Why Your Heating Business Needs Automated Reminders [+ free email templates]

Every heating & plumbing business is different, but the same core problems crop up here and again. Not having enough time to do the job, finding more customers, chasing outstanding invoices – these are just a few examples of very real issues that gas engineers face when running a business. 

Having spent the past 12 years optimising our software and working with fellow gas engineers, our simple automated reminder system is a crucial piece of the puzzle. It can be all your business needs to push that customer to pay or to book a new job. 

The problem? Actually sending them.

Giving reminders to hundreds if not thousands of clients manually is an insanely difficult and time-consuming task. How do you know which invoices haven’t been paid, and how do you keep track of everyone’s boilers to know when to issue a service reminder?

The answer is automating the process with automated reminders.

This article will delve deep into the topic and explore 4 of the biggest benefits of sending automated reminders. But before we begin, let’s take a step back: 

What are automated reminders?

An automated reminder is a message sent out at a specified time. There are three types of automated reminders:

• Service reminders for customers that need a (usually annual) servicing of boilers, for example.
• Invoice reminders to confirm receipt of the invoice, keep track of unpaid invoices, and settle payments.
• Quote reminders to remind customers, confirm receipt of a quote you sent, and encourage bookings.

#1: Automated reminders find jobs for you

Perhaps the most important thing about automated service reminders is that they target your existing customers. It’s been proven time and time again that business owners should prioritise their existing customers for several reasons: 

• They’re easier to book jobs for
• They appreciate working with a gas engineer they know they can trust
• You know they aren’t problematic customers (late payers, extremely demanding, hovering over your shoulder, etc)
• They’re already set up in your system
• You don’t have to spend money advertising to find them

In fact, sending out these service reminders can make it appear like you genuinely care and are being helpful – after all, your customers who are landlords have a legal obligation to get their boiler serviced every year. 

As well as this, quote reminders can help encourage potential customers to book a job with you. It’s not uncommon for customers to ask around for different quotes, and staying in contact can give off a great impression. 

Sending automatic reminders is a great way to effortlessly capture more work for your business. Based on user feedback and inhouse data, we can confidently say automated reminders are our most profitable feature for this reason. Not to mention – automating the process leaves you with much more time to focus on what really counts.

This brings us nicely onto our next point:

#2: Automated reminders free up hours of your time

37.5% of our users said that before using our software they sent out manual service reminders. For all these gas engineers, it’s proven an important part of their business. Meanwhile, payment reminders are done by just about every gas engineer and take up completely unnecessary hours. 

By automating the process, they’re simply taking it to the next level and are able to significantly cut down on tedious, time-consuming work. Instead, they can focus their time on work that counts, is billable, and get much more done with less staff. 

Do you send out service reminders manually?

Find out how Gas Engineer Software can do this from start to finish completely automatically.

Learn more: Automated Reminders →

Many of our customers that have recently started a gas engineering business say that automated reminders are a great way to smoothen the transition from employee to business owner. Automated reminders help them gain a steady flow of jobs without much thought, and leave them to focus on the job rather than business-related tasks. 

But having reminders sent out automatically doesn’t just save your time: It makes you look like you’ve got everything together. 

#3: Automated reminders make you look professional

It’s practically impossible to send out reminders manually on a tight schedule. Between your jobs, scheduling, accounting tasks, and more, reminders are rarely at the top of your list. Reminders that are sent out late (or even not at all) are far less useful for your customers. 

For example, a gas engineer that sends out a service reminder only a few days before the required service date might not be able to schedule a job in time for the customer. In that case, they’ll have to look for someone else to do the job. Likewise, payment reminders are difficult to keep track of and often forgotten – meaning you go unpaid for much longer than necessary. 

Automating the process means you’re able to reliably send out reminders at a specified time – such as 1 month before a required servicing or 2 weeks after you’ve sent the invoice. Being timely with each reminder radiates professionalism and that your business is organised and ready to do a good job. 

Plus, using software like Gas Engineer Software lets you customise reminder templates to say what you want and include logos.

#4: Automated reminders help settle unpaid invoices

A regular cash flow is critical for your gas engineering business. Everything from holidays to new employees and even new equipment rely on having enough cash in the bank at the end of each month.  

Unfortunately, not all of your customers will pay on time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t send out reminders to dramatically reduce this number. 

Often, all that’s happened is your invoice got buried under something else. A gentle reminder sent after a certain time has passed (often 2 weeks) is usually enough to get the invoice paid and money into your account. 

The main difficulty of sending payment reminders is easily seeing which invoices have yet to be paid. Software that can send automated reminders can easily access this data and do it without a second thought.

Scroll down or click here for some email reminder templates.

These are a great start for anyone that wants to test reminders out manually, or for those that want to improve their message.

In conclusion… 

In the digital age, staying competitive means taking advantage of all the tools around you. Automated reminders are not a luxury; they’re a necessity for modern heating & plumbing businesses.

It’s important to remember that automated reminders aren’t just about sending timely notices. Rather, they help reshape the way your gas engineering business operates. They’re the key to unlocking more job opportunities, managing your time better, enhancing your professional image, and ensuring timely payments.

With Gas Engineer Software, these reminders are only the tip of the iceberg. They come as part of a larger package of software tools to help streamline workflows, save time, and generate more income. Working with automated reminders requires an organised, digital database of customer information. The best part? This database opens you up to a world of other possibilities: paperless quotes & invoices, gas safe certificates, complete job histories, and more.

Free email reminder templates

Annual Service Reminder Email

Subject:

Your Annual Service / Gas Certificate at [address] is due shortly!

Body: 

Hi [customer name],

The Gas Safety Record or Annual Service at [address] is due on [due date].

Please give me a call on [your number] and I can book an inspection in for you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

All the very best.

Kind Regards,

[your company name]
[your contact details]

PS – For tenanted properties it is a legal requirement to have a valid certificate at all times.

Invoice Reminder Email

Subject:

Reminder for the Invoice at [address]

Body: 

Hi [customer name],

I hope you are well.

This is just a quick email to make sure you’ve received a copy of the invoice for the job at [address].

Please see attached in case you haven’t.

If you are unable to open the invoice please let me know and I will do my best to sort it out.

Thank you once again for choosing to use our service.

All the very best.

[your name]
[your contact details]

Quote Reminder Email

Subject:

Reminder Quote for Job at [address]

Body: 

Hi [customer name],

I just wanted to drop you a quick email with a reminder of the quote we did for you.

(Please find attached a quote for the job at [address].)

Our schedules are currently quite busy, but if you would like to go ahead with the job please give me a call on [your phone number]. I’ll make sure we have time to fit the job in our schedules. 

If there is anything else we can help with in any way, please feel free to give me a call.

All the very best and I look forward to speaking with you again.

Kind Regards

[your name]
[your contact details]