5 Tips for Starting a Test and Tag Business

Starting your own test and tag business can be an exciting experience, but before you take the plunge you could save yourself a lot of time and money by being aware of what’s required to succeed within the industry.

1. Understand best practices

To help you navigate the path to success, we’ve gone ahead and compiled our top five tips that we believe are the most important factors to consider before you start a test and tag business.

By choosing to run your own test and tag business, it’s absolutely vital that you have a solid understanding of industry best practices. This means when you’re out on the road testing appliances, you shouldn't be taking any shortcuts. For example, not conducting a thorough visual inspection.

If you're a test and tag service provider, this is not only important for building your reputation and a trustworthy relationship with your client, but will result in repeat business.

It is also important to stay up-to-date with all of the Standards that apply to the environments you're testing in. The AS/NZS 3760 Standard oversees the test and tag industry, but there are, however, several others that provide regulations and guidance when testing equipment for construction and demolition, repaired and second-hand goods, and even marinas and film stages. By keeping up-to-date, you can provide the most value for your customers.

What to consider: ensure you understand test and tag best practices by getting the proper advice, training and exposure to test scenarios. Also, we're here to help you keep up-to-date with industry trends and happenings.

2. Surround yourself with support

Building yourself a support network might not be a difficult thing to do, but it’s definitely the most beneficial. Whether you like or not, you’re going to need help at some point! This might include knowing where to get the right technical advice when you’re onsite, or following industry associations such as NESTA to stay up-to-date with test and tag industry standards.

Beyond these immediate points of support, you’ll also need to find the right accountant and broker, get advice on how to structure your business effectively and find the right insurance to cover yourself.

What to consider: ensure you have support available in every part of the business to help support your growth.

3. Buy the right portable appliance testing equipment

It’s imperative that you have a decent understanding of the different test equipment options available and the specific features you’ll require in a PAT tester. The most important factor will be the range of tests you can perform. This will also depend on the type of test and tag work you’ll be offering.

For example, being able to use a tester that has either 3-phase, RCD or Leakage testing abilities might be a necessity for you; this is important considering not all testers offer these capabilities. After all, if you’re offering test and tag as a service, you’ll most likely need the ability to have an extensive range of tests available at your disposal.

Other factors come down to efficiency, as some appliance testers are faster than others in performing tests and how they collect data at the end of every test. Some are manually done each time, while others help automate it for you. If you do hundreds or even thousands of tests a month, sometimes these little improvements can mean a huge difference. We discuss this in more detail further down the page.

It's worth pointing out as well that there are certain ways you can ensure your PAT Tester stays healthy, something you'll want to do to consider the financial outlay.

What to consider: ensure you get an appliance tester, which can perform various tests that will complement your business and keep you efficient.

4. Investing in a system for growth

Similarly, you have to carefully weigh up your options when you choose to buy a system that will allow your business to grow.

For instance, you could start with an economical testing solution and then add extra functionality as the business grows. This means you’ll ideally want to buy a tester that can in fact be upgraded (if it already contains restrictions), such as adding a printing functionality.

Not all testers can be upgraded, so a costly mistake could result if you don't properly check before you buy.

What to consider: whether you prefer starting small and upgrading and/or adding extra functionality as you go or simply getting the more comprehensive option straight away.

5. Reporting your data professionally

In order to gain the required efficiencies when testing, your level of reporting needs to be at the suitable standard that goes beyond just a manual test and tag logbook.

In fact, some clients will require your testing results to be more detailed, possibly asking for extra information such as actual test readings and the time items were tested.

So when we discuss reporting data, there really is a huge difference to what is expected if you're offering test and tag as a service as opposed to simply testing your own equipment.

It pays to trial the software before you buy your test equipment if you're able to, or at least see samples of the reports it can produce. Most testers will only talk with their own specific software, and there can be a vast difference in both price and functionality.

What to consider: you’ll need to right tester and software to streamline the reporting process and to make your life easier.

Bonus Tip: Marketing Yourself

Getting your name out there is just important as your test and tag skills and knowledge. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to this in today's day and age. Here are some the top marketing tips for test and taggers:

• Having your own website is essential. It doesn't need to be fancy, as long as it's simple and clearly shows your services. Without it, clients may not take you seriously.
• Partner with local businesses in the area and try to establish a referral program
• Highlighting your customer testimonials will help build trust and reassure new clients
• Google Ads can be very effective for gaining new clients in particular areas that you're targeting
• Use branding on your work vehicle
• Add your logo to the custom test tags that you're using, as anyone who sees it will know who you are
• Creating a social media presence i.e. Facebook or Instagram to show examples of your work

What to consider: marketing can get costly, so starting with the basics is the best way to approach it. Starting with a simple website or small budget Google Ads to attract new clients is often a good starting point. As your business grows, you can start to experiment with other strategies, but always ensure it's always within your budget.