- 1. Putting GES to work: what James has achieved
- 2. Ten years on the tools, eight years on his own
- 3. A never-ending pile of paperwork and reminders that didn’t go out
- 4. What GES does while he’s on the tools
- 5. Service reminders
- 6. Invoice payment reminders
- 7. Google review requests
- 8. Everything is templated
- 9. Loads of repeat business, way less paperwork
- 10. It all comes down to good customer relationships
- 11. Give the same results to your business.
- 1. Putting GES to work: what James has achieved
- 2. Ten years on the tools, eight years on his own
- 3. A never-ending pile of paperwork and reminders that didn’t go out
- 4. What GES does while he’s on the tools
- 5. Service reminders
- 6. Invoice payment reminders
- 7. Google review requests
- 8. Everything is templated
- 9. Loads of repeat business, way less paperwork
- 10. It all comes down to good customer relationships
- 11. Give the same results to your business.
CUSTOMER STORIES
Hellfire Plumbing and Heating
How James runs Hellfire Plumbing & Heating as a one-man business and uses GES as a repeat work engine, converting 7 in 10 reminders to a job.
Key takeaway: For the first four years of his business, James ran Hellfire Plumbing & Heating on spreadsheets and relied on customers to remember when their service was due. Now, he uses GES to send reminders, chase the invoices, and build his reputation. 68.3% of reminders lead to a job, he saves 8–10 hours of admin a week, and repeat work makes up 30–40% of the business.
Putting GES to work: what James has achieved
BACKGROUND
Ten years on the tools, eight years on his own
James Boakes has been in the trade for over a decade, starting Hellfire Plumbing & Heating in 2018, serving customers across Norfolk and Suffolk. In 2022, he took the business digital with Gas Engineer Software, putting the system to work for him while he focused his time on the tools and further growing the business’ reputation.
THE CHALLENGE
A never-ending pile of paperwork and reminders that didn’t go out
“I relied on customers to remember. I was generating so much paperwork it was too time consuming to ever get on top of it“
Every job created several stages of paperwork; the pile kept growing, and reminders understandably sat at the bottom of the to-do list. Doing things by hand was also not the most ideal workflow, either:
“It was also a manual system that was very time-consuming. I would create invoices via exporting excel documents.“
After a few years, it was time to look for a system that made these parts of the job easier to stay on top of. That’s where GES came in. His goals?
- Automate parts of the job he couldn’t get round to
- Bring in more repeat business
- Spend less time on admin & paperwork
THE SOLUTION
What GES does while he’s on the tools
James uses Gas Engineer Software for almost every part of the job. Certificates, invoices, quotes, and reminders are all done in the same place where work is scheduled. He’s set up the system in a way that much of his admin work ticks away in the background without him having to worry about it.
Service reminders
"I have GES send service reminders 28 days before via email."
Every time a certificate is issued, GES automatically updates the appliance service due date in the system. It then tracks this date and automatically sends out a reminder before the next one is due.
James has further customised the system to work for his workflow by moving the send date to 28 days ahead, giving himself time to send a follow up text a week before for anyone that may have missed it.
Invoice payment reminders
"It's rare for me to have to chase a payment."
Chasing payments is a huge burden for any heating business.
James started by setting up a three-stage chase on his invoices: a reminder at 7 days, another at 10, then an overdue notice. All are sent automatically by GES based on the invoice's payment status, which he can easily keep track of and update on the web portal or app.
This has helped dramatically cut down on the amount of time he spends chasing up late payers.
Google review requests
"I've added a link to leave a Google review on the invoice email."
Everyone knows the benefits of reviews, but few actually end up asking for them.
The invoice email goes out at the moment the customer is happiest. So that's where he asks for the review.
By including a templated line on his invoice email, every one James sends through GES quietly does a second job and helps further strengthen Hellfire Plumbing and Heating's reputation.
Everything is templated
"It's made my life more efficient with templating everything and not having to fish through loads of paper to send reminders, chase invoices etc."
After a job is done, the certificate is issued, and an invoice can be generated on the spot. Rather than adding to the pile of paperwork, a finished job is now connected in every aspect through a clean customer history available at a moment's notice.
Explore all GES featuresTHE RESULTS
Loads of repeat business, way less paperwork
After 4 years with Gas Engineer Software, James has customised the system in a way that has allowed his business to find continued success. In his words, “it’s growing all the time” – but the results speak for themselves, too.
“It would be nearly a full time job for someone if I wasn’t using GES.”
Time for your annual boiler service,
Hi :firstname, just a quick reminder — it's been almost a year since we last serviced your boiler. Your next service is due on . Want me to slot you in?
— :companyname
Gas Safe :gas_safe_id
Above: GES lets you send 100% automated yet personalised reminders to your customers
68.3% of reminders lead to a job
Across the last 12 months, nearly seven in ten of the properties Hellfire sends a gas service reminder to have a gas service or safety certificate recorded at that property within 45 days. This is among the highest we see across GES, and testament to how effectively he’s putting service reminders to work.
8–10 hours are saved a week
Roughly a day a week that used to go on exporting spreadsheets, formatting invoices and digging through paperwork is now spent on jobs for customers.
30–40% of jobs are repeat business
Servicing and inspection work comes back around every year, and perfectly complements the larger jobs done for new customers.
“Typically larger jobs filling the bulk of the day with services and breakdowns on the way home.”
GROWING A REPUTATION
It all comes down to good customer relationships
When asked what he’d say to himself starting out, James didn’t talk about software or systems. He talked about standards.
“You get what you pay for. I’m not the cheapest but I’m not leaving until it’s right.”
The same principle underpins the entire business. GES, reminders, and staying organised are a symptom of his work ethic.
“I pride myself in customer relations. For this reason the majority of customers are loyal.“
The advice is simple: Charge properly, do the job properly, and look after the customers who come back. The reminders are just what help give them the chance to.
A special thanks to James Boakes from Hellfire Plumbing and Heating for taking part in this GES customer story.
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