Like it or not, the workforce is increasingly mobile and workers on the go need to be fully productive from mobile devices. Service companies need to keep up with the demand of an ever-growing digital world and should take advantage of the continued streamlined benefits that go along with a mobile solution. A recent article in The Air Conditioning/Heating/Refrigeration News speaks to this very message.

Most service companies already have cell phones distributed to improve in-the-field communications and most cell phone providers now offer bundled text/phone/internet solutions that are the same price if not cheaper than the individual plans. Adding a mobile service management solution will organize and streamline the work flow of both small and large service companies, making them more manageable and profitable.

ESC Mobile is a simple and affordable way to outfit your mobile technicians with real-time job information and time tracking. ESC Mobile is a powerful and intuitive smartphone, tablet and laptop App for Service Technicians to manage work orders in the field, Technician managers to manage technicians in the field and office personnel to monitor everything with real-time updates to and from the field.

ESC Mobile has all the tools and features growing service companies need. Benefits and advantages include:

• Increased tech productivity by arming your team with the right information in the field ensuring jobs are completed faster and more efficiently.
• Increased response time with features such as GPS tracking and mapping.
• Increased field accuracy with access to all information needed to identify and work on the right equipment and eliminate illegible hand-written field notes.
• Increased customer care and professionalism with easy access to complete customer information across your network.
• Increased sales by increasing the productivity of your technicians and in turn allowing them to complete more jobs daily as well as giving your team information needed to quickly identify up and cross sale opportunities.
• Reduced costs by identifying areas of waste and inefficiencies. (Example. Reduced fuel costs with ESC’s route optimization and mapping functions.)
• Improved internal communications by giving your employees access up-to-the-minute company and customer information, all in a single location.
• Improved external communications with appointment reminders, status updates, technician profile emails, surveys, coupons and more.  
• Reduced collections by allowing techs to process payments in the field lowering processing costs, ensuring accuracy, reducing collection issues and improving cash flow.

The benefits of implementing a mobile solution far outweigh the cost. So what are you waiting for? Contact us today for a personalized demo on our ESC mobile solution.

The following article, by VP of Operations Eric Rausin, is from the November ESC Newsletter. You can subscribe to the monthly newsletter by clicking here and filling out the short form.

They say change is inevitable. I believe this to be true (unless you’re dealing with vending machines) and a lot of interesting changes are sweeping the mobile landscape right now. Just three years ago Apple changed the mobile playing field with the introduction of the iPhone. A few months ago sales of iPhones were eclipsed by sales of Android, Google’s phone operating system. Now Microsoft and Blackberry have both released new phone based operating systems. With all these choices, it can be difficult to determine which mobile solution will best meet your needs when it comes to integrating with ESC. I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you exactly what we’re doing so you can make an informed decision.

Let’s start out with the new technology. A few months ago we converted our existing Mobile Web product to work on both the iPhone/iPad and Android operating systems. While this initially didn’t add any features, it allowed us to radically overhaul the interface to make it much prettier and touch screen friendly. In the most recent versions of those apps we were able to take advantage of the power of the devices and added the following features:

• Attach pictures – you can now take pictures with your phone and attach them to the dispatch itself. This is a huge time saver and a great way to document the work you’ve done.
• View attached documents – view and recall a complete list of documents attached to the customer’s location from your phone. You can recall and view any document your phone can open but you will not be able to make any changes to them. This is a perfect way to view previous pictures or letters while in the field.
• GPS Integration – using the built-in GPS on your phone you can now see your technician’s trucks appear directly on the map in your Electronic Dispatch Board. No more guessing who the closest tech is to a call, now you can see it instantly.
• Turn by turn directions – So the tech doesn’t know how to get to the customer’s site? No problem. We’ll send the address of their next call to the devices built in mapping application so they can get exact directions to the customer’s location from where ever they are.

The android and iPhone apps also allow you to create and email invoices in the field.

Speaking of which, the Windows Mobile 7 client will feature full invoicing capabilities, as well as the ability to take payments and even authorize credit cards (in conjunction with QuickBooks Merchant Services). Once the invoice is saved it can be emailed to the customer, sent to an email enabled printer (see my review of one in next month’s newsletter), or printed out at the office and mailed to the customer.

The Mobile 7 client doesn’t currently have the ability to attach pictures, view attached documents or integrate with the built-in GPS but, just like the invoicing features are coming to the iPhone and Android clients, these features will be added to the Mobile 7 client over the next couple of months. We plan on keeping the feature set for all three of these clients as similar as possible.

These clients are the future of mobile computing at dESCO, and now that the price of these devices and software is so affordable – there is really no excuse not to go mobile. As you can see, we’ll definitely be there for you – now and for a long time to come!

We are pleased to announce the official release of ESC Mobile Web for the iPhone/iPad and Android based phones. We have customized both applications to make full use of the device’s touch screens and feature the following abilities:

• View complete dispatch information
• Change dispatch status
• Track time spent on jobs
• Add dispatch notes
• Create new customer records
• Create new dispatches
• Send text messages to the office

The applications work with the ESC desktop software through a link to the Connections Server in your office, so you will need a connection to the Internet to use the software. The link is in real-time, so any changes you make, either from the office or from in the field on the phone, are instantly visible on the other. This gives you unlimited flexibility in scheduling.

