Ben Dyer, CEO and Co-founder of Powered Now, looks at some of the hacks available through the business management software that can make it easier to run your business.
Powered Now is regularly used by lots of electricians, and with significant success. Sometimes it can be the case, however, that users donβt always know or understand some of the easy-to-use features that can make it an even more powerful tool for their business.
We have to accept that not everyone wants to spend their time playing around with software and exploring all of the options. But sometimes the investment of a little time can pay serious dividends.
In this article I hope to point out a few of the things that can be opened up in Powered Now to make running your business just that little bit easier.
If youβre an exisiting Powered Now user and would like to take advantage of some of these hacks, feel free to contact our support team to get further help.
Think through your job or project stages and use the reminder date
Itβs always hard to keep track of everything and to remember whatβs been promised to different customers. Hidden away in Powered Nowβs General Settings | Project tab is a mysterious switch called βProject next action dateβ.
When this is enabled, you can set a βNext action dateβ against your project and this will appear on the project summary. You can also sort by the date and at the same time select project status. You can define all of your own statuses, allowing you to dictate how your workflow is used, with an inbuilt reminder of when things need to be done.
Note: if you canβt set the βNext action dateβ, you need to view the project instead and then click βConvert projectβ.
Highlight your appointment status
Another great feature is the ability to set up your own statuses for appointments, though some users find them hard to see in the diary. If this is the case, go to the βDiary & Scheduleβ settings, then scroll down and set βAppointment colourβ to βColour used as background.β That will make the status much clearer to see.
Set your appointment time using drag
Most people know that when you click in the diary you can set the start time. What fewer realise is that if you then drag the end of the appointment, you can set the total time. Itβs a small point, but itβs another thing thatβs easier to do.
Get your customers to sign documents when you visit
Imagine a scenario where youβre on-site with only your mobile phone to hand, and you require a customer to sign an important document. Thanks to Powered Now, you can open any document β simply press β+β and then click βSignβ. This then allows your customer to sign the document there and then on your mobile. Simple!
Letβs talk tax The final point Iβd like to make isnβt really about Powered Now, but is simply some advice for trade professionals in general. If youβre a sole trader, you should know about Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for IT).
It will be introduced over the next three years and is a new law that applies to sole traders with total sales (including any interest, property income etc.) of over Β£50k from April 2026, over Β£30k from April 2027 and over Β£20k from April 2028.
To comply, it requires three things from business owners:
1. That you keep digital records of sales and costs in a system like Powered Now or an accounting system like Xero.
2. That you submit a digital quarterly return.
3. That you submit your annual return based on the same.
Itβs useful to know that these new requirements are coming and, of course, Powered Now will be developing a system to meet this need.
Less hassle, more time
If youβve made the investment in business management software, itβs important that you know how to get the best from it. I hope Iβve managed to touch on a couple of points here that you find helpful, so you have less hassle and more time to spend on important jobs or with your friends and family.
Get more details about the Powered Now business management software solution here
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