Sparks Electrical News February 2022

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New app paving the way for tradespeople

TOD’s newly-released, free-to-download HERO app ensures that, for tradespeople and their clients, those ‘life happens’ moments are taken care of instantaneously. It’s a one-stop business management tool in the pocket of on-call trade specialists, ensur- ing a smoother working life and, most importantly, more job requests. “The TOD Hero app really is like an Uber for people who need plumbers, handymen, locksmiths and electricians in real time,” says TOD CEO & Founder Shannon Mackrill. “Lockdown left a lot of tradespeople without work and many smaller companies had to shut down, even though geysers kept bursting and homes still needed fixing. “In other words, the work was still there but smaller operators didn’t have access to market and thus they could not connect with customers needing their services,” Mackrill adds. “TOD wants to be the voice of small businesses and entrepreneurs, by offering them access to market via our business management tool. We provide cred- ibility and, in so doing, help them grow their businesses.” New business management features in the app prioritise simplicity, direct connec- tion and cashless payment. Now tradespeople can email personal job quotes, get them approved, generate invoices and send them to clients, all in-app. The same holds true for diary management of TOD jobs, private work and reminders, thereby syncing perfectly into a brilliant and intuitive diary management tool that now also allows clients to book your services at a later date. The new app now also includes add-ons including GPS tracking, photo sharing, detailed job card descriptions, tool suggestions and an in-app chat function, thereby making preparing for jobs easier than ever. Mackrill says the aim of the TOD HERO platform is to provide work and opportuni- ties for tradespeople, with an innovative tool to conduct and manage back-office work. “The vision behind TOD is simple,” says Mackrill. “We care about our tradespeople and so have come up with an app that spreads the love. At its heart, it connects

customers to credible tradespeople based in Cape Town, Johan- nesburg, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Durban, on- demand or at a future date, 24/7/365. Add to that TOD’s ability to develop and manage the world’s largest connected tradesperson workforce, and what you have is a powerful tool to empower indi- viduals to manage and grow their own businesses.” The reimagined HERO app is the result of years of extensive research aimed at understanding what Mackrill calls tradespeo- ple’s “pain points” and how they relate to customer needs. Col- laboration with companies such as Vodacom and Builders has ensured credibility and is helping to achieve the company’s aim of capturing a large percentage of tradespersons operating in South Africa. TOD is an app that connects users to credible tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, handymen, locksmiths, etc.) on-demand or at a future date, 24/7/365, based on location and availability. The entire process is managed in-app from door-to-door tracking to quoting and finally easy cashless payment and invoice.

Enquiries: For customers: www.gettod.com; For tradespeople: www.gettod.com/hero

Top online resources for electrical contractors

W e’ve seen the electrical contracting industry change over the years with help from technology. This has created new op- portunities for electricians to make the switch from full-time employee to self-employed contractor. That said, wearing multiple hats as a small business owner can be a challenge with managing both employees in the office and the field. To help with growing an electrical contractor business, we have put together a list of the top online resources for electrical contractors. Electrician Talk Electriciantalk.com is a forum for electrical contractors to discuss everything related to business and trade knowledge geared to- wards residential and commercial work. Visit www.electriciantalk.com International Brotherhood of Electricians The International Brotherhood of Electricians is the largest electrical contractor union, representing over 750 000 active mem- bers and retirees. They are a great resource for everything related to local unions to online learning tools. Visit www.ibew.org Reddit Electricians Reddit electricians, also known as The Great Reddit Council of Electricians, is a valuable subreddit with over 11 000 electri- cians involved. It is a nice place to talk shop, show off pictures of your work, get general help, and ask code related questions. Visit www.reddit.com/r/electricians/ Master Electrician Reference iOS & Android Master Electrician Reference is an app acts as a digital version of an electrician’s pocket reference guide. MER keeps the most important information readily available on your smartphone and will even do the calculations for you. Google Drive Google drive organises all of your business’s files in one place. It’s easy to add new team members and delete old ones. Google drive syncs with Gmail, Google calendar, across all mobile devices, and on the web. It’s the go-to cloud storage for over 190 million small businesses. Visit www.google.com/drive/ QuickBooks Online QuickBooks makes online accounting simple. It organises everything in one place keeping track of money coming in and money going out. More importantly, it keeps finances in order all year, keeping a pulse on business growth. Visit www.quickbooks.intuit.com/ online/

The do's and don'ts of email etiquette W hen the use of email became common in the early 90s, the business world changed. Email now takes up a significant por- tion of our workday. While we try to work faster and more ef- ficiently, we must not forget the social rules that accompany any form of communication. Here are some of the do's and don’ts of email etiquette. Do have a clear subject line Most of us have to compete with the hundreds of emails clogging our inbox every day, so the clearer your subject line, the more likely your mes- sage will be read. For example, if you’re sending a proposal to someone, be specific and write, “The Electrical Proposal Is Attached.” Do use a professional salutation Using “Hey,” “Yo,” or “Hiya” isn’t professional, no matter how well you know the recipient. Use “Hello” instead. To be more formal, use “Dear”. Using the person’s name, “Hello Robert”, is quite appropriate, but remember not to shorten a person's name unless you have been given permission to do so.

Don't forget your signature Every email should include a signature that tells the recipient who you are and how to contact you. Set it up to automatically appear at the end of each email. Include all of your contact details so the recipient doesn’t have to look up your address, email or phone number. Do proofread your message Don't be surprised if you're judged by the way you compose an email. For example, if your email is littered with misspelled words and grammatical errors, you may be perceived as sloppy, careless, or even uneducated. Check your spelling, grammar and message before hitting 'send.' Don't use humour Humour does not translate well via email. What you think is funny has a good chance of being misinterpreted by the other party, or taken as sar- casm, without the accompanying vocal tone and facial expressions. When in doubt, leave humour out of business communications.

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

FEBRUARY 2022