Things have really changed from when I was a young tradie. I became a tradie about twenty years ago and if there’s one thing that’s changed about the industry it’s the reliance on phones. I basically got into trade work because of my dad. He used to be a bricklayer and as someone who was never really interested in school, helping my dad out on building sites was a great way to learn some basic skills and tricks of the trade. Eventually I decided to attend a TAFE course so I could learn the skills according to an industry standard. One thing I remember when I first started working with my dad is that all we ever needed was a landline and an invoice book. As time went on I remember my dad, and then eventually me, owning one of those old brick phones. Now it’s a totally different world. Now we’re relying on trade scheduling software for Melbourne tradies. Admittedly, I do find myself sometimes acting like a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to learning new technology. A part of it is the fact I’m stubborn and like to operate as a creature of habit, and another part of it is because I can be absolutely useless with new technology.
The software definitely does have it’s benefits though. It gives me a much easier process to send and keep track of invoices while also seeing what jobs I have coming up. It’s also been much better for the environment as I’m not using sheets of paper or invoice pads. My friend who is a plumber recommended this plumbing job management software that didn’t necessarily need to be used only for plumbing. Even he found he was saving more paper and that it was helping him stay more organised. He’s an absolute professional when it comes to using software to stay on top of things. It’s actually because of him why I’m ready to put my technophobe ways aside and give something new a go.