As a window and door contractor, you’re always on the road going from job to job. It’s not always ideal to have to run your business the traditional way with endless stacks of paper consisting of contracts and invoices. Fortunately, with modern technology, you have the option to practically run your business from wherever you are – at home, on a job site, or at a restaurant while you eat lunch. The big question is whether a desktop-based estimating software or a mobile application is better to use for window and door contractors. You will find some key differences between using desktop software and mobile applications so we’ll explore the two different options, and which one is the better fit for your contracting business.

Desktop software

To cover the basics, desktop software runs on a computer and doesn’t require access to the web in order to function properly. Typically, software is created specifically for the operating system that they are meant to run on. This type of application is usually denoted by a unique icon on your computer’s homepage to give access to the software.

For a window and door contractor, a desktop application may be preferred if you’re working on longer, more involved tasks. For example, if you’re using a layout or design software, it can be much easier to work with a mouse, a full keyboard and a larger monitor to accurately complete your layout or design. However, for more administrative tasks like estimates and invoicing, you’re limited to where your computer can travel. If you have a laptop, you will have a little more freedom with where you can bring your work, but laptops are easily damaged on worksites and have notoriously short battery lives. Another benefit is that most desktop applications don’t require an internet connection in order to properly function. So, you can virtually be wherever and still be able to complete your job – unless you need to email or upload the output of your software.

Mobile applications

On the other hand, mobile applications or simply “apps” can be easily downloaded onto your smartphone or tablet from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store. Mobile apps live and run directly on the device itself. Today’s technology also allows most mobile apps to have the same functionality and features of comparable desktop software.

The advantage is that mobile apps can be brought with you wherever you are for a job while it can be a real challenge bringing along a bulky computer or laptop to a worksite. One thing to be aware of with mobile apps is that they may require internet access to work properly. That’s not the case for all apps, but if you often work in areas where you can’t access the internet, you may want to research your options to find an app that offers all of its features without online access. With these types of apps, you can complete your job from virtually anywhere!

The best choice for window and door contractors

To some extent, whether you choose a software solution or a mobile app will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish. For large scale or highly detailed tasks like interior design, it may well make sense to use desktop software that allows for precision measurements for doors and windows. On the other hand, if you’re looking for tools to help you run your day to day business, an app like JobFLEX is the perfect solution.

Every contractor must create estimates and invoices and spends time on the road going from job site to job site. JobFLEX is an app for window and door contractors that has both a mobile interface as well as a web app that can be accessed from your laptop or desktop computer. It’s the best of both worlds. You can pull your Android phone out of your pocket as you walk the job site and quickly put together an estimate and email it to your prospective customer before you head to the next job. When the job’s completed, you can turn that estimate into an invoice from your phone or from the web application from the comfort of your office.

When it comes to invoicing and estimating, JobFLEX provides all of the benefits of software and mobile apps with none of the drawbacks! See for yourself, as you can check out our web application on our free trial page or you can download our app from the Google Play Store.