In New York City, competition among HVAC providers is intense, so Arista Air Conditioning Corporation found a new way to win over customers. The company armed all of their technicians with the cloud-based XOi mobile app. Technicians use their mobile devices to generate photo and video documentation of every service call for Arista’s customers—so customers can see what the techs see.
Arista Air Conditioning serves more than 3,000 commercial and luxury residential customers in the New York City metropolitan area. The company harnesses the power of hundreds of highly-trained field service technicians, 100 trucks, and the latest technology. Evidence-based video collection elevates the customer service experience by increasing transparency and enhancing communication. It also helps Arista optimize its recordkeeping and provide technicians with easy, immediate access to the collective experience of the company’s most experienced workers.
The XOi platform ensures that field service techs can clearly communicate job requirements, progress, and circumstances through the lifecycle of the relationship. Videos and still images get added to customer-facing records, so customers can verify they are paying for the correct services.
XOi Vision™ content also helps the organization train technicians efficiently and cost effectively, using real-world video examples. Vision helps senior field service technicians collaborate with less-skilled techs on unique problems or unfamiliar equipment through shared, real-time video. The company benefits from the knowledge of its best techs on every jobsite, without having to roll a second truck, which costs over $400 on average in the field service industry.
“We think giving our employees the ability to instantly tap into the collective wisdom of technicians, who jointly have thousands of years of experience, is an invaluable resource,” said Michael Rosone, vice president of Service Sales for Arista Air Conditioning.
Complete Temperature Systems of Chicago cut office staff time by 14 hours per week using MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies to help streamline their operations. Before, field work orders, service tickets, and preventive maintenance checklists had been driven around, which delayed invoicing and created the possibility of getting lost. Now, information streams in real time, allowing for same-day or next-day invoicing. CTS’ government contracts require specific work acknowledgement letters; with MobiliForms in place, they are signed onsite, stored, and shared digitally. MobiliForms also allows techs to capture pictures and sounds on work orders.
CTS achieved these benefits without changing their backend software. Service Supervisor Jason Churchill said, “Invoicing staff no longer has to hand-input illegible information from paperwork, saving approximately 14 hours per week. Our customers also really appreciate digital conveniences.”
Having heard about MobiliForms, CTS staff took a close look while attending the annual MCA of Chicago Tech Day. According to International Data Corporation research, U.S. business annual spending on mobile is $300 billion and growing. Industries like construction—where billable hours are paramount and labor costs continue to increase—are seeing the fastest returns on investment in mobile technology.
MobiliForms run on Apple’s iPad, a top choice for contractors seeking battle-tested mobile devices. Apple’s underlying iOS deployment platform simplifies managing devices and streamlines content distribution.
Indoor Environmental Services (IES) of California adopted XOi Vision technology, paired with Key2Act’s MobileTech, to provide technicians with an easy platform for capturing video and photos on the jobsite and sharing that content with customers. That investment has yielded many unexpected returns, including reducing the lead time for sales follow-up on field-originated opportunities from two weeks to one or two days.
Standing Out in a Crowded Field
IES is a full-service facilities solution provider that serves business clients throughout California. The company specializes in mechanical contracting, including HVAC, energy projects, and both retrofit and new construction plumbing. About 170 employees work in the field, 60 of which are dedicated to the service business, doing repair, maintenance, and warranty work.
In the busy world of California commercial real estate, many building owners and property managers do not work onsite. IES wanted to distinguish itself from other reputable mechanical contracting competitors by offering clients a higher level of value and transparency through video and photo documentation from the jobsite.
IES had used Key2Act MobileTech field service management for roughly five years when they decided to add an integrated video communication platform. IES leaders met with fellow Key2Act customer MacDonald Miller and learned about their real-world results with XOi Vision.
Jason Saunders, service operations manager for IES, said XOi was a good fit for IES and very easy to implement. The integration of XOi with MobileTech made it easy for IES’ technicians to use the video component that XOi offered—even for those challenged by mobile technology.
IES immediately saw the value of streaming data quickly to their end-customers. Customers appreciate seeing what is happening on the roof. Many have not been trained in the mechanical trades and have trouble understanding components on a quote. “If we can show them rather than tell them, it gives them a nice verification,” explained Service Manager Eric Yocum. “We’ve had some customers tell us right away that they want video on every future work order.”
