Barring technological advancements, most snow removal business owners struggle not being able to be at more than one place at a time. When there’s large areas to cover and only so many people to cover them, your snow business might be pressed to look for external help to cover those contracts you’ve taken on. This is where snow subcontractors pop into the scene.
Subcontractors help smoothen over the processes of staffing and allow your snow business to grow while keeping up with the demand for snow removal services. While subcontractors aren’t direct employees, they represent your company while on sites completing the service you agreed on providing your clients. We’ll outline everything you need to know on how to hire subcontractors for your snow and ice removal business, and what you should be looking for when hiring subcontractors.
Don’t Hire Based On Price
Keeping wages competitive is key to hiring for quality in any industry whether you’re a snow business or a subcontractor for hire. While it’s budget friendly for your snow business to pay the cheapest subcontractor, you might get what you pay for, and that’s not always a good thing when the reputation of your snow business is on the line. There’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of a good deal, but you should primarily base your subcontractor hiring on reputation, capabilities, insurance, and equipment. As the contract holder, you are liable for any accidents, so make sure you’re making the right hire. You, as a business owner, want to keep moving without having to look over your shoulder for no-shows, rework, or accident claims from slip and falls.
Insurance For Snow and Ice Removal Services
Identifying the right snow subcontractor is essential, but it means nothing if they don’t have the insurance to operate in snow season. One of the biggest issues for snow businesses are slip & fall claims, and those claims can ruin a business if insurance isn’t there to cover the damages. Snow removal insurance is sometimes difficult for any subcontractor or snow business to obtain, so hiring a subcontractor with the proper coverage shows that they’re more than just a person with a truck and plow. When vetting subcontractors, it’s imperative to know whether or not they have valid insurance for snow removal and that their licenses and certifications are up to date.
Job Listing Websites Are Your Friend
There is nothing wrong with using websites to do some of the heavy lifting for your snow business to hire subcontractors. It’s not as easy as it used to be to ask around for referrals, especially now that there’s more work than there are people to offer the services. Utilize some of the obvious websites like Craigslist, Kijiji, and Indeed to help host your job postings with the qualifications you’re looking for to bring onto the team for the snow season. Check other contractor speciality sites like homestars.com, even though they’re catered more to connecting contractors to home or commercial business owners.
How To Manage Your Snow Subcontractors With Software
It’s easy to miss minor details in the early morning dispatching a fleet of trucks across multiple sites. Instead of attempting early morning mental gymnastics, let designated business management software do the heavy lifting for your snow and ice removal company. LMN Pro software allows for crew members and administrators to submit job site photos, and to create time stamped clock in and clock out times to prove completion of snow and ice removal services. Through features like LMN Time and a robust customer relationship management (CRM) tools, snow businesses can make job notes for each contract dictating the time and temperature services were completed, and by which crew members or contractors.
These digital snow business tools allow for smooth operations that manage snow subcontractors, estimates, invoices, and more. LMN Pro software also helps protect snow and ice removal businesses with detailed and time stamped records to help with any slip and fall claims. LMN users also have access to apply for financing to get in front of payroll costs like subcontractors or to make bulk purchases of salt and other materials needed for managing salt and ice removal throughout the season.
Sign up for the free version of LMN Pro to supercharge your snow business throughout the season. You can also chat with our LMN Experts to learn how LMN Pro can help grow your business.
