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| In This Issue |
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June 12, 2009
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For this month's issue we chose to focus on time and billing applications designed to track technicians in the service industry. For many companies dispatching and scheduling service calls is primarily a paper-oriented activity. This makes it time consuming, expensive and subject to many errors.
In this newsletter, we reveal how three companies were able to automate their service and warranty operations, resulting in significant savings and a dramatic improvement in efficiency not to mention customer satisfaction.
Remember, the right software add-on to for your QuickBooks program is never an expense, it is an investment that is re-cooperated over and over.
The key is finding the right program or programs to cut costs, provide solutions and increase the efficiency of your business systems. With nearly two hundred software partners we can help you make the right selection. Call for more details.
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| Managerial Mentor |
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Consider These Reasons for Time and Billing Software
Processing paperwork eats up time and requires expensive employee labor. So obviously, anything that can be done to eliminate paper handling and speedup activities such as invoicing, scheduling, routing, contact management, job tracking, timesheets, vehicle history and field data collection is worth your consideration.
The key to bringing all this together is to team up your QuickBooks accounting system with a time and billing software solution. Overnight you can practically eliminate trying to decipher poor handwriting, lost or damaged job tickets, mistakes from double entry and the nightmare of trying to find information quickly.
Take a look at just a few of the business activities that the right add-on can handle for your business:
In the Office
- Scheduling/Dispatching
- Routing
- Job Tracking
- Inventory
- Timesheets
In the Field
- Material Usage
- Time Tracking
- Job Notes & History
- Customer Maps
- Estimating
When interfaced with QuickBooks
- Invoicing
- Timesheets/Payroll
- Update Inventory items
- Sales/Commission Data
- Customer Balance
The brief case histories included in this newsletter will demonstrate how effectively the right Time and Billing application can benefit your company.
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| Techno-Visor |
Palm OS vs. Windows Mobile OS
Today's PDA's are usually equipped with one or the other.
The Palm OS is all about simplicity and is widely considered to be one of the most user-friendly platforms out there. It is approachable, easy to learn, and easy to use. There are plenty of software applications, including productivity tools, available for Palm-based devices, so you'll be able to get work done on your phone.
Windows Mobile OS is all about power and has a familiar feeling that Windows users appreciate. You can easily send files from your PC to your smartphone and vice cersa, and most documents will be compatible with both devices. You'll also find plenty of software applications - especially productivity applications, like Microsoft Office Mobile.
Picking a Platform:
You likely won't select your phone on the basis of it's operating system alone. A variety of factors, including the cellular carrier you prefer and the type of handset you'd like, will come into play. Still, you should carefully consider which operating system meets your needs and works well for you. Taking the time to consider all of your options will help you end up with a smartphone that's just as smart as you'd like. |
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| Case Study # 1 - HindSite Plugs Leak in Irrigation Business |
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 Problem
Grapids Irrigation, Grand Rapids, MI, has been in business since 1957. However, after years of steady growth they found themselves getting bogged down in paper work. There were two specific areas involved: double-entry and poor dispatching.
Job tickets were handwritten by field technicians and often difficult to decipher. One employee had to work full-time on translating the scribbled notes into data for entering in QuickBooks.
Dispatching was also a problem. Without an efficient routing system there was considerable lost time driving from job to job. Something had to be done.
Solution
HindSite Software provided a completely paperless work-flow and greatly increased efficiency in both capturing data and dispatching work crews.
The program includes PDA functionality that brings information direct from the field to the office. Completed jobs are then batched and sent to QuickBooks for invoicing.
Benefits
"We didn't realize how much we were hurting until we went on the HindSite Software," stated Aaron Katerburg, Service Manager. "Effectively routing and being able to schedule so quickly has made a phenomenal difference."
The software has enabled Grapids to completely eliminate paperwork and vastly improve office efficiency. One position has been eliminated and phone time reduced by 75%. Even with a 25% growth in sales and size, HindSite Software has allowed Grapids to easily absorb the increased volume of work.
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| Case Study # 2 - On the Road to Greater Efficiency with Service CEO |
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 Savage Consulting Inc., based in Tampa, Florida, started providing products and services related to computer technology in 1999. As the business grew so did managements problems.