Both apps include a connection to a demo database. This means that you can download the app today and see exactly how it will work for you in the field without any setup or commitment. Once you are ready to buy this add-on, just give us a call at 800-226-7529 and we’ll help you get everything working perfectly with your database for just a small monthly fee per user.

You can download the iPhone app directly from iTunes for free by searching for ESC Mobile or viewing this link. Please note this app looks fantastic on the iPad as well.

You can download the Android app for free directly from doubleTwist, the Android store, by clicking this link. You can also download the app by scanning the following QR code with a bar code scanner application on your phone.

It seems today everyone has a cell phone (or even two). A device that was once the plaything of the rich is now a part of everyday life, both personal and professional.

The question then is should there be a line between how cell phones are used for business and personal matters? It makes sense to carry one device, to receive calls from your spouse and your boss on the same phone, but is it a good idea to rely on your technicians to use their own cell phones to receive dispatches and business information or is it better to have your technicians carry company phones to do use to do business.

One obvious question is information security. It might be wise to have your technicians use company phones if they’re downloading price books or customer details that you would want returned and secured if they are fired or quit. If that information is on the tech’s own phone it may be difficult to secure that information. However, if they’re using a work phone, that would get turned in along with their truck and keys at the end of their tenure.

On the other hand, if the work related information is not downloaded to their phone, but simply accessed through the internet, it doesn’t seem to make as much of a difference if they use their own phone or a work phone. In this scenario, it’s not the device that holds the information but the login credentials that grant access to the information. Under these circumstances, if the tech is no longer working for you, you change their login codes so they can no longer access your company information. This way it doesn’t matter that they used their personal phone to access your business information or if you issued them a company phone.

Many technicians might want to use their personal phone for business if only to avoid having to carry more than one phone with them at a time. Also, keeping contacts’ phone numbers synced across two devices might be more trouble than it’s worth. Others may want to have a better separation of their work and personal phone numbers, making it easier to switch off on the weekends and after quitting time.

Do your techs use personal phones for business or do they get company phones, and why?

ESC Software Quote Screen

There is a new Webinar available that covers creating and using quotes in Version 11 of ESC software.

The Webinar: Quoting in ESC Version 11 – Time: 47:38 – In this Webinar, Enrico Chatman, one of dESCO’s Support Technicians, presents all the new quoting features of ESC Version 11.

The Webinar is broken into two sections: a 30 minute presentation on working with quotes in version 11 of ESC and 15 minutes reserved at the end to address audience questions.

Enrico covers everything from how to create quotes on the new screen and accepting them to turning quotes into dispatches and invoices. You will see how to use the Quote List report to track the status of quotes and increase your closing ratio. If you have ever wanted your service business to create quotes for your customers and prospect more effectively, this is the video for you.

The ESC quoting module is a powerful tool for taking control of your service company’s quoting process. ESC Software’s new independent quotes module allows you to enter, edit, and manage quote status from its own screen.

With the ESC quoting module, you can to create quotes and tie them into multiple dispatches or have multiple dispatches tied into one quote. You can also create invoices and quotes from the same dispatch, letting your customers pay the bill for the service you performed, as well as letting your technicians quote for additional services while they are at your customers’ location.

You can also track which sales person made each quote for the customer, letting you monitor how they perform from the time when the quote is created. You can see the closing ratio and even see how much higher or lower the final invoice is from the quoted amount.

You’re now able to create a dispatch from a quote you’ve made when your customer accepted your quote, letting you send your technicians out to do the quoted work. This dispatch can bring over the parts from the quote so your technicians will be prepared with everything they need to complete the quoted work.

You can also create dispatches that are not billable if you want to send a sales person or technician to a prospect’s location with the sole purpose of creating a quote. The sales person can then make a quote from that dispatch that will not be billable until the quote is accepted.

Here is a summary of the new Quoting Features:

• The updated Quote List Report gives a number of different sorting options as well as summary statistics (such as quote status and closing ratios) for each individual sales person.
• There is a new screen that allows you to selectively cost out the parts on a quote when making it into a dispatch, making dispatching from an accepted quote an easy one step process.
• There is now a “Status” drop down, which allows you to keep track of whether a quote is pending, accepted, or rejected. ESC automatically updates the status to “Accepted” when you create a dispatch or invoice from the quote.
• There is a new search screen in the Quotes Module that makes it easy to recall recently modified invoices without having to enter in detailed search criteria.
• You can also make templates from the quotes you create, reducing the time you spend on common or re-occurring quotes involving many line items.
• The Quotes Module also has a new “Markup%” field, which allows you to adjust your markup percentage on individual line items as you create the quote.
• Any equipment or service agreements you attach to a quote will also carry over to the dispatch you create from the quote.

You can find a full listing of new features in Version 11 of ESC here.