As a result of using XOi Vision, IES’ clients’ perceptions of the value of mechanical services has increased. IES has also seen improved workflows throughout the organization, resulting in greater efficiency. “It’s a great platform to standardize certain processes, to share information, to show value to clients. It’s a very powerful tool,” said Yocum.
With the technology, IES has helped property managers provide better documentation to offsite supervisors and building owners. Saunders said, “We’re capturing XOi content—physical video, pictures—onto quotes, which has expedited how fast those quotes are approved. We seem to get less contested quotes, less questions.”
IES technicians found XOi Vision easy to use with the Key2Act MobileTech solution they were already using. “There are a lot of lead opportunities and unit replacement opportunities as a result of being able to show customers the condition of their assets,” said Eric Yocum, IES service manager.
Although they initially purchased XOi to help technicians, IES decided to roll out XOi to the entire service side of the business—about 60 technicians, plus supervisors, sales, and safety coordinators. “I think there’s potential to use it throughout the organization, including the construction, estimating, and engineering teams,” said Saunders. Increased customer transparency, more efficient workflows and processes, standardized lead-handling workflow, expedited customer quote acceptance, and new training material are just some of the benefits already realized by IES.
XOi also helps IES manage jobs far from the office. The company can send a single employee to a jobsite hundreds of miles away but still enable the project manager and foreman to participate live in the site walkthrough as well as record it for further review.
Both Saunders and Yocum agree that one of the most useful features of XOi is the ability to streamline processes by building role-based workflows. “The ability to create your own workflows and processes has turned out to be one of the things we like the most about XOi. I can write a workflow for anybody in our organization in 15 minutes,” said Yocum.
IES has used XOi to standardize its lead process, cutting out two layers of managerial review from the technician-originated lead workflow and routing video content directly to the sales manager. This has reduced lead follow-up time from one to two weeks down to just one or two days.
“There are a lot of lead opportunities and unit replacement opportunities as a result of being able to show customers the condition of their assets,” Yocum pointed out.
XOi has also helped IES eliminate most of the work involved with data collection from field service calls. “From the minute we open the door until close, my team doesn’t have to collect data, attach data to a service call. It’s done for them,” said Saunders.
“XOi Vision has been a very versatile product…. It has got many uses other than Mr. Technician and helping him with a service call,” noted Saunders.
By switching to iBusiness Technologies’ MobiliForms mobile solution, Wilkes & Company simplified its reporting and reduced costs so much that the entire system paid for itself within 12 months. The rapid return on investment was particularly welcome, as a previous attempt to upgrade its software was wreaking havoc on the company during the first six months of implementation.
“MobiliForms eliminated lost paperwork and optimized everyone’s time, simply and cost-effectively,” said Wilkes Owner Glen Ginesi.
Ginesi attended the MSCA conference in October 2017 with the very specific goal of finding a mobile field solution to replace the new software his company had installed not long before. Glen’s decision was tough, because a lot of time and money had been invested in the new software that failed to deliver on its promises. He focused on MobiliForms after hearing about its simplicity and successes.
For years, Wilkes had found itself buried in stacks of time cards, daily reports, and safety inspections for each site. Also, strict Mine Safety and Health Administration guidelines require that Wilkes’ mining-related work be meticulously documented for safety and conformance reasons. MobiliForms eliminated volumes of paperwork, reduced costs, and derisked Wilkes’ mining work by simplifying required reporting.
“MobiliForms eliminated lost paperwork and optimized everyone’s time, simply and cost-effectively.”
—Glen Ginesi, Owner, Wilkes & Company
“We now know where everything is, completely eliminating lost paperwork,” said Ginesi. “Everything goes to the MobiliForms Cloud and then attaches to customer records. We were also tired of trying to adapt our workflows to software; MobiliForms conforms to how we run our business.”
Additionally, electronic drawings are easily distributed to and read on Apple® iPads®. The system paid for itself within one year and continues to yield dividends daily across Wilkes’ 25 field employees and office personnel.
MobiliForms runs on Apple’s iPad, a top choice for contractors seeking battle-tested mobile devices. Apple’s underlying iOS deployment platform simplifies managing devices and streamlines content distribution.
Video Technology Attracts Customers, Speeds Payment
Within 90 days of adopting the XOi Vision™ platform’s field service management program See, MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions (MacMiller) landed a huge national account, based in part on the company’s use of video technology. With See, MacMiller technicians can easily link video and photos to customer accounts through mobile devices.
