Trying to control business costs in 2025 feels like chasing smoke. Labour shortages, rising fuel prices, and volatile material costs are making it harder than ever to stay profitable—no matter how experienced your team is.
We hear the same question time and again from our customers: “How do we stay in the black when everything’s getting more expensive?”
The good news is, you don’t have to navigate it alone. MARKUS is designed to help your business thrive in challenging conditions—by simplifying operations, improving decision-making, and unlocking long-term savings.
In early 2025, labour costs jumped again. Weekly earnings rose by 6.7%, and the National Living Wage for over-21s reached £12.21 an hour. At the same time, finding skilled tradespeople is as difficult as it’s ever been.
For operations managers the focus has shifted—less about hiring more, and more about making the most of every available engineer. With MARKUS, dispatchers rely on real-time job data, not guesswork. Engineers are assigned based on skillset and location, ensuring the closest and most suitable team member gets the job done. This saves time, cuts travel costs, and helps avoid delays that can ripple through the day.
It’s a small change that delivers big results. Managers no longer get bogged down in day-to-day logistics—they’re free to focus on strategic work, backed by reliable data and automation. And because MARKUS integrates with Xero, Sage Line 50, and QuickBooks, the admin side stays just as streamlined. Timesheets sync automatically, records are updated in real time, and finance teams gain instant visibility into job activity and costs.
While labour is one challenge, materials are another. Timber, steel, copper—every category has seen unpredictable price increases. With industry forecasts predicting a 17% rise in material costs over the next five years, procurement has become a daily balancing act. Every order now carries risk: spend too soon and you overstock; wait too long and you miss deadlines. MARKUS gives purchasing teams the clarity they need, offering supplier integrations, stock level tracking, and smart reordering that ensures teams have what they need, when they need it—without waste or duplication.
For the 30% of customers using APIs and supplier integrations, workflows are smoother than ever. Orders flow between systems without rekeying, while client portals (used by 20% of customers) are helping to reduce admin, speed up communication, and keep everyone in the loop. With access to over 700 built-in reports, managers can analyse trends, refine their purchasing strategies, and gain deeper insight into how every penny is spent.
And then there’s fuel—another slow leak on profitability. By February 2025, diesel averaged 146.42p per litre. Every unnecessary mile driven cuts deeper into already-tight margins. MARKUS gives dispatchers the tools to plan smarter routes and reduce wasteful journeys. Jobs are grouped intelligently, engineers are allocated based on proximity, and job distances are tracked automatically. Vehicle tracking and real-time updates keep everyone on the same page, helping teams stay agile while staying fuel-efficient.
Meanwhile, compliance remains a constant pressure—especially for health and safety officers. The introduction of Awaab’s Law in October 2025 brings fresh urgency to damp and mould reporting, with strict new timeframes for inspections and repairs. Regulations are evolving, and the risks of falling behind are high. MARKUS helps by baking compliance directly into daily workflows. From electronic pre-visit risk assessments to mandatory end-of-job surveys and photos, businesses can stay on top of every requirement without losing time to paperwork. Surveys are signed off in the back office, and rules can be customised based on trade, job type, or contract—making sure nothing gets missed.
Tool tracking is another quiet win for companies managing large inventories. Whether it’s a drill, a ladder, or a specialist meter, knowing who’s using what—and where—can make a surprising difference to the bottom line. Engineers can log tool usage from site in seconds, and if something is left behind or misplaced, it’s easy to trace. This leads to fewer losses, less unnecessary replacement spending, and better use of the equipment you already have.
Through it all, the real impact of MARKUS isn’t just in individual features—it’s in how everything connects. It’s a system built not just to handle the day-to-day, but to help you regain control when the pressure is on.
In 2024, over half of our customers reported workload growth, despite the cost challenges. Since 2011, businesses using MARKUS have seen average annual workload growth of 10%. That’s not by accident. That’s the result of better decisions, tighter processes, and a system that supports your business, not just your admin.
When every penny counts, having the right tools by your side makes all the difference.
Want to see how MARKUS can help your business stay profitable in 2025?
Let’s talk—book a walkthrough and explore what’s possible: 0161 477 2343.
