• Automated Dispatch Provides Answers for Growing Business

    Jan. 2, 2013
    A provider of exhaust, air duct and vent services found solutions to dispatching and scheduling by using software from FieldAware.

    Customer satisfaction is of key importance for Venttex, Georgetown, TX. That’s why its owner, Gerald Hoard, Jr. knew he needed to evolve his business beyond some of the basic operations processes they were following. Venttex provides a wide array of services to residential and commercial customers. Starting by offering simple dryer vent cleaning services and chimney sweeping, Venttex has grown to perform many types of exhaust, air duct and vent services.

    Venttex was using the traditional method of job scheduling that started with calls coming in from customers. The jobs were recorded by a person answering the phone and logging the jobs into an excel spreadsheet. As the business grew, Hoard knew it needed to keep pace and could not rely on these simple methods to manage a growing number of jobs, technicians and customers.

    “The process we were using became overwhelming to manage,” Hoard states. "What I really wanted was a paperless system that my technicians could take into the field. I wanted an automated dispatch system that would go right on to a mobile device.”

    The Scheduler of the FieldAware system is a key part of the solution for Hoard. He says the FieldAware web application has provided “visibility” into his business. “I now have the ability to look at current and future jobs. I can see what jobs are completed instantly. The Scheduler puts it all in one place. I also can dispatch different jobs to different technicians based on their skills and the needs of the customer,” he says.

    Hoard tried to find a solution that would streamline his job scheduling and dispatching. Looking at other providers before FieldAware, he was disappointed. He says other providers didn't have a strong enough solution to enable the technicians to work on a natively-developed mobile application. He also found the service of other competitors to fall well short of the service he provides to his customers.

    “Other providers we looked at provided virtually no customer service. We were not able to contact them and get support or simple questions answered,” Hoard says. He adds, “The FieldAware support team has been outstanding. We used to just do the job and move on to the next one,” he recalls. “With FieldAware, we’re able to ask customers if they want us to repeat a service at the same time next year. The FieldAware system automatically notifies me when that time is approaching for the customer and we’re able to do more work."

    This a critical part of the Venttex business, where so many customers are repeat customers. “It’s improved our productivity on future jobs greatly and scheduling recurring jobs is something we couldn’t do easily.” FieldAware is helping Venttex grow as a business. Hoard says, “My business gained over 1,500 customers in just the first four months with FieldAware.”

    Hoard reports that the FieldAware support is a key differentiator. “One of the best features of working with FieldAware is the customer service and support teams,” he says. “These guys really listen. The support staff has responded quickly to any questions we have brought up and they helped us get up and running on the system in just a matter of days.”
    Fieldaware.com