Growing Demand for Digital Communication
MacMiller is a full-service design-build mechanical contractor that focuses on making buildings work better. Their clients include Nike, Boeing, and Microsoft. MacMiller wanted technology to help set the company apart from competitors, improve customer engagement, and empower employees to communicate better with each other. Company executives identified mobility and collaboration technology as two key growth drivers of success.
MacMiller recognizes that strong customer engagement is vital in service-oriented trades. Trust must be earned, which is especially challenging when customers work offsite or in regional offices, affording little or no opportunity for face-to-face contact. New and younger customers demand a higher level of communication and collaboration from their field service providers. MacMiller executives worked with technology partner KEY2ACT and XOi Technologies to create KEY2ACT’s See software, powered by XOi.
Seeing Is Believing
From MacMiller’s perspective, one of the biggest Vision benefits is the opportunity it provides to increase customer engagement. Much of the work done by MacMiller, like pipe and duct work, is hidden behind walls. Video and photo documentation allows customers to see exactly what technicians are doing.
At the start of each job, technicians wearing smart glasses record a short video showing the equipment to be maintained or repaired, while introducing themselves and describing the work they plan to do. Photos and video are automatically streamed to the cloud, creating one central repository of visual evidence. At the end of the job, technicians record another video summing up their work. When the call summary report is emailed to the customer, it contains a link to access the visual content.
See how XOi Vision integrates into KEY2ACT to provide techs with a seamless experience:
https://youtu.be/fJdnryqDGjg
“While there are incredible operational efficiencies that enable mobility and collaboration for our staff through telepresence and increased accountability, the real benefit of this technology is that our customers can now witness firsthand the current state of their building through a multimedia experience,” said Bradd
Busick, MacMiller’s chief information officer.
Service Foreman Travis Espheter added, “To me, the coolest thing is the customer’s reaction when they get it. They’re pretty shocked that there is this technology out there.”
Video Documentation Speeds Payment
The ability to better understand the work completed helps customers pay bills faster, with fewer phone calls to MacMiller. A large site may have 20–50 service calls in a month, and when the customer reviews a bill, they often cannot remember the details associated with each charge. Access to pictures and video clarifies each job.
See improves customer engagement and delivers a service experience that differentiates MacMiller from competitors. Instead of spending customer meetings going over bills and work orders, service managers focus on future projects. See also helps attract new customers.
As MacMiller CEO Gus Simonds said, “Anytime we can get some more client engagement creates a higher level of trust. If we can help that building operator make a better decision about something, then I think he’ll be more confident about what MacDonald-Miller can do for him.”
For more information, visit www.xoi.io or call 800-230-7047.
iBusiness Technologies’ MobiliForms solution “saves the company in excess of $500,000 annually,” said JEC Service Co. Service Manager Sean Thurston, by increasing labor efficiencies in the field and office. Since the company adopted MobiliForms, field staff complete their startup checklists, project management records, work orders, and timesheets on Apple iPads® for instant transmission. Thurston estimated that JEC’s 20 field technicians save at least an hour a day using this approach, which quickly adds up to substantial savings for the business.
A thriving HVAC, mechanical, and sheet metal contractor based in Waltham, MA, JEC’s leadership knew that going paperless was essential to their mission and continued growth. After carefully evaluating the options, they selected MobiliForms because of its strong track record among MCAA and MSCA members and because it did not require them to change their software.
“We couldn’t live without it,” said Director of Operations Paul Donato. “It paid for itself quickly, and the functionality is incredibly valuable for our 20-plus field techs.” Real-time data, tight record-keeping, and historic documentation positively impact operations for the entire company. MobiliForms’ cloud storage has proven to be an essential collaborative tool for JEC. In addition, the company found it easy to deploy because it did not require any changes to their existing backend software.
Goshen Mechanical is billing on the same day as service, has eliminated lost work orders, and has increased customer satisfaction by adopting MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies. Cash flow has accelerated from even larger customers, such as hospitals, that now pay in as little as four days when Goshen times the invoice submissions to synch with their accounts payable cycle. “We should have adopted MobiliForms a year ago,” said Chris Gaffney, co-owner of Goshen.
Goshen Mechanical is a full-service mechanical and construction company operating 24/7/365. Gaffney knew that going mobile was necessary, but finding the right solution delayed the move.
“The MobiliForms system—including all iPads—paid for itself in just two months.”
