Being service-based, the plumbing industry faces customer-related issues, operational difficulties, and financial challenges.
These specific needs can be greatly streamlined with invoicing software that guarantees minimal disruptions, service ease of use, and frictionless customer experiences through timely, secure payments and advanced job management.
In this article, we’ll explain how exactly this happens, outline the top five invoicing software programs for plumbers, and give advice on how to choose the optimal solution for you and your team.
Top picks
PandaDoc: Best customization options
QuickBooks: Best accounting and financial management features
Housecall pro: Best job scheduling and dispatching functionality
ServiceTitan: Best solution for home service businesses
Jobber: Best customer communication features
What is included in effective plumbing invoice software?
Here are key software features to consider when choosing invoicing software for your plumbing business.
Customizable templates
Efficient plumbing service software offers a range of templates with drag-and-drop functionality to tailor documents (whether it’s creating an invoice, quote, or contract) to the specifics of a plumbing business.
This includes the ability to add multimedia (photo and video), content builder blocks for detailed descriptions of services, costs, and timelines, as well as dynamic pricing tables and product/service catalogs,
Another feature of a good invoicing software solution is branding customization.
A company logo, brand colors and fonts, footer details — all these elements should align with a company’s brand identity.
Service catalogs and pricing tables
The plumbing industry relies on giving clients clear, easily understood explanations about what work needs to be done and how much it’s going to cost — so make sure the solution you choose has advanced capabilities when creating service catalogs.
Desired features here include dynamic fields that can be automatically populated (through CRM integrations) with service data, real-time collaboration on the catalog by multiple users, brand elements customization, support for multimedia, and version control.
Automatic generation of custom, dynamic pricing tables is another feature to pay heed to.
An intuitive table builder with a drag-and-drop interface, flexible layouts, dynamic data integration, visuals customization, multi-currency support, built-in formulas to automatically compute totals, discounts, and taxes — these are additional features of an effective invoicing solution for plumbers.
Automated reminders
Make sure your plumbing business software provides automated reminders — digital notifications to remind clients about upcoming, due, or overdue payments.
You want the ability to tailor the frequency and timing of the alerts, personalize the message of the reminders, and opt for the most suitable delivery method (such as email, SMS, or push notifications).
This reduces the administrative burden and improves cash flow and profitability.
Electronic signatures
Underpinned by powerful e-signature functionality, business owners can reduce administrative burden, eliminate human error, and comply with legal requirements.
For recurring maintenance services, plumbers can use digital signing to quickly get approvals on monthly invoices, which means timely payments. For larger projects with multiple stages, invoices can be issued and signed for each particular milestone.
Digital signatures should be legally binding, meaning they comply with the ESIGN and UETA acts and provide an electronic certificate for every signed doc.
Additional security should be guaranteed with audit trail features that allow monitoring when invoices were opened, read, sent, or paid.
Mobile access
A mobile version of plumbing management software must have a user-friendly interface (both on Android and iOS) and offer advanced features so that plumbing contractors can efficiently manage their business operations on the go.
The aspects that should be optimized for a mobile app include job dispatching and scheduling, creating invoices from templates, e-signing, collecting payments, expense tracking, customer information management, and automated reminders.
Smooth integrations
By pairing up with third-party solutions, plumbing invoicing software helps enhance the overall business management experience.
For example, integration with accounting software allows for better income, expenses, and tax management, and CRM pairing notches up how you manage sales and marketing departments.
Also, like in any business environment, communication is key.
Clearly communicating via plumbing dispatch software integrated with your invoicing solution helps all parties sync up and streamline scheduling, dispatching, and reconciling payment for all your plumbing jobs.
Secure payment processing
Efficient plumbing invoicing software provides multiple payment options, including debit/credit cards and ACH transfers, as well as payment gateways such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal, Stripe, QuickBooks, Authorize.Net, Amazon Pay, etc.
The security of sensitive customer information should be guaranteed through robust encryption, role-based access control, SSL/TLS protocols, fraud reception tools, regular security audits, as well as PCI-DSS, OWASP, and GDPR compliance.
Fast, modern, and secure financial transactions improve your overall cash flow while elevating customer satisfaction with your company.
Benefits of invoicing software for plumbing businesses
Efficiency in billing
Unlike in old-fashioned bookkeeping models, automation here helps both parties, as invoices are generated and updated in real time, which minimizes delays in receiving bills and accelerates payment processing.
Accuracy and compliance
By automating day-to-day repetitive tasks, you can minimize human error in generating invoices and financial reports.
And automatic tax calculations (including tax deductions) will help you comply with the updated tax rules in your particular region.
Business insights
With plumbing invoicing software, you can leverage analytics around two major drivers of success: financial performance (defining the most requested plumbing services and services bringing the best ROI) and customer satisfaction (customer behavior, churn rates, repeat business rates, and more).
Best plumbing invoice software: top five solutions
1. PandaDoc
PandaDoc is an all-in-one document management solution built to automate various business operations for plumbing companies.
Key features:
- Pre-built templates to generate plumbing proposals, quotes, professional invoices, and contracts, specifying terms, conditions, scope of work, and payment schedules.
- E-signing functionality allows plumbers to get invoices and contracts signed quickly and securely (ESIGN and UETA compliance, SOC 2 Type II certification).
- Smooth integrations with CRMs, billing systems, and accounting software.
- Auto reminders to track upcoming, due, and overdue invoices, and audit trail functionality to track the history of document changes and recipient behavior.
- Secure payments by way of native and integrated payment options like debit/credit cards, PayPal, ACH, Square, Stripe, etc.
