How to Find the Best Electrical Certificate Software or App
Records & certificates are an important part of any electrician’s work. But there’s no denying they can be a pain to constantly fill out and manage.
Whether it be an EIC, EICR, Minor Works, or any other certificate, you’ve got to write down names, addresses and company details each and every time — and that’s before getting into the complex circuitry of some properties. You’ve then got to deal with the hassle of carbon copies, making sure the landlord, tenant, and yourself each safely get a copy. Getting them filed away is just another task, and what when you need to find an old certificate you issued a customer last year?
Nowadays, there are plenty of apps and software out there which can help you reduce the amount of time and energy you spend on these certificates. Some can even help you look more professional in the process – which is always a plus.
This article will walk you through all the essentials of electrical certificate apps and software, the benefits on the table, and how you can find the right app for your work.
What is electrical certificate software?
Electrical certificate software is an app (usually on your phone or tablet but also on the web / your computer) that allows you to create digital versions of electrical certificates.
But the best electrical certificate software goes further than this. Since these records are so closely linked to other work an electrical business does like customer detail management and scheduling, it’s extremely effective to merge them into one app.
For example, FieldRocket allows you to create any electrical certificate you need, but auto-fills all the customer, company, and property details since it can keep all this data for you as well. It also then gives you a place to file, organise, and manage all these historical records.
Why should an electrician use software to create certificates?
You save time
Ultimately, the biggest advantage of electrical certificate software is the time saved. Pre-filled data is a huge benefit here, but it’s also largely to do with the whole process of managing carbon copies, sending them off to all the recipients, and filing them away.
They look more professional
Using an app also means you can easily change anything you wrote wrong or by mistake. This will keep your forms nice and neat. Some apps also let you add branding onto your certificates for a nice little touch. Lastly, there’s going to be no confusion over unclear or smudged handwriting.
They’re easier to store
You’ll be able to slim down your office without such huge filing cabinets keeping year’s worth of records. Instead, everything is kept online in the cloud where it’s also accessible any time, from anywhere.
It’s better for customers
Customers have come to appreciate (and even expect, in some cases) digital paperwork. Almost every business nowadays has gone paperless – just think of all the digital receipts you’ve received in the past year. The reason is simple: customers don’t have to ‘do’ anything with the certificate you’ve sent them. It’s always in their inbox or saved on their device, convenient, accessible, and safe. With paper, they’d have to file it away somewhere safe.
Try out some of our free certificate templates
Curious about electronic versions of your electrical certificates? Download some of our free fillable templates:
What is the best electrical certificate software?
At the very bare minimum, electrical certificate software needs to be able to help you create all electrical certificates digitally. But this doesn’t mean all are equal.
Features to look for in the best electrical certificate software
- All electrical certificate templates
The app should enable you to create paperless versions of all electrical certificates or you’ll have to have an odd mix of paper and digital records. This includes your EICRs, EICs, Minor Works certs, and so on.
- Other records (other industries, & generic)
Job sheets are commonly used across the trades, but if your business does more than only electrical work, you may find other industry certificates useful. This will keep everything in the same style and within one app.
- Works offline
Not all properties have reliable internet access. Fieldrocket, for example, works offline and syncs later.
- Stores customer data
Certificates are much quicker to fill out if the app can auto-fill the electrician’s, company’s, and customer’s data. To do this, it will need to have a customer detail management system. An app like FieldRocket can act as your sole library of customer information, keeping everything safe and easily accessible.
- Allows customisation
These certificates carry your business’ name, and should reflect its professionalism. The app should allow you to add your logo, for example.
- Nicely designed certificates
Goes without saying. Sometimes it’s the little things that impress customers.
- In-app issuing to customers
A nice little feature that will help you save time. This means you won’t have to save the file and manually email it, or even print it off to post or hand it over.
- In-app record-keeping
Part of the benefit of going digital is the ease of it all. Look for an app that helps organise and file away your records to save you a bit of extra time. Note that the electrical certificate app should have good support, make frequent backups, and encrypt your data for this.
- Stable & reliable
Any app that you use for your day-to-day work needs to be something you can count on. Check reviews to make sure people aren’t having problems with the app crashing or not behaving correctly.
- Easy-to-use
The easier it is to learn, the faster you can adopt it into your workflow. The same goes for any new employees.
- Custom forms
If you’d like something specific to your niche, FieldRocket has a plan which includes custom forms & certificates.
- Good customer support
When you’re paying for a software as a subscription, check that there is helpful customer support in case you ever have a question.
How to use electrical certificate software
Every software or app will be slightly different to use. However, as an example, here is a quick demonstration of how easy it is to create an electrical certificate using FieldRocket:
The homepage
Here you can choose what you’d like to do in FieldRocket.
Selecting the certificate
There are many different templates to choose from
Completing the certificate
Here you can add all the different test results & details.
Issuing the certificate
Confirming any final changes.
The finished product
FieldRocket will generate your certificate.
Electrical certificate software vs job management software: What’s the difference?
Electrical certificate software doesn’t have to be anything other than a digital certificate creation tool. Job management software, on the other hand, is much broader and various options include the process of scheduling and planning jobs themselves.
Job management software options made for the UK trades world will often include certificate creation as part of the same package. This is because for many industries, including electrical, issuing a record or certificate is a part of many jobs. FieldRocket is a perfect example of this.
Start creating electrical certs online with FieldRocket
In today’s world, tradespeople need all the resources and tools they can get to keep their business competitive and ahead of the game.
Job management software is rapidly becoming the norm for UK service businesses by helping them reduce the burden of paperwork, save time, and look more professional.
If you’d like a more efficient way of looking after your customer’s details and creating digital forms certificates, get started with a free trial of FieldRocket.
Next steps:
If you’ve been thinking about implementing software into your workflow to save time, here’s what you can do next:
- Visit our resources centre where you'll find more articles like this one and a full list of our certificates.
- Start a free trial to see exactly how our software works for your business.
- Book a demo with our customer success team. We’ll help walk you through the ins and outs of our software, how it’ll help you save time and money, and anything else that springs to mind.
- Know someone still using paper? Help them and us out by sending our software their way!
ELECTRICAL CERT SOFTWARE
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to store only digital copies of records and certificates?
Yes! Any reputable certificate software like FieldRocket will use several modes of backing up your files and keep them accessible even offline.
I’ve been using paper to create certificates. Is the transition from paper to software difficult?
Not at all. You’ll have a date at which you started using software, and any records created after then will be digital. There’s no need to move all of your paper records online. They can be kept as usual until they’re no longer needed.
What kind of certificates can you create using FieldRocket?
FieldRocket has an expansive range of certificates for many industries, including electrical. You can create anything from an EICR to Portable Appliance Testing, Job Sheets, and everything in between. Find out a full list here.
What’s the benefit of having customisable forms?
Customisable forms allow you to add your logos for extra professionalism or create something entirely new to suit your business’ workflow.
What benefit do paperless certificates have for customers?
Using an electrical certificate app helps you keep your records neat, professional, and readable. They’re also highly convenient as they can simply be emailed to your customers in the field.
Get the Free Gas Rate Calculator App
Quick, effortless, and 100% reliable gas rating for Android and iOS.