—Jim Gaffney, CEO, Goshen Mechanical Contractors
“The MobiliForms system—including all iPads®—paid for itself in just two months,” said Jim Gaffney, Chris’ brother and co-owner and CEO of Goshen. Goshen’s field staff completes service tickets, preventive maintenance inspections, and startup checklists using the same, familiar forms, but now through MobiliForms on iPads. Customer feedback has been great, as 95 percent of Goshen’s customers do not want paper.
With MobiliForms, Goshen’s timesheets and payroll have become more accurate, as information arrives from the field in real time. Industry wisdom suggests that time cards completed at week’s end are more likely to be rounded up than down, and such payroll inaccuracies become quite costly. MobiliForms timesheets are identical to the paper versions and are sent instantly to the cloud or payroll personnel.
“MobiliForms has completely changed our business,” added Jim Gaffney. “We were also surprised how easily guys learned the process—it took four hours for the oldest field tech with no device experience. Since MobiliForms provides the identical forms on tablets, there’s virtually no learning curve and no staff pushback.”
MobiliForms does not require any change in backend software, so it is compatible with any accounting system. Goshen found it to be a perfect companion to its QuickBooks system, and they were able to launch MobiliForms quickly.
MCAA contractors need the best tools to survive and thrive amid today’s competition. Reducing costs, getting paid faster, and increasing customer satisfaction are critical for success.
With the ManufactOn cloud and mobile solution, TG Gallagher has increased and improved its prefabrication capacity. The TG Gallagher leadership team can keep tabs on the status of prefab work and materials at all times. The field team can monitor the progress of prefabbed items, request them as they are completed, and tag products to keep track of them. By integrating prefabrication into TG Gallagher’s supply chain, ManufactOn has helped them take the next step in the prefab revolution.
A leading mechanical contractor in the Boston area, TG Gallagher faces the same industry pressures as others in the field: high demand, tight budgets, and ever- shorter schedules. But TG Gallagher also faces challenges unique to the Boston area. The cities and towns are dense, leaving little room to work. Laydown areas and parking are scarce. Truck deliveries are tightly controlled to minimize noise and traffic. As a result, material delivery has to be just in time, and the supply chain must be fast, responsive, and accurate.
To meet these challenges, TG Gallagher developed a strategy around prefabrication, manufacturing and assembling as much as possible offsite, then delivering the products for installation. The company has been investing in prefabrication for 15 years. In 2003, they leased 2,000 square feet of manufacturing space while building Massachusetts General Hospital’s Yawkey Center. By 2010, they had built their own 3,000-square-foot shop in Cambridge, MA. By 2011, they had expanded to a leased 25,000-square-foot shop. Finally, in 2013, they bought a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. By 2014, 15 percent of all trade hours were done in the shop, rather than onsite.
A few years ago, TG Gallagher realized that it had a modern strategy that was being executed with 1990s-era tools: Excel, email, and phone. They partnered with ManufactOn in 2015 to help coordinate prefab planning and prefab production—and, most importantly, to integrate all of that into the supply chain. The ManufactOn cloud and mobile solution supports prefab planning and manufacturing. The solution’s Supply Chain Manager feature provides a detailed picture of all prefab work. Finally, the mobile app (for iOS and Android) uses QR codes to help field staff track and manage prefabricated items as they are manufactured and shipped.
To give a clearer picture, here is how TG Gallagher uses ManufactOn on a day-to-day basis:
Once prefab opportunities are identified, they are listed in scope-of-work statements in the Prefab Planner module.
These scopes of work are then broken down into production orders.
Production orders go to the Production Manager module, where designs are added and manufacturing runs are worked out.
The shop foreman then gets the production order and uses it to track work.
Once complete, the production order is turned into a shipping order and queued up for delivery.
All these steps come together in the Supply Chain Manager module, an information kiosk that is available 24/7 to shop, field, and leadership teams. The Supply Chain Manager provides visibility into, and control of, the Prefab Planner and Production Manager modules. Dates can be edited during status and planning meetings. Orders can be paused when design changes happen. Activity logs provide detailed histories when issues arise. Shipping is monitored and managed. In short, the leadership team always knows what is happening, without having to make phone calls or download spreadsheets.
But the story does not end there. Using the mobile app, the field team can monitor both planning and manufacturing. The team can also request completed prefab items as they become available, making TG Gallagher’s supply chain fast and responsive. In addition, ManufactOn can generate QR codes that can be attached to prefab items. The field team uses these QR codes to confirm and receive deliveries at the jobsite and to return damaged or incorrect items. The field team is now fully integrated into the supply chain.
