There are a lot of expenses associated with contract painting work. From pricing jobs and quotes to collecting deposits, all the way to payroll and travel expenditures for workers, it can be overwhelming for companies to keep track of.
At a time when the U.S. Department of Labor reports that consumer prices are at the highest rate since 1981 and the Associated Builders and Contractors note continually increasing construction input prices, it’s also important to follow ever-changing material costs to ensure contracting teams are bidding an appropriate amount.
Luckily, there are many options for accounting software that can assist with day-to-day tasks and keep your team organized and within your project budget. Accounting software can help record and report your company’s financial transactions, allowing you to track costs throughout the bidding process as well as projects. Additionally, you can manage your employees’ time, pay and expenses.
Certain software allows you to create invoices, record incoming and outgoing payments, identify and follow up on past-due receivables or run reports for your company’s financial health or other aspects of your business. These features can save you both time and money.
At the CPIA, we understand there are plenty of expenses to record and monitor for different aspects of work in your company. For that reason, we’ve compiled a list of accounting software/apps that your team can use to keep you organized and assist in keeping your costs under budget.
While each application includes different features pertaining to accounting, it’s important to find the best option to work for your company and team. In this list, you’ll find a collection of what we believe are the top eight account software or applications for your team to consider for its account management:
OUR TOP 8
Jobber is created specifically for painting contractors to organize items like booking and booking requests, while also creating professional quotes and automatically following up on client opportunities. Jobber also allows managers to more easily track employees’ time and price jobs with downloadable timesheets and a shared database. Prices change with a spreadsheet detailing who should pay what based on what they need.
Job Toolkit is not designed specifically for painters, but the program is designed to make quoting, bidding, and invoicing easily useable and trackable. Job Toolkit is designed for organizations that are trying to grow their business but don’t want to put too much time into tracking employees and invoices. Prices vary following a free trial.
Fleetsharp is a different type of accounting app, with software that focuses on budgeting around fuel costs and service calls. The app is centered on increasing a company’s revenue by cutting down on required costs for client visits and commutes to jobsites. The app allows manages to track vehicle activity, vehicle location, driver behavior, mileage, gas levels, and maintenance alerts. Contact the company for a quote, depending on usage.
Jonas Construction Software works across multiple industries, from elevator maintenance workers to industrial painters. The accounting software is designed to price construction jobs and manage money throughout jobs. Additionally, managers will be able to manage equipment and inventory, as well as easily e-file contract orders. All features are packaged into mobile software that ensures various team members can track costs, budgets, and managements files throughout the entirety of a job. Custom pricing is available, depending on what services are needed.
Knowify focuses specifically on keeping quoting documents and lead management organized to make the bidding and job process easier. With the app’s quoting software, e-signatures and e-filing ensure that clients are able to easily communicate with the contractors throughout the whole process. The software also helps managers map out and keep track of job cost and employee time tracking to make sure they are bidding the appropriate amount. Furthermore, managers are able to see if a job will ultimately be profitable. Pricing varies depending on the services required.
Stack helps contracting teams price out materials and various necessities—including labor costs—for a job to make sure contracting teams are bidding an appropriate amount. Similar to Knowify, this software also allows paint contractors to easily file and track documents throughout a project.
PaintScout offers accurate estimates and sales tracking to make sure contracting teams are writing up appropriate bids for the most profitable jobs. The software also ensures teams are creating competitive prices in an ever-changing market. The app also offers real-time calculations, such as on-the-job paint quantities so that a contract team can set and stick to a budget. For bigger teams, pricing is quoted and negotiated with a PaintScout sales rep.
FieldPulse centers around creating operational insights and advanced business reporting to ensure a team is finding the best jobs and creating the most competitive bids. One great attribute of the software is the real-time updating system, which allows contracting teams to prioritize their job without having to worry about checking bid and job status. The software also allows teams to easily file their estimates, schedules, invoices, and payments to maximize the teams’ time during a job. Pricing varies; teams of 50+ users must contact FieldPulse directly.