Problem
The most obvious problem was getting data from the field into QuickBooks. At the end of the day, technicians would use an Internet form to provide information about their service calls. However, items used were often forgotten, customers questioned the time spent on the job and filling out the forms wasn't always timely.
Solution
Service Call, a complete package for service-related industries consisting of desktop and mobile software for Pocket PC devices, was installed. The easy-to-use program streamlined Savage's entire operation from dispatcher to technician.
Technicians now use handheld devices to view their daily appointments, create an invoice, capture a customer's signature, track job time, enter notes and even collect payment information. The data is automatically entered into QuickBooks, eliminating data entry and making the management of administrative tasks such as invoicing, more efficient.
Benefits
Since implementing Service Call, Savage Consulting has been able to reduce overhead and consistently receive invoice payments in 30 days or less. It has significantly improved performance in the field and provides greater customer satisfaction. The technicians have also embraced the new technology, which enables them to schedule their calls more efficiently and frees them from the burden of filling out daily call forms.
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| Case Study # 3 - Corrigo Delivers Tracking of Warranty Service's |
 Grand Homes, the largest privately-held local home builder in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, was established in 1986 and currently maintains more than 140 subdivisions backed with a quality warranty service program.
Problem
The warranty service required a huge amount of manual processing. Work orders were paper-based and faxed to the field. As a result, the status of warranty requests was often unknown for days sometimes weeks. Also management lacked the ability to measure key performance indicators related to warranty services and customer satisfaction.
Solution
Grand Homes turned to Corrigo for an efficient work order dispatch and management system that included bill-backs for repairs or work performed on equipment under warranty.
Because the software is easily integrated with such programs as QuickBooks, the data was seamlessly entered into other systems already in place. A web portal was also created giving homeowners the ability to easily track their service request taking a load off the customer service staff.
Benefits
Within days, there was significant time savings for both field technicians and service coordinators. The system also improved service levels and lowered labor costs in both the office and the field.
Because Corrigo established real-time access to warranty service requests, 24/7 communication and awareness of work order status and time lines were dramatically improved. Management now also has important reports available that help pinpoint root causes of common problems and identify significant trends.
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| Leaving You With A Little Humor |
A cowboy, named Bud, was overseeing his herd in a remote mountain area. Suddenly a brand-new BMW came speeding across the pasture and skidded to a stop in front of him.
The driver stepped out of the car wearing a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie. He leaned against the car and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"
Bud looked at the man who was obviously a city dude. Then he looked at his peacefully grazing herd and answered, "Sure. Why not."
The dude whipped out his notebook computer and surfed to a NASA page on the Internet. Here he called up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he fed to another NASA satellite that scanned the area in ultra-high resolution and took a photo.
Next, the dude opened the digital photo in a photo shop program and exported the image to a processing facility in Germany. Within seconds, he received an email on his Palm Pilot that the image had been processed and the data stored. He then accessed a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, received a response.
Finally, he printed out a full-color, 150 page report on his hi-tech, miniature laser jet printer, turned to the cowboy and said, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."
"That's right," Bud replied. "Well, I guess you can take one of my calves." He watched as the dude selected one of the animals and stuffed it in the trunk of his car."
Then Bud said to the dude, "If I can tell you what business you're in, will you give me back my calf?"
The dude thought about it a moment and then said, "Okay. Take your best shot."
"You're a bureaucrat with the federal government."
"Hey, man, you're exactly right. How did you guess that?"
"No guessing required," Bud replied. "You showed up here, even though nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are. And you don't know a darned thing about cows. This is a herd of sheep.
"Now, how about giving me back my dog?"
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FREE TIPS |
For our latest tips on setting up your chart of accounts so that you have the processing and reporting capabilities you need for these tough economic times, please refer to http://www.seeclearlyaccounting.com/22/index.html
While you are looking at the tips about your chart of accounts, if you are responsible for the accounting for an estate, you may want to read 22 of the Best Tips for Trust and Estate Accounting. This sets out how we do this work using QuickBooks, with a little help from Excel.
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