“ManufactOn has enabled us to do more prefab and do it better.”
—Brian Potter, President, TG Gallagher
Looking to the future, TG Gallagher sees ManufactOn as a long-term partner for helping to evolve their business and innovation strategy. For example, Autodesk’s recent investment in ManufactOn means greater integration with 3D model creation and viewing. ManufactOn currently integrates with Revit, and TG Gallagher detailers are piloting how to jump directly from model to plan in ManufactOn. TG Gallagher is also excited by the possibility of viewing the 3D model in BIM 360 Docs and using it to help monitor and control prefabrication and delivery.
“ManufactOn has enabled us to do more prefab and do it better,” said Brian Potter, president of TG Gallagher. “Prefabrication is a simple strategy—but getting the execution right is complex. We look to ManufactOn to help us manage that complexity and to keep us one step ahead of the construction industry’s challenges.”
For more information, visit www.manufacton.com. MCAA welcomes ManufactOn as a new member.
What are you doing in your mechanical service contracting business to get more by doing more for your best customers? Do you have a premium program like Amazon Prime that includes exclusive benefits covered by the price of a subscription? Is there a tier of service that includes the basic preventive maintenance program plus a bunch of extras that entices customers to pay upfront?
Here are some suggestions for how to form a program that pays you upfront and smooths out your labor demand curve.
1. Give it a name. Salespeople cannot talk about your program and customers cannot reference it if it does not have a name. Amazon chose “Prime,” whose root is from the Latin word “prim” or “primo,” meaning first, as in first in line. It is a good name because it conveys some meaning while also being easy to remember. You should do likewise. Obvious choices are names like “premium,” “platinum,” or “gold,” which are unimaginative but at least connote value easily. Ideally, you can name your program in a way that has meaning, rhythm, and rhyme so it is easy to say and easy to remember.
2. Charge a subscription fee. You should collect a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee in exchange for the program. Angle for an annual fee for the obvious reasons, but offer other options that might appeal to different customers. Try to price it at a rate the average customer would happily pay for the benefits and that would provide you a decent margin on average. Some customers will be more profitable than others, but maximizing profit is not the reason for program fees. Locking the customer in to your services as the preferred vendor is the goal.
3. Offer expedited service response. Everyone likes the idea that they will get priority service. If you are committed to great service, go ahead and promise your best customers that you will respond with skilled technicians to any problem within one or two hours. Or promise to return a call or web inquiry within 15 minutes. You are probably committed to it anyway, so why not get credit for it?
4. Include basic maintenance services. If there is a preventive maintenance protocol for the equipment that will be under your care, and you are committed to delivering the work, build that into the program. Including preventive maintenance makes it easier to schedule (you do not have to ask customers or wonder if they will pay), and you may find opportunities to offer additional services.
5. Offer a lower rate on all planned services. It is good for both you and the customer for all services to be planned instead of waiting for emergencies caused by failures. When you quote repairs and upgrades that can be scheduled instead of performed on an emergency basis, the rates will be cheaper. The more customers you get into proactive mode instead of reactive emergency mode, the more efficient you can be with your scarce technician resources.
Creating a portal where customers can see the details of their own service plans gives them a reason to visit a company’s website, providing an opportunity to promote services and lower costs by cutting down on the time staff spend responding to information requests.
6. Offer an online account. Give your customers a reason to come to your website. Showing them online details of their plan, history, equipment, quotes, etc., saves your employees time. It also sets your company apart from the competition and makes it more memorable.
7. Offer a performance guarantee. After you get their equipment into good order and you have a regular maintenance routine or remote monitoring to expose any risk, offer emergency service response at the subscriber program rates. This approach shows you have confidence in your plan, and it incentivizes the customer to approve your quotes for planned repairs so that the equipment stays in the program. Any equipment exhibiting failure symptoms that are noted and quoted by you is excluded from the plan if the quote for planned repair is rejected or ignored.
When customers feel that you have been thoughtful in meeting their needs with a premium customer service program, they will happily pay a program fee to claim their membership. You can use the steady cash flow and predictable schedules to hire, grow, and expand the program.
Anderson, Rowe & Buckley (AR&B) deployed MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies, cutting labor costs and going paperless painlessly. “Our 100+ field techs are shaving time each day, and I’ve personally recaptured eight hours per week,” said Darin Sheridan, HVAC superintendent, who is tasked with overseeing the solution.
