When your roofing company has more jobs than you could ever take on and more happy customers than you know what to do with, it’s time to take the next step: expanding to multiple locations.
Having multiple offices is a dream come true, but to make them all succeed, you’ve got to prepare and even change some of the ways your business runs. You’ve got to focus on three major categories: processes, software, and people.
Let’s dig in.
1. Set Standard Processes
Once you expand to multiple offices, you want to ensure your roofing customers have a similar experience no matter which office they work with. To do that, you’ve got to set a standard way of handling all your processes.
Here are four processes you should standardize for success:
Your Project Pipeline
Customers will expect their journey through your pipeline to be the same everywhere. How do they move through your pipeline? What steps must they and your team take to move from one part of the project to the next?
Create a clear pathway from job beginning to end, and your customers will have a much better experience.
Customer Communication
As customers move through your pipeline, you’ve got to keep them up to date about their projects. Do you have an outline for contacting them?
You should set a procedure for:
- How often you reach out (roofers average 4–6 points of contact during a job)
- When to contact customers (any time you have a delay, when you finish part of the project, etc.)
- How you get in contact with them (texting, calling, emailing, or all of the above)
Organizing Documents
If you’re using a sticky note system for your projects, that won’t work for businesses with multiple locations. You’ll need a digital process to handle your paperwork and files.
You will also want to institute a common way of labeling documents so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for at any of your roofing locations.
Handling Payments
Again, paper processes just don’t work for payments when you’re managing multiple business locations. You’ve got to have a way to track them online, so you can access them from wherever you are.
You should also expand how you accept payments. Our 2023 Roofing Industry Benchmarks for Success report found that roofing companies that offer more payment options get higher reviews and profits.
If you don’t currently accept financing or digital payments like eChecks, it’s time to get in on the action. JobNimbus released JobNimbus Payments, which lets your business take virtual forms of payment like eChecks, credit cards, and debit cards.
JobNimbus Payments also lets you:
- Choose what types of digital payments your roofing company accepts
- Manage who pays fees for credit and debit cards
- Collect down payments and partial payments in person or over the phone
2. Have Software in Place
With multiple offices, your business will be juggling more information than ever. You need software platforms to make your company more efficient at every location.
Here are some types of software you should already have that will support your business’s growth. If you don’t already have them, now is the time to get started before getting into multiple locations.
Accounting Software
It’s vital to keep your accounts correct and up to date as you expand your business. Accounting software like QuickBooks or NetSuite make bookkeeping easy, and QuickBooks syncs with JobNimbus, so you don’t have to worry about inputting numbers in multiple locations.
Internal Communication Software
As your team grows, you’ve got to have a way for everyone to stay in touch with each other. You need a way to communicate across and within each of your locations.
It’s essential to have a messaging software like Slack or Microsoft Teams to have quick, informal conversions. You might also want to chat face-to-face with video calls on Zoom or Google Meet.
File Storage Software
Digitizing your documents requires a digital space to store them. Keep all your estimates, invoices, templates, emails, and texts in one place.
A cloud-based software lets you access those files in the office or at the job site so that you can work from anywhere. JobNimbus safely stores all your documents, so you can access them on your computer or mobile device wherever you are.
When you have multiple roofing office locations, you also ought to have software tools for:
- Payments
- Time tracking
- Project management
- Inventory management
3. Build Out Your Team
More locations mean you need more people to run them.
To start, fill the open positions you absolutely need. Don’t worry if your new location team is smaller than the team at your current office. Fill the essential positions first, and add more people to your new location’s team as the operation grows.
Are you looking for help finding the right employees for your roofing company? Check out our blog post on how to get the best talent at your business, even during a labor shortage.
Establish Clear Responsibilities for All Employees
When you hire new employees, be very transparent about their job roles. You’ll also want to discuss obligations with current employees. Will those change? Who will report on what? Explain how they will interact with their counterparts at your other locations.
Leave no room for confusion, and your current and new employees will better acclimate to the new environment.
Initiate Team Camaraderie Across Locations
If you’re running multiple roofing business locations, let your employees mingle with those from your other offices. Getting everyone together, even once a year, will help establish a sense of belonging and cohesiveness.
It doesn’t have to be an elaborate get-together. Just have a team meeting or dinner once you get all your new recruits.
Make Managing Multiple Locations a Breeze
Branching into multiple offices is a huge undertaking, but it’s doable. With the right processes, software, and people in place, you’ll set your new roofing location on the path to success.
What tips will you take to manage your roofing business’s multiple locations? Let us know in the comments below!
Grow your business
Table of Contents
Keep on learnin'
Related Articles
