Starting a plumbing business

Starting a plumbing business: the software you actually need.

A one-truck plumbing business lives and dies on the 7pm call it did not answer and the estimate it did not chase. The software you need in year one is the software that fixes those two things from the seat of the truck. Everything else can wait.

The short answer

A new plumbing business needs four things from software: a text back on every missed call, from your business number, while the caller still has the phone in hand; estimates the homeowner approves by text and that get chased automatically; scheduling and the customer record on your phone; and invoicing with card payment plus a review request the day after. TradesBackbone does all four, web and Android, with a free trial. Skip the accounting sync, dispatch board and marketing platform until the second truck.

The two leaks a new plumbing business has to plug first

The call you were under a sink for

A homeowner with water on the floor calls the next plumber the moment yours goes to voicemail. A text back inside the minute, from your business number, asking where they are and what is happening, keeps you in the job while you finish the one you are on. See missed call text back and speed to lead.

The estimate you never chased

You scoped the water heater, sent the number, and moved on. The homeowner got two other quotes. The one that follows up on day two and day five is the one they remember. That follow-up should be automatic, in your words, and stop the moment they reply. See lead follow-up automation.

What to skip until the second truck

  • A dispatch board. You are the dispatcher. A board for one truck is a screen you have to update.
  • Accounting integration. Invoices out and payments in are enough. Job costing and a QuickBooks sync are on TradesBackbone's higher plan for when the books need it.
  • A separate estimating product. The estimate should become the invoice in one tap, in the same customer record. Two tools means retyping every job.
  • A marketing platform. A few job photos a week from one calendar is the whole plan. SynthPrism does that from a prompt on a free plan.

What we would start a new plumbing business on

TradesBackbone, as the one system

Built for trades shops of three to twenty-five and it names plumbing first on its own site: customer contacts and job history, scheduling and dispatch, estimates the customer approves by text, invoicing with card payments, automated follow-ups by text and email, and job photos. Office staff work it from a desk and you work it from the truck, on the same data. A price book with trade packs gives you a starting list. Web and Android today; an iOS app is built and going through App Store review. Every plan starts with a free trial and there are no annual contracts. TradesBackbone pricing.

ReputeLift, for the reviews

Plumber near me is decided by review count and recency, and you are starting at zero. ReputeLift asks every customer by SMS or email with your Google link, no gating, opt-outs enforced on every send. It does not pull reviews in from Google or post replies for you; you add the reviews you receive and copy a drafted reply across. See review automation.

Mycel, from month two

Once there are customers, Mycel is the memory: connect TradesBackbone and ReputeLift and everything that happens files into one place, with a ranked list each morning of what needs you. Free tier. Not a day-one need.

The whole new-business stack is on the hub page.

Set it up in an afternoon, in this order

  1. Start the TradesBackbone trial, add your business number, and connect the website form to the inbox.
  2. Write the missed-call text in your own words and turn it on. Test it by calling your own number from another phone.
  3. Load the plumbing price book and delete what you do not do.
  4. Send yourself an estimate for a water heater, approve it by text, convert it to an invoice, pay with a test card. If any step is confusing, tell us.
  5. Set the review request delay and check the Google link opens your listing.

For what we automate for an established plumbing shop, including annual service reminders and service-area intake, see plumber automation.

Where we are, honestly

Martello Systems is a small team, led by Artie, directing an engineering fleet. TradesBackbone runs real businesses and is still young; some features a larger field-service vendor has, we do not have yet. Early customers get a direct line to the team and shape what ships next. There is no early-user discount. If you want the most established plumbing platform on the market, a bigger vendor is the safer pick and we will say so on the call.

Starting a plumbing business? Fifteen minutes with the team that builds the software

Fifteen minutes with Artie, the founder. Tell us what you are opening, how customers will reach you and when you expect the first job; you leave knowing which product to start on, what to switch on first, and where to send the feedback that shapes the next version.

Book 15 minutes with Artie
Questions

Questions people ask

What software do I need to start a plumbing business?

A text back on every missed call from your business number; estimates the homeowner approves by text with automatic follow-up; scheduling and the customer record on your phone; and invoicing with card payment plus a review request the day after. TradesBackbone does all four on the web and Android. A dispatch board, accounting sync and a marketing platform can wait for the second truck.

What is the best software for a one-truck plumber?

The one that runs from the truck and puts the call, the estimate, the job and the invoice in one customer record. TradesBackbone is built so the technician works from a phone and the office from a desk on the same data, and its Starter plan covers a one-truck first year. Every plan has a free trial.

How do I stop losing after-hours calls?

Turn on missed-call text back so an unanswered call gets a text within the minute from your business number, asking where they are and what is wrong. Withheld numbers are not texted. If you want calls answered rather than texted, an AI front desk that takes details and books is an add-on on TradesBackbone and on Relay; it answers our own line.

How do I get reviews as a new plumber?

Ask every customer, the same way, the day after the job, with the Google review link in the message. TradesBackbone sends that after a completed job; ReputeLift is the dedicated tool with SMS and email requests and opt-outs enforced on every send. Do not gate or filter who is asked.

What does the software cost for a new business?

Each product publishes its own pricing on its own site and we link to those pages rather than repeat the numbers, because the live page is the one that is true. Every product has a free plan or a free trial you can start today without a call, and none of them requires an annual contract. There is no special new-business discount and we would rather say so than invent one.

How mature is this software?

Live, running our own business every day, and still young. Martello Systems is a small team, led by Artie, directing an engineering fleet, and the products are shaped by the people using them. Early customers reach the team directly, and what they ask for is what ships next. If you want the most polished option on the market, a bigger vendor is the safer choice and we will tell you that on the call.

Can you set it up for me?

Yes. The studio's done-for-you service sets up the stack around your business, writes the first-reply, follow-up and review messages with you, migrates any contacts you already have by export, and runs it month to month. It is quoted on a 15-minute call; see the pricing page. Most new businesses start self-serve and call when the volume outgrows the owner's phone.

Related
15 minutes with Artie

Fifteen minutes with the founder. No sales rep in between.

Pick a time and it lands on Artie's calendar directly. You will get a confirmation by email and, if you leave a mobile number, a reminder by text. That booking system is the same one we run for clients.

  • Bring the thing that is slipping: missed calls, quotes nobody chased, reviews you meant to ask for.
  • Leave with a straight answer on whether it is worth automating, and what it would cost.
  • If it is not a fit, you will hear that too.

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