Technology upgrades are notorious for creating upheaval, busting budgets, and falling short on promises. After carefully examining the alternatives, AR&B selected MobiliForms to streamline operations with mobile. The solution paid for itself quickly, implementation took just weeks, and it works hand-in-hand with their current backend software.
“[With MobiliForms,] our 100+ field techs are shaving time each day, and I’ve personally recaptured eight hours per week.”
—Darin Sheridan, HVAC Superintendent. Anderson, Rowe & Buckley, Inc.
“Our primary goal was to standardize processes, but we’ve also been able to cut clerical mistakes and eliminate the need to rewrite tickets, and our customers absolutely love it. MobiliForms is among the best partners we have,” noted Sheridan. AR&B’s service orders, daily reports, requisitions, and timecards now appear exactly the same on iPads as they do on paper, and techs can capture images and signatures digitally. Based in San Francisco, the company has been around since 1921, so there are many long-time employees who did not grow up using digital technology. However, they are adapting easily to their familiar and identical forms on iPads.
AR&B’s critical documents are instantly emailed or stored in the cloud to share with foremen, subcontractors, and customers, which has improved communications and accelerated cash flow. Team members can collaboratively resolve issues quickly as they arise. Sheridan heard about successes other MCAA member companies had replacing paper forms. What compelled him was the fact that MobiliForms did not require any change to his backend software and that all forms would appear identical on the company’s devices.
According to Forbes Magazine, more than 50 percent of digital transformations do not go properly, and companies’ expectations are not met. MobiliForms, however, has an extraordinary track record of success within the MCAA/MSCA. The 2016 MSCA Field Service Software Report, conducted by independent laboratory JBKLabs, the research and development team of JBKnowledge, concluded, “Contractors looking for a low-cost, low-risk, and incremental transition to field mobile operations would do well with MobiliForms.”
For more information call 877-565-3261 or visit MobiliForms.com.
By transitioning from paper forms to iPads using MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies, L.J. Kruse Company saved time, increasing its billable hours. “We have dramatically reduced the time spent transporting and handling paperwork as well as eliminated mistakes,” said Nathan Kruse, vice president, L.J. Kruse Co. “MobiliForms has already paid for itself in time savings and eliminating errors.”
L.J. Kruse is a 100-year-old family-owned business providing plumbing, heating, and cooling services to commercial and residential customers in California’s Bay Area. The company also helps build new hospitals, laboratories, office buildings, and institutional facilities. They perform maintenance and service as well for existing buildings and design and install plumbing and medical gas systems.
L.J. Kruse appreciates the time savings, error reduction, and improved customer satisfaction that comes from using MobiliForms. Most important, however, is the resulting increase in billable hours, which boosts the bottom line and quickly pays for the hardware and software. L.J. Kruse now completes most of its paperwork—including daily logs, material orders, job hazard analysis, and time cards—on iPads for immediate access by office personnel and same-day billing.
“MobiliForms has already paid for itself in time savings and eliminating errors.”
—Nathan Kruse, Vice President, L.J. Kruse Co.
iBusiness Technologies partnered with Apple to provide the iPad-based MobiliForms solution to MCAA members at a discount. MobiliForms does not require any change to an organization’s backend software, and all documents appear on devices exactly as they do on paper. “Our biggest concern about making the switch from paper to mobile was training and getting people up to speed with using handheld devices,” said Kruse. “The MobiliForms’ teamwork with our industry made the transition quick and easy. Our foremen like having their familiar, identical documents, and using the iPads has become second nature.”
MobiliForms also capture site photos, signatures, and sounds and can perform mathematical computations. Documents can be started in office for field completion or started in the field. “Before MobiliForms, everything was handwritten or called into the office, requiring forms to be handled multiple times by several people. Now all forms are completed daily, transmitted to the office, and stored electronically in the correct job file,” said Kruse.
By transitioning from paper forms to iPad-based MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies, “the time we save on paperwork is tremendous, and that translates directly to significant overhead savings,” said Marty Quarella, vice president of Louis N. Picciano & Son, Inc. The company also improved the quality of information recorded and saw a quick ROI.
“Our model is different from many mechanical contractors in that we have a fixed contract for our jobs,” said Quarella. “So any cost savings we pick up goes directly to improving our bottom line.” Picciano is located in Vestal, NY, serving industrial, commercial, and institutional clients.
