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I tested 5 tools for growing a plumbing business in 2026

Most plumbing jobs aren't planned. After all, a burst pipe doesn't wait for business hours. The company that answers the phone first usually wins the work.

Running that kind of business also means juggling a tight labor market and a stack of admin work that piles up the moment you stop chasing it. Now, I don’t run a home services business myself, but I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing business software for a living.

For this article, I tested different tools and platforms across five categories using sample data modeled on real plumbing scenarios, from urgent service calls to routine maintenance paperwork. Here's how it went.

#1 Field service management keeps the schedule honest

A field service management (FSM) platform schedules jobs and dispatches the closest available technician. It also stores every customer's repair history in one place, so nobody has to dig through paper invoices to remember what...

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Funding alert: Tech startups that raked in moolah this month

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent funding events in the tech ecosystem, seeking to know where the cash is flowing. Startup: Zave Sector: AI Shopping Assistant Amount: INR4.7 Crore Led by: Inflection Point Ventures AI shopping assistant startup Zave has raised INR4.7 crore in a bridge

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This sunrise alarm clock improved my sleep routine, and it's 20% off right now

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Like many people, I have a hard time falling asleep at night and waking up in the mornings. Especially with the longer summer days, my sleep is completely off, and I have to adjust my routine to the later sunsets.

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HeyPolo vs. Life360: I tried both location-sharing apps, and there's a clear winner

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Most of us now have a smartphone, and in the interest of safety, some parents are providing their children with devices at a young age. Location-sharing apps have risen in popularity as a way to track the location of family

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Chrome's next update will kill your adblocker - and make the web less safe

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways * Big changes for Google Chrome have been in the pipeline since 2019. * These changes have a significant impact on the capabilities of ad blocker extensions. * Adblockers have implemented workarounds, but these make them less effective

#1 Field service management keeps the schedule honest

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Funding alert: Tech startups that raked in moolah this month

This sunrise alarm clock improved my sleep routine, and it's 20% off right now

HeyPolo vs. Life360: I tried both location-sharing apps, and there's a clear winner

Chrome's next update will kill your adblocker - and make the web less safe