Pros:
- Audit trail functionality for real-time invoice status tracking
- Auto-reminders and service-based recurring payments
- Advanced template customization
- Rock-solid security capabilities
- Intuitive mobile app version for fast on-site payments
- 24/7 customer support
Cons:
- Limited functionality for starter plans; however, PandaDoc offers a 14-day free demo version to fully test the product
Pricing: PandaDoc offers various business plans, starting from $19 per month when billed annually ($35 when billed monthly).
Customer rating: 4.9 out of 5.
2. QuickBooks
QuickBooks is widely used by plumbing businesses to streamline their operational and financial tasks.
Key features:
- Customizable templates for invoice generation; real-time document status tracking.
- Recurring plumbing invoices for ongoing services and maintenance contracts; payment reminders.
- Expenses categorization (supplies, tools, fuel, subcontractor payments) and tracking.
- Plumbing estimating. QuickBooks enables the creation of estimates and quotes with job details that can be further converted to invoices once the job is completed.
- Multiple payment methods (including credit cards and bank transfers), so that plumbers could collect payments even on-site, using their mobile devices.
Pros:
- Payroll and inventory management
- Advanced financial reporting, including rates of repeat customers
- Advanced tax management
- Integrations with CRMs and field service management software
- On-the-go mobile access
Cons:
- QuickBooks has limited features in lower-tier plans
Pricing: QuickBooks offers two pricing plans, starting from $9 per month.
Customer rating: 4.0 out of 5.
3. Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is a field service management software set to help plumbing businesses revamp their workflow management.
Key features:
- Easy-to-customize templates for estimate and invoice generation, including mobile invoicing.
- Automated payment reminders with customized messages and frequency, and multi-channel delivery (email, SMS).
- Secure payment processing (credit and debit cards, ACH transfers, Stripe, PayPal, Square).
- Online booking of plumbing jobs with customizable customer forms, automated conformations, and syncs with existing calendars.
- Integrations with accounting, CRM, marketing, and HR software, such as QuickBooks, Square, Zapier, Gusto, and Mailchimp.
Pros:
- Intuitive mobile version with offline capabilities
- Customer engagement with marketing tools
- Job scheduling and dispatching
- Perfect for plumbing businesses of all sizes
- Free trial
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Technical complexity
- Pricing might be expensive for small plumbing businesses
Pricing: A basic plan starts from $49 per month when billed annually ($69 monthly)
Customer rating: 4.2 out of 5.
4. ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan is advanced field service management software built specifically for home service businesses, including plumbing companies.
Key features:
- Automatic invoice generation, including mobile and batch invoicing; real-time status tracking and reporting
- Integrated payment processing and automated billing, including support for Stripe and Square, secure payment information storing, and mobile payments.
- Custom proposals and estimates with digital approvals, real-time updates, and conversion tracking.
- Drag-and-drop scheduling and dispatching, including skill-based assignments, GPS tracking for route optimization, and automated reminders.
- Analytics and reporting around finances (revenue, expenses, profitability), job performance, KPIs, conversion rates, customer retention, most-requested services, and more.
Pros:
- All-in-one solution: invoicing and project management
- Advanced inventory management
- Scalability for larger businesses
- Mobile app with offline functionality
Cons:
- Advanced features and integrations might require extra payment
- Poor customer support
Pricing: ServiceTitan offers various subscription plans; pricing information is available upon request for a custom quote.
Customer rating: 4.4 out of 5.
5. Jobber
Highly popular with small to mid-sized plumbing companies, Jobber is field service management software designed to revamp billing processes, customer management, and overall operational efficiency.
Key features:
- Customizable invoice templates with personalized branding options; recurring invoices, invoice tracking, mobile invoicing.
- Advanced payment options (credit and debit cards, Stripe, Square, ACH transfers), including deposits and partial payments, payment links, recurring billing, and mobile payments.
- Payment and appointment reminders with customizable timing, multi-channel alerts, and consistent follow-ups.
- Calendar management with a drag-and-drop interface and real-time dispatching (based on availability and skills).
- 25+ app integrations, including QuickBooks, Xero, Stripe, Zapier, and Mailchimp.
Pros:
- Ease of use
- Batch invoicing for large, milestone-based projects
- User-friendly mobile version to generate instant invoices after job completion from any location
- Advanced finance and job reporting, including insights into plumbing services with the best ROI
- Online customer portal
Cons:
- Pricing might be expensive for startups
- Limited functionality
Pricing: Subscription starts at $40 a month if billed annually ($49 monthly).
Customer rating: 4.5 out of 5.
How to choose the right plumbing invoicing software
Once you’ve decided you need an invoicing software solution for your plumbing business, consider these aspects before purchasing one:
Assess your business needs
Every business has its specifics. Make sure the solution you choose corresponds to your niche, company size, and key workflows.
Compare features
Choose the solution that perfectly fits your business tasks. Besides powerful invoicing functionality, you might need additional integration, accounting, payment, or dispatching features.
Also, make sure your plumbing invoicing software has advanced customization capabilities so that it will adapt as your business grows and your goals change.
Budget considerations
The software options we’ve mentioned in this article have various pricing plans, each with their own feature sets and limitations.
Take these aspects into account and consider the solution that offers a free trial to test the full spectrum of features.
Kick-start your invoicing automation
PandaDoc will help you with plumbing invoicing automation at every step — from consulting and account setup to implementation and support.
Schedule a demo today to check out the full spectrum of invoicing features for free before fully committing to the solution.
Disclaimer
PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDoc services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
