Going Paperless: The Ultimate Guide to Gas Certificate Apps & Software

As a gas engineer, you’ll be more than familiar with gas certificates. CP12s, warning notices, testing & purging, the list goes on.

Filling out these certificates as you do the work is a core part of the job – but that doesnt make them any less tedious.

Gas certificate apps and software offer a way around this, minimising the time and energy spent writing, issuing, and filing them away. By digitising your workflow and taking your heating businesses to go paperless, you could save hundreds of hours each year. You could then reinvest this time into completing more jobs, developing a better quality of service, or simply relaxing – the choice is yours!

Still – for some gas engineers, it’s not only about learning what a gas certificate app offers. How the transition from paper works, how it will affect their workflow, and what separates good and bad software are all important questions which will be covered in this blog.

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Why are gas engineers turning to gas certificate apps and software?

Paper certificates are of course still totally valid, but with specialised software options around, there are simply more efficient ways.

For example, paper forms need to be filled out from scratch each time. Much of this data may already be known from previous jobs for the same customer (fields like address and name), but have to be entered each time nonetheless. Apart from being time-consuming, this opens up opportunities for human error like spelling mistakes that can cause (small, yes, but highly irritating) issues for future you. 

In comparison, software pre-fills information you already know (things like your own & your customer’s details, appliance information, and more.

Most importantly, keeping track of all these countless forms is nigh impossible – especially if you’ve scaled up your business and are managing more customers than you’re used to. Anyone reading who still relies on paper: think about how many forms you have stored away at the moment. How many years’ worth do you keep? How much storage space are they taking up? And how many more will you have in 5 or 10 years down the road?

You also have to factor in all the time spent manually cataloguing these records and finding them at a later date when necessary.

6 benefits to using software to issue gas safe certificates online

1) A paperless solution makes it far easier to stay organised. 

Stacks of paper records build up over the years and take time to organise and sort through. A gas certificate app like Gas Engineer Software will automatically keep everything in one neat and tidy place you can easily access any time, anywhere.  

2) Everything is instantly stored on the cloud where it’s extremely safe. 

Reputable software providers should give you no reason to worry about the safety of your documents and data at all. For example, Gas Engineer Software uses the same type of encryption your bank does, and we will never sell or otherwise misuse your data. You can read more about this here. 

3) Previous records are easily accessed in seconds. 

Rather than having to sift through filing cabinets packed with records for your customer’s information, you simply need to search via the software. Finding previous records is as easy as typing in the first few letters of your customer’s details. 

4) Forms come pre-populated with existing customer information and other frequent field inputs. 

With software, you only have to fill out what’s unique for the job at hand. With repetitive fields pre-filled and a more streamlined workflow, you’ll save plenty of valuable time and effort. 

5) You don’t have to worry about stocking and restocking blank certificate pads

With so many different certificates needed for different jobs, it’s all too easy to forget to bring the right pad or forget you’ve run out. With a gas certificate app, this is one less thing to worry about.

6) Digital certificates are neater and more professional

Messy handwriting, countless tiny boxes to write in, mistakes that can’t be erased, creases – paper certificates can get a bit of a mess. Digital certificates will be forever neat and can be edited right up until they’re issued. With Gas Engineer Software, you can even customise certificates to include your company logo.

Transitioning from paper to software: what to know

If you’ve been working with paper for years, making the move to software might sound a bit jarring. In truth, it’s a simple and smooth process even for those new to it all.

We’ve written a full article about swithcing from paper to software certificates, but here’s 3 things we recommend:

1) Familiarise yourself with the software.

This goes for both you and any of your employees. It’s a good idea to play around with the software (the best way is with a free trial) to get an idea of how it works before you fully implement it. Complete some practice certificates and send them to yourself as if you were a customer so you can see the process from start to finish. 

Having a practise run like this means you can learn the ropes before having a go with one of your customers, so there will be no break in tempo. 

2) Give your customers a heads-up, and explain the benefits

It can be nice to let long-term loyal customers know that you’re trying out a new software.

They’ll likely enjoy the speedier and more professional service you’re able to offer, but the most noticeable thing for them will be a neat and tidy digital certificate, rather than a crumpled carbon copy. For the few that prefer phyiscal copies, it can still always be printed.

3) There’s no need to transfer all your old records across from day 1

Trades businesses need to keep 5-6 years of records. For heating businesses, this can be a huge amount of paperwork. Going digital does not mean all of these certificates need to be copied over. The longer you use software, the more of these paper records become obsolete. Eventually, you’ll be able to get rid of your huge filing cabinets and enjoy a sleek and secure digital system which does all the organisation for you.

How to choose the right gas certificate app

With so many different software options out there, it can be a bit overwhelming to find exactly what you’re looking for. 

We’ve put together a more detailed article here, but feel free to use the following as a checklist to identify the best gas certificate software for your business. 

Basic requirements of good software:

Features of a good gas certificate app:

How to use an app or software to issue gas certificates

The most important thing to remember is that the certificates – whether done on paper or digitally – are fundamentally the same. If you’ve already been filling out certificates, transitioning to software is a matter of doing a couple of test runs and seeing how the process works for you. A free trial is perfect for this – you can start one with Gas Engineer Software today.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how you would create a new record in our software:

You can find a handy video demo here which will give you an overview of our software. Alternatively, 1-on-1 live demos are available to book.

What are the benefits of an all-in-one software for certificates?

The ability to issue gas certificates and records online consistently ranks among the most important features for gas engineers in both small and large companies. 

However, many software vendors offering a gas certificate app also include several other additional features as an all-in-one software bundle. Features like job management to scheduling, estimates, quotes, & invoices, a customer management CRM, and user management capabilities are highly beneficial for your business, especially when they all work together.

Read more about the benefits of an all-in-one sofware system for heating businesses here. 

Is it safe to store only software copies of gas safety certificates and records?

In short, yes. With there being no tangible collection of records and certificates, opting for a software alternative might feel less secure. In reality, there are several layers of security to ensure your records are practically indestructible. 

At Gas Engineer Software, we use bank-level encryption and servers that are protected behind several firewalls, isolated subnets, and hardened load balancers. We also make regular backups so that data can be restored to any second in the past 2 weeks, or any day in the past 4 years.

Compared to paper storage, which is susceptible to fire damage and being lost or misplaced, software is undeniably the more secure option. 

A quick summary

Gas certificate software is an invaluable tool for any heating business that wants to stay competitive in this day and age. Solutions like Gas Engineer Software are designed to help save time and effort with all the paperwork that comes with running a business. Instead, you can focus on what you enjoy the most and do best. 

A free trial is a great way to get to grips of what software can truly offer your business. You’ll also be able to see how all our other features (scheduling, quotes & invoices, automated reminders, and more) work together to make running your business much easier and less stressful. Click below to get started.