With the weather growing colder, repair and replacement jobs may have begun to slow down for your residential roofing company. To keep your business booming, you’ll need to fill your pipeline with jobs in trades that see more activity around this time of year. Here are 4 winter roofing tips to keep your crews busy and bring in more revenue during the off-season with the help of roofing software.
Winter roofing tip #1: holiday lights installation and take-down
With the holiday season right around the corner, homeowners are starting to take out their decorations and hang lights on their homes and trees. But depending on the roof design and electrical considerations, hanging holiday lights can come with many complications. Not only that, if hung incorrectly, the lights can cause damage to the roof, the gutters, or even become a fire hazard.
To help homeowners prevent these disasters, many roofing businesses choose to provide professional holiday lighting installation during the fall and winter. These professional services are a win-win for the customer and the roofing business. Since roofing contractors know their way around a roof better than homeowners, professional installations are generally safer for the client and the roof in general. And for the roofing contractor, a typical lighting installation will bring in between $218 – $649 per house, depending on the geographic area that your roofing company primarily serves.
Winter roofing tip #2: gutter cleaning and inspection
Even if roof repairs have stalled during the late fall and winter months, gutter cleaning and inspection are year-round necessities, especially in areas with severe weather or changing seasons. If not removed from the gutter, falling leaves could cause clogging in the downspout, an obstructed water flow, or even freezing in colder months. Heavy ice and snow can damage gutter seams and increase the gaps between the gutter and the home. Providing your homeowners with inspection or cleaning services between fall and winter can help them avoid these issues or provide them with repairs before real damage occurs.
Winter roofing tip #3: snow removal
Including snow removal in your lineup of trades is another way to continue to get jobs through the winter, especially if your residential roofing business serves a part of the country where heavy snow and ice storms are common. Most roofs in cold-weather areas can support heavy snowfall, but waiting for the snow to melt can often cause harm to a roof, and melting snow can leak into a homeowner’s living space. To be safe, it is best to remove snow once it has reached 50% of its weight capacity. Providing this service, especially after a big winter storm, could quickly bring in many new jobs for your pipeline—and future roofing repair jobs once winter is over.
Winter roofing tip #4: weatherproofing
While some homeowners might only call your company if a winter storm causes an issue with their roof, others might want to take preventative actions to assure their roof is in top-notch condition to withstand the winter months. From providing inspections to suggesting spot patching to identifying places on a roof that might need to be re-shingled, there are many ways you can improve the quality, and ease your customers’ mind that their roof will get them through another harsh winter. Not only that, but providing preventative services in addition to repairs or replacements will help you attract and retain customers. Homeowners will see that your company cares about the long-term durability of their roofs and are committed to high-quality customer service.
How to manage your off-season trades with roofing software
AccuLynx roofing software is the perfect tool to help contractors manage their off-season trades and keep business running all year round. With AccuLynx, contractors can increase their chances of winning new business, create professional-looking proposals, and track the progress of each lead.
Track your off-season trade leads and sales: AccuLynx can be used to track all of your different trade leads and sales as they move through your pipeline. By breaking out each trade, contractors can identify their most profitable trades during the off-season and focus on those during winter months.
Schedule automations: Use the Automation Manager to let your past customers know which off-season services you offer with automated texts and emails. By automating how you communicate with your team and customers, you will save hours and ensure everyone is on the same page, and nothing falls through the cracks.
Manage estimates and proposals: Contractors can use AccuLynx roofing software to create professional-looking estimates for off-season trades, offer digital payments, eSignatures, and track the status of each estimate.
Schedule and manage jobs: AccuLynx can be used to schedule and manage winter projects from a shared Production Calendar, which can help contractors keep their crews busy during the off-season.
Schedule a demo of AccuLynx today to see how the #1 roofing software can help you manage and grow your business.
