | Templates + AI generation |
| Invoicing | Yes | Automatic at job completion |
| Payment follow-up | Yes | Automated reminders |
| Social media posting | Yes | AI content creation |
| Bookkeeping entry | Yes | Integration with QuickBooks |
| Dispatching | Partially | Still needs human judgment |
| Customer follow-up | Yes | Automated review requests |
Phase 1: Capture Every Lead (Week 1)
Start by making sure no opportunity slips through the cracks.
Set Up Online Booking
Add an online booking option to your website. Tools like Calendly, Square Appointments, or Jobflow let customers book directly without calling.
Pro tip: Offer a small discount (5%) for online bookings to encourage adoption.
Enable Text-Back
Configure your phone system to automatically text back missed calls: “Thanks for calling [Your Company]. We’re helping another customer right now. We’ll call you back within 2 hours, or you can book online at [link].”
Add Live Chat
Even a simple chatbot on your website can capture leads after hours. At minimum, collect name, phone, and a brief description of the issue.
Phase 2: Automate Scheduling (Week 2)
Connect Your Calendar
Link your booking system to Google Calendar or Outlook. All appointments should be in one place.
Set Up Automatic Reminders
Configure reminders at:
- 24 hours before: “Just a reminder, we’ll be there tomorrow at [time].”
- 2 hours before: “Your plumber is on the way. Any questions? Reply to this text.”
Enable Online Rescheduling
Let customers reschedule themselves through a link. This eliminates back-and-forth phone calls.
Phase 3: Automate Communication (Week 3-4)
Create Message Templates
Build templates for common messages:
- Quote follow-up (day 3)
- Quote follow-up (day 7)
- Job completion thank you
- Review request
- Annual maintenance reminder
Set Up AI Phone Handling
Modern AI can handle most incoming calls:
- Answer questions about your services
- Provide rough estimates based on your pricing
- Book appointments
- Handle after-hours emergencies with on-call routing
Phase 4: Automate Billing (Week 5)
Create Invoice Templates
Set up professional invoice templates with:
- Your branding
- Clear line items
- Multiple payment options
- Payment terms
Enable Automatic Invoicing
Trigger invoices automatically when jobs are marked complete in your system.
Set Up Payment Reminders
- Day 3: “Friendly reminder, your invoice is due on [date].”
- Day 7: “Your invoice is now overdue. Pay online at [link].”
- Day 14: Phone call (can be automated with AI)
Phase 5: Automate Marketing (Week 6+)
Social Media
Set up automated posting:
- 2-3 project photos per week
- 1 tip or educational post
- Seasonal content (winterizing, etc.)
AI tools like Jobflow can generate this content from your job photos.
Review Requests
Automatically request reviews 2-3 days after job completion:
- Send via text (higher response rate)
- Link directly to Google or Yelp
- Thank them for their business
The Results
Plumbers who fully automate their administrative tasks typically:
- Save 10-15 hours per week
- Increase booking rate by 30%+ (faster response time)
- Reduce missed appointments by 50%
- Get paid 40% faster
Getting Started
Don’t try to automate everything at once. Pick Phase 1 and implement it this week. Add one phase per week until your business runs itself.
Jobflow automates all of this in one platform. Start your free trial.