JunkBossPro Blog — Running a Junk Removal Business

Choosing Junk Removal Business Software: What to Check Before You Pay

There is no shortage of software that promises to run a service business. Most of it was built for plumbers, cleaners or lawn crews, and junk removal gets squeezed in as an afterthought. The result is a job with an address and a price, and nowhere to put the load size, the items, the dump or the ticket. Before you pay for anything, check that it actually fits how a junk removal business works.

After Paper, the Choice

Moving a Junk Removal Business Off Paper and Spreadsheets covered why and how to move off notebooks and spreadsheets. This guide is about what to move to. Here is a checklist to run any option through, including ours.

Does It Understand a Junk Job?

The first test is whether the software knows what a junk removal job is. Look for:

• Truck load sizes on every job, from a minimum load through full loads and multiple loads.
• Item count and a description of what is going, visible to the crew.
• A haul-to destination for each job: dump, transfer station, donation center or metal recycler.
• Dump ticket tracking with included weight and a per-ton overage that lands on the invoice.

Generic field-service software usually leaves all of this in a notes box. JunkBossPro records the load (Min Load, 1/8 through Full Load, and 1.5, 2 or 3 loads), the items, what is going and the haul-to destination on every job, and adds the dump fee overage to the invoice automatically, like “Dump fee overage (0.28 tons @ $70.00) = $19.60.”

Can You See Requests on a Map?

Filling the truck depends on seeing where unbooked work is. Check whether new requests show on a map before they are scheduled. JunkBossPro's Waiting List shows every request that is not booked yet, on a live map and a list, including single items, cleanouts and on-site estimate visits.

Then check the schedule itself: jobs by day and truck, route order, auto-routing from your yard and printable route sheets. JunkBossPro's dispatch board does all of that, with Closest First and Furthest First auto-routing and saved views.

Will the Crew Actually Use It?

The best office software fails if the crew will not touch the app. Check that the crew app:

• Runs on the phones they already have, without special devices.
• Shows the day in route order with everything they need on each card.
• Navigates to the customer and to the dump.
• Takes before and after photos and records the dump ticket.
• Has a simple Start, Skip, Complete flow and a time clock.

JunkBossPro's crew app runs in the browser on iPhone and Android and installs to the home screen, with no app store. Crews log in with a company login and personal PIN.

Does It Handle Customers and Partners?

Check the customer side: automatic reminders and on-the-way texts, two-way texting from the office, a way for customers to see invoices and pay online, and card on file with charging on completion. JunkBossPro has all of those, plus a customer app with a live route map, service requests, and rate and refer.

Then check partners. Can one client have many addresses? Can a realtor or property manager get one monthly statement covering every address? In JunkBossPro, a client set to Monthly gets ONE statement each month with each line labeled by address.

Is the Price Simple?

Watch for pricing that looks low until you add users, trucks, texts or features. Ask what the bill will be with your real crew size, and what happens when you add a truck. JunkBossPro plans are Start $59, Pro $89 and Crew $199 per month, and include a monthly text allowance of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 texts sent and received.

Can You Try It for Real?

A sales demo shows the best case. A real trial shows your case. Look for a free trial long enough to run actual jobs, ideally without a credit card. Check whether you can import your customer list. JunkBossPro has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, CSV import that places addresses on the map automatically, and a live demo of a fully-stocked sample junk removal company you can explore without signing up.

During the trial, run a real week: quote, schedule, send the crew out, enter dump tickets and invoice. The guide on Dump Fees Eating Your Margin: Tracking Them Per Job in a Junk Removal Business is a good test case: can the software show you which jobs carried the weight?

Pick the One That Fits

The right software for a junk removal business understands loads and dump tickets, shows requests on a map, has a crew app people will use, handles customers and partners, prices simply and lets you try it for real. For every topic in this series, visit the running a junk removal business page.