Customer & Inventory Tracking Tool

Challenges:

Aaron Services’ customer base spans 15 counties in Northern Atlanta, but when they approached vh.Agency, the company’s customer database resided on one desktop computer accessible to only one employee at a time. The company hired us to build a web-based tool to track calls, schedule jobs, and manage customer relations, freeing up their managers to work anywhere and have access to customer data in real time.

But we didn’t stop there. After digging deeper to get a comprehensive picture of the company’s goals and objectives, we learned that theft of copper piping and other inventory from trucks was a serious issue. Scheduling jobs required dozens of calls every day between managers in the office and technicians in the field, and keeping track of expensive pieces of equipment was a daunting task. Paper records made payroll a nightmare. Technicians wasted precious time filling out job reports by hand, and managers had to type them up, reconcile them with inventory lists, and then use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate salaries and commissions.

Solution:

The ERP system we developed for Aaron Services streamlined their business and saved tens of thousands of dollars in labor costs and lost inventory. Company morale has never been higher, thanks to an enhanced payroll process that allows employees to complete job reports directly from their smartphones.

Improved inventory management has virtually eliminated theft. Additionally, when parts need to be reordered, the system sends an automatic alert to staff, saving time and effort. With more efficient systems in place, managers can now run real-time reports to tap into more profitable projects and determine which marketing and advertising activities generate the most sales.

When customers call the office, it’s easy to see exactly which dates and time slots are available, and routing technicians throughout the service area is a breeze. Managers can view each technician’s location over Google Maps, which are color-coded according to job status. Jobs are done quicker and more accurately because now every employee can log into the system from anywhere to determine the location of needed equipment, quote a price to a customer, or look up a customer’s job history.

Results:

Within four months of installation, Aaron Services’ new ERP software more than paid for itself. The company was able to streamline operations, and within a year the company had experienced so much growth they had to add septic and HVAC divisions. Previously known as Aaron Plumbing, the company even underwent a name change to accommodate all of their new business.