We all know the saying that a man’s best friend is his dog and this seems to be fairly true for most people. But what many people don’t know is that your irrigation company also has a best friend! It’s an odd concept to think of: a company or business having a best friend, but it’s true.
Just like pen is to paper or peanut butter is to jelly, irrigation software is to your irrigation company. How you ask? A best friend provides support, understanding, and a reality check (or slap in the face for some people) when you need it. Your field service software can do the same thing for your business.
Support: One thing a field service business can always benefit from is support. Irrigation software provides support in a few different ways. For one, it stores all of the information your company could ever need. This is great when a customer calls and your office person needs answers. They have the support of the software providing answers quickly.
Secondly, the software and its data can also be seen out in the field with the use of mobile field service software. Your techs are now supported in their career with information such as a gate code or knowing to call the customer once they are on the property.
Thirdly, you have the support of efficient and accurate data. This allows you to bill quicker and therefore receive your profits a lot sooner.
Understanding: Think of the system and processes you use now to run your business. If you are anything like I was when I owned an irrigation business you probably have stacks of paper covering every surface in your office, an Excel spreadsheet keeping track of one piece of data or another, a white board with the schedule for each technician, and finally your accounting software.
This is not an efficient or understanding system you are running. You are using so many different mediums that the communication between each is lacking as is the transferring of information between each process.
With irrigation software, however, you have an understanding of your business. Located in one system is your scheduling, routing, work order creation and management, ability to transfer data to and from the field, and on to invoicing and billing. Irrigation software understands the ins and outs of your business, making the process one that is simple and that makes sense.
Reality Checks: Just like a good best friend will tell you when you are acting like a fool or when you need to reassess yourself, irrigation software can do the same for your business.
Sometimes we are too involved in a business to see where we need to improve. Software provides a “checks and balances” process that keeps everybody accountable. Your employees will have time records stating when they timed in, timed out, were driving, or were on lunch or break. This lets you see how efficient everyone is being with their time or lets you reevaluate how time is being spent.
Field service software can also provide you with reports. Reports such as sales reports, owner’s reports, payroll reports all enable you, as the owner, to see where your business stands. If sales seem to be stuck at a standstill, the sales report can tell you this and allow you to act before a potential client is lost. If you are behind on hours or are not meeting certain marks that are required for your business to succeed, owner’s reports can show you this. The point of the software is to give you the ability to see where your business stands, whether that be every day, week, or month. Having software show you where you stand and highlighting where you need to improve is an invaluable resource.
A best friend is irreplaceable. They get you and are there for you even when you get a little crazy. Irrigation software is there in the same way for your company, supporting and reality checking your business on its way to a successfully growing business.
Ready to purchase your new best friend? Before you jump into the buying process, check out our Irrigation Software Buyer’s Guide. This guide is filled with valuable information to ensure you purchase the right software for your business.