Quarella heard about the successes other MCAA member companies had replacing paper forms. What caught his attention was the fact that MobiliForms did not require any change to his backend software and that all of Picciano’s forms would appear identical on their devices. Work orders, time sheets, reports and other paperwork are all now electronic and sent instantly to the home office when completed. The MobiliForms automatically calculate labor and materials costs and also capture site photos, signatures, and mechanical sounds.
“Before implementing MobiliForms, it was hit-or-miss whether we got the forms on a daily basis. Now we receive them every day, which is a great way to keep track of progress and costs,” said Quarella. “We have also found that our team members include more detail on MobiliForms than they did on the paper forms because it is much faster and easier. Our guys love using iPads, while the subcontractors and general contractors appreciate easily creating requests for information without having to head into the office.” MobiliForms are emailed or stored in the cloud to immediately share with foremen, subcontractors, and customers, which has improved communications, allowing team members to collaboratively resolve problems quickly as they arise.
For more information, call 877-565-3261 or visit MobiliForms.com.
By adopting MobiliForms software from iBusiness Technologies, Donald C. Rodner, Inc. sped up their invoicing time and cut down on labor costs while still using the same forms and backend software employees were used to. Don Rodner, president, said, “When I saw a demonstration of MobiliForms at the MCAA conference, it blew my mind. I knew that we found the right solution.”
Donald C. Rodner, Inc., based in central New Jersey, is a full-service mechanical contractor. In serving their Fortune-500 customers, best-in-class service and tight record-keeping are musts. Like many other mechanical contractors, Rodner had managed his staff of highly trained, experienced service and plumbing technicians the old-fashioned way—with a variety of paper forms including work tickets, service orders, and time sheets. Billings were a week behind, handled in batches, as paperwork was all dropped on Mondays.
“When I saw a demonstration of MobiliForms at the MCAA conference, it blew my mind. I knew that we found the right solution.”
—Don Rodner, President, Donald C. Rodner, Inc.
Rodner knew that mobile technologies could help him operate his business more efficiently. He was not sure, though, which platform made the most sense or how his employees and customers would respond. Then, Rodner met the iBusiness Technologies team at an MCAA national event and saw how MobiliForms works.
The art of managing costs and internal processes dictates that any procedural change be carefully evaluated for its return on investment (ROI) and potential disruption. Rodner liked that MobiliForms does not require any change to backend software and also delivers the company’s familiar forms on the Apple iPad with multimedia capture. This meant that ROI was fast, and putting the system in place would not cause internal upheaval or resistance from employees.
Workdays now go more smoothly, as Rodner can track his technicians’ progress in real time, order parts as they are being used in the field, and ensure that invoices are sent to customers immediately. The dependability and durability of the iPads running MobiliForms turned out be a smart investment that is paying dividends daily.
By making the transition from paper service tickets to iPads® using iBusiness Technologies’ MobiliForms, JS Thomas Service, Inc., sped up its billing process, so now they get paid faster. The move also improved customer satisfaction. Because MobiliForms is compatible with QuickBooks®, the switch was easy.
JS Thomas is a full-line mechanical service company supporting customers in the commercial office, medical, manufacturing, industrial, and data center businesses throughout Atlanta and north Georgia. “We have some of the best technicians in the industry working for us,” proudly stated Jim F. Thomas, president and second generation owner of JS Thomas. “Our HVAC service team members rank among the best in Atlanta in expertise—from two-ton split systems to 1,000-plus-ton centrifugal chillers. Unfortunately, their handwriting and paperwork organization skills sometimes do not rise to the same top-notch levels.”
“I am most pleased with how MobiliForms has accelerated our billing process, positively impacting our cash flow”
—Jim F. Thomas, President, JS Thomas Service, Inc.
Thomas does not hire his field team members on the basis of managing paperwork, however, and his home office staff did their best to handle the paper service tickets that came in weekly from the field. When Thomas read in Smart Solutions about how iBusiness Technologies is working with other MCAA member companies to convert paper forms and project documents to mobile, he knew he had found a solution to his burdensome and common problem.
iBusiness Technologies has partnered with Apple® to provide the iPad-based MobiliForms solution to MCAA members. Field techs are now interactively completing their familiar, identical forms and instantly sending them back to the office for same-day invoicing. This process eliminates paper forms that can be difficult to read, get lost, or need to be driven or shipped back to the office. Technicians love the ability to capture images and even mechanical sounds right into MobiliForms. Customers like signing on the iPad. The compatibility of MobiliForms with QuickBooks provides JS Thomas with a low-cost, powerful, and complete business system with mobile capabilities.
