There are plenty of electrical contractor tips out there, but how many focus on making your business more productive? Improving the way you work could benefit your small business in many ways. Even small changes could make a big difference in increasing profits, keeping your customers happy, and helping you get a leg up on the competition.

Why is productivity important?

Working as efficiently as possible can help your electrical business in many ways, including:

• It can help you grow your electrician business – Increasing your productivity could help you complete more work in less time, potentially bringing in more money and new customers.
• It can help you save money – More productive business processes may also help you spend less by reducing unnecessary purchases or overtime hours.
• It could make your customers happy – Working efficiently means less time spent on jobs, meaning fewer and shorter disruptions to your customers’ lives or operations.
• It may make your business more competitive – Building a reputation for quality work done in a reasonable amount of time could help you stand out from other electricians in your area.

Now that you understand why productivity is an essential part of running an electrical business, you might be ready to streamline your work life. Here are six electrical contractor tips for improving productivity on the job:

1. Practice good communication

Communicating with others is crucial, no matter how big your business is. If you manage a group of electrical contractors, giving them clear instructions can help ensure they get the job done right the first time. It may help you avoid costly mistakes and delays that could make your business less productive.

Even a solo electrician can benefit from good communication skills. You may need to communicate requests or information to suppliers, other contractors, or your customers. Delivering these vital details clearly and concisely could also help you avoid delays and mistakes.

2. Get organized

Organization can be a big driver of productivity. For an electrician, making sure your tools and commonly used supplies are in your truck before heading to a job could save you time and effort once you’re on the job.

You may also find ways to organize the admin side of your business as well. Keeping your books in order can make it easier to chase outstanding payments and see changes to your cash flow. It can also help you save time when filing your business taxes (and make the process less stressful, too!).

3. Know your inventory

Keeping your inventory updated can save you time as well as money. Buying materials or supplies you don’t need wastes your time, whether it’s a few minutes spent purchasing online or an hour spent traveling between a worksite and the home improvement store.

More than that, time spent waiting for items you already have is time you could be finishing one job and moving on to the next. It also forces your customers to wait longer for their job to be completed, which could reflect poorly on your electrical business.

4. Use electrical apps

There are many apps designed for electrical contractors that can help boost your productivity. Scientific calculators make manual math a thing of the past and may also help you avoid dangerous mistakes.

There are also many reference apps built especially for electricians and skilled tradespeople. These tools can save you minutes, if not hours, looking up complicated formulas, conversions, and symbols. Many of these apps are free to download, but paid versions may be worth the investment for your small business.

5. Hire an apprentice

If you can afford to hire one, an apprentice could help make your business more productive. Apprentices are paid workers who earn a salary while learning the electrical trade. Though they are there to observe and learn from you, they can be given some basic work. This could free up your time to work on more complicated jobs or help a project move faster.

As they gain more skills, your apprentice could be assigned small jobs. The type of work they can complete will depend on their level of knowledge and the rules in your state. However, a good apprentice could quickly become a productivity booster for your electrical business.

6. Outsource admin

You’re an expert in working with electricity, but you’re probably not an expert in other areas of running a small business. Outsourcing admin jobs to a professional could help you get these tasks done more quickly and with fewer mistakes. It will also free up your time to spend on the areas of your business where you excel.

Hiring assistance (even part-time or freelance) for areas such as bookkeeping, scheduling, or marketing could help you grow your electrician business. The people you hire can apply their expertise and experience to these tasks and may be able to suggest ways to improve productivity in that area.

One last electrician business tip…

Improving your productivity could help you build a more successful electrical business. And as your business grows, you might want to consider ways to protect it.

Electrician insurance could help shield your finances against everyday claims and lawsuits that could spark trouble for you and your business. Policies such as General Liability and Professional Liability could help you work with more confidence and reassure your customers that if something goes wrong, you’re prepared to set things right.

Compare electrician insurance with BizInsure and get instant coverage in just 10 minutes. Start your quotes today!