Any additional questions about working with quotes in ESC software can be directed to support [at] desco-soft.com.

There are many more ESC Software Webinars available here to help you get the most out of your service software.

You’re not going to get paid on time for every job you do. Sometimes the situation just gets out of your control. It’s a fact of life. Fortunately for service contractors, three of the most common reasons service contractors are not paid on time are within your control.

Before reading on, take a quick second to glance over the bolded heading below. If you can honestly say that your company has never lost revenue or had their cash flow suffer due to late payer, skip this post or try reading something like this, this, or this.

Lost Invoices

It’s amazing how generous service contractors can be. However, to get paid on time, you need to avoid the accidental freebie jobs. Invoices and completed work orders shouldn’t be filed under the seat in your tech’s vehicle. But somehow, it’s still a regular occurrence to find old invoices there when cleaning out the truck. If the customer doesn’t get the invoice, you’re certainly not going to get paid.

Your business needs a system to follow every job through from beginning to end to make sure that nothing gets lost in the shuffle and business of every working day. Your company should have a method to track each customer from the time they call requesting service, through the time your techs get the job, through the time they finish the work, through the time the customer receives the invoice, to the time you receive the money. Any gap in this work flow can mean lost revenue or a delay in cash flow.

Delayed Invoices

Customers–more than ever in this Internet age–expect to get their invoices right away. Many contractors, especially if they also work in the field, don’t keep up with their office work. That means that there can be quite a gap in time between when you do work and when your customer sees the bill.

It’s hard to expect timely payment from a customer, when it’s been so long since you completed the job that they hardly remember what the invoice is for. Customers have become used to receiving bills immediately. They’re also becoming more used to having invoices emailed to them, and then being able to pay those invoices online. To get paid quickly, it is important to bill quickly, in the field as soon as the job is completed if possible. When techs are able to create invoices and collect money via checks or credit cards for work they do in the field, you are far less likely to wind up waiting for payment or losing out on uncollected revenue.

Invoicing with Terms

The terms you offer can also have a negative impact on cash flow and timeliness of payments. Giving a customer 15 or 30 days to pay by cash or check invites the possibility of the customer forgetting about the invoice. Some contractors have gotten fed up with the issue of late cash or check payments and have just started to require customers to have a credit card on file.

Contractors that balk at having to pay 3% to the credit card companies often forget the cost of uncollected debt and the time and effort of having to call up and remind customers of past due invoices. Being able to capture signatures and accept credit cards in the field can be the difference between having a healthy cash flow and constantly be waiting on customers to pay their bills.

A predictable cash flow is incredibly valuable to service contractors. Your employees and vendors expect to be paid on time, and so should you. Putting systems in place to track work and invoices, making sure customers are billed quickly, and avoiding invoicing with terms are all ways to make sure you get paid on time.

What are some other ways to make sure you are paid in a timely fashion? Leave your ideas in the comments.

Crew dispatching is a feature in ESC that is used to group technicians to simplify dispatching. This will allow you to add multiple technicians to the dispatch schedule at once rather than manually entering each one individually.

For example: an Install Crew may have multiple Techs assign to the same job over the course of a few days, weeks, or months, etc.
To create a new crew, go to Dispatch | Enter Technicians, and create or recall a Technician who will lead the crew. Manually enter the crew name in the Member of Crew field and hit the Save button. To assign more Techs, recall or enter another Technician to add to the crew on the same screen. In the Member of crew field, click on the combo box to display a list of existing crews. Select the desired crew and save. Repeat this procedure until your entire crew has been created.

Dispatching a Crew

Create a dispatch normally on the Dispatch Entry screen. Before saving it, go to the Schedule tab and click the Add New Techs to the Dispatch button, if you’re using ESC 9.1 or earlier, or Add Technician, if you’re using ESC 10.Crews will appear at the top of the list. Select the desired crew and click Add.

Set the date and time you want the crew to start work and click OK.
This will automatically place all the members of that crew on the dispatch with the same promised date and time.

From this point forward, any time you change the status of one crew member you will have the ability to change the status of all the members of that crew. Simply answer Yes when prompted to update the status of all technicians or No to track their times separately.

Changing Crew Members

At some point you will need to change the people who make up the crew. ESC makes this process easy. Simply recall the technician you want to work with on the Enter Technicians screen and change the contents of the Member of Crew field. Select another crew from the list, manually type in a new crew name or clear the field to remove the technician from all crews.

Note: This has no effect on dispatches that have already been assigned to a crew. It only changes the crew members that will be assigned to new dispatches created from this point forward.

Deleting a Crew

To delete a crew, make sure no technicians are currently assigned to it. You can quickly see which technicians belong to crews by double clicking the tech on the Enter Employees screen.

Select the technicians that are still assigned to the crew you wish to delete and either clear the Member of Crew field or assign them to another crew. Once the last crew member has been removed, the crew will disappear as well.

Note: This has no effect on dispatches that have already been assigned to a crew. It only prevents the crew from being used on new dispatches from this point forward.

By Enrico Chatman