Thomas collaborated with iBusiness Technologies’ programming team to bring to life his familiar service ticket, which now easily captures essential information and automatically computes parts, materials, and labor hours. JS Thomas’ existing refrigerant log, pricing request sheet, and time sheet are also now all iPad-based.
Using 13 iPads, the JS Thomas service team stores completed forms and project documentation in the cloud for immediate access by the office. This instant accessibility boosts customer satisfaction by speeding up processing and ensuring tight recordkeeping.
For Thomas, the ability to leverage mobile solutions for daily invoicing without the upheaval of replacing his software was a tremendous benefit of the transition from paper to MobiliForms. “I saw MobiliForms as a way to neaten service tickets, project the expertise of our technicians, and look more professional to our customers, but I am most pleased with how MobiliForms has accelerated our billing process, positively impacting our cash flow.”
To streamline the large amount of paperwork generated by each project and jobsite and to make it easier for key project team members to access, share, and update information, West Chester Mechanical Contractors, Inc., partnered with iBusiness Technologies to convert their processes and project documents to mobile, digital formats. The move was prompted by recommendations from both the MCA of Eastern Pennsylvania and Apple®.
The iBusiness Technologies team worked closely with West Chester Mechanical staff to understand current processes and design digital workflows to leverage the powerful, affordable MobiliData and MobiliForms platforms. “Our employees report that having instant access to critical data on iPads saves a tremendous amount of time and allows them to resolve important project and customer issues quickly,” said Mark Rogers, chief operating officer of West Chester Mechanical.
Focus on Customer Satisfaction
West Chester Mechanical has an ambitious, yet straightforward, mission: Satisfy all customers, all of the time. Rogers credits the West Chester Mechanical staff, from sales estimators and project managers to on-site technicians and subcontractors, for the company’s success since its founding in 1996. “Our staff is our most important asset and the cornerstone of our customer satisfaction strategy. We believe that a staff dedicated tirelessly to serving our customers is the best sales and marketing tool there is,” he said.
West Chester Mechanical management offers their commercial clients a full range of services, including air conditioning and refrigeration, mechanical and industrial construction, energy, fire protection, renovations, and more. West Chester Mechanical generally works on large-scale projects, such as hospitals, universities, corporations, and laboratories, which require a sizable team of employees in the field at any given time.
“Our employees report that having instant access to critical data on iPads saves a tremendous amount of time and allows them to resolve important project and customer issues quickly.”
—Mark Rogers, COO, West Chester Mechanical
Because of the variety and number of services performed at each jobsite, the ability of the West Chester Mechanical team to access data instantly while in the field is crucial. Historically, all job-related paperwork— including time sheets, daily logs, submittals, change orders, estimates, materials lists, drawings, schedules, and contracts—was kept in a paperwork folder for employees to borrow and access. This method was time-consuming, requiring employees to halt their work to seek out and update paperwork and notify other team members of changes and updates. This process was also cumbersome and costly. The company was concerned that critical, constantly-changing information might not reach team members in a timely manner and that important documents for multi-site jobs could be lost even with the most diligent and conscientious staff.
A Simple, Complete Solution
West Chester Mechanical management wanted a solution that was highly customizable, easy to deploy, and reliable and that required minimal maintenance. MobiliData provides instant access to critical project files from any Apple device. Files can be stored on the cloud or on company servers. Secure, two-way file exchange between office and field ensures all stakeholders have access to up-to-the-minute information. Flexible permissioning controls file access by job function. MobiliForms is a simple, complete iPad forms solution that enables companies to use their existing forms and checklists on Apple devices. MobiliForms returns field data instantly for immediate billing and streamlined operations.
iBusiness Technologies deployed two Apple servers and 35 customized iPads to tiered user groups who perform various job functions and need immediate access to project-specific content. The iBusiness team trained the West Chester Mechanical staff and provides ongoing mobile device management services.
“We are extremely pleased with the iPad solutions deployed by iBusiness Technologies,” said Rogers. “Our workflow and internal communication process has been significantly streamlined.”
For more information, visit www.iBusiness-Tech.com. You are invited to attend the MCAA 2014 technology session Demystifying Mobile Technologies, where Steve Metzman of iBusiness Technologies will be a panelist.
