From dispatching and bookkeeping to database management and Internet marketing, computers are as valuable to many cleaners as high-pressure waterjetters. For savvy contractors, the days of keeping customer records on paper and in file drawers are long gone. They find that computer systems and software help them run their businesses more efficiently and profitably. Here are some examples of contractors who have tapped into the benefits of the computer age.
“To manage our customer database and accounts receivable, we use software made by Clear Computing Inc., and run all our financials through QuickBooks,” says Brad LaVoy, owner of Brad’s Septic Tank Service, which provides drain cleaning and septic tank pumping and services in Temperance, Mich.
“The database holds all kinds of information: customer names, addresses, ZIP codes, the size of their tank, the location of the tank, what kind of tank it is and how deep it is. It also tracks accounts receivable: what we did for customers and what we charged.
“We punch in codes – a drain cleaning or pumping code, plus any additives such as extra digging or backflushing. All services are coded and put in under each customer’s name, so we have a complete service history; I can look back and see every invoice, right at my fingertips. We can print out that information on a work order and go to a job with that information in hand. It’s a huge time saver. We’d be lost without it.
“In the early days, we kept all the data on pages of legal pads in folders; it was like the Dark Ages. Then we went to a basic, custom database program, which was okay for about the first 1,000 customers. After that, we went with this custom program around 10 or 12 years ago. My wife looked at a few different systems at one of the Pumper & Cleaner Expos while I was out looking at trucks.
“We now have about 6,200 accounts – that would be a lot of manila folders! We back the database up every night on an external hard drive and keep a separate hard copy off-premise in a safe-deposit box. That way, if there ever was a fire, we’ve got a backup. At the end of a month, we take one hard drive to the bank and bring the other one back and plug it in, and just keep swapping them out every month.”
“We used to dispatch trucks with a hand-written list and a database program written by a local guy,” recalls Bobbie Reppa, co-owner of Macy’s Services, which offers drain cleaning, septic and portable toilet services in Jackson, Wyo. “In 2002 or 2003, we looked at three or four dispatch systems at the Expo. We bought software from Summit Software Inc.
“Right now, if we generate a routing list, it automatically generates a bill, too. Before, we had to make a routing list and then at the end of the month go through and enter all the billing information into the computer again.
“When we bought the new software, we were able to transfer some of the existing information to the new system. But we also had to hand-key a lot of the data. It’s been a huge benefit for us. We’ve gone from spending a lot of time generating everyday routing lists and not being able to integrate the billing system into it, to easily rearranging routes and generating bills. The software has easily paid for itself over time.”
“We use Windows-based database software,” says Neil Bateson, owner of Bateson Enterprises Inc., which provides sewer and drain services in Andover, Mass. “It’s a pretty simple program that allows us to look up clients by address, phone number or street address.
“Before, we hand-typed all bills and things like labels for service-reminder postcards. Once a week, I used to spend five or six hours in the office after work. Now it only takes me a couple hours. It’s made us efficient in other areas, too. When you sell a house in Andover, you have to file a Title V inspection report, which now is 17 pages long. My hand used to get pretty tired writing all that stuff out. Now we can download the report form and fill in the blanks.”
“We’ve had a Web site for about six years now,” notes Mark Lanneger, general manager of Sewer Technologies Inc. in Port Perry, Ont. “We wanted people to be able to use the Internet when they need our kind of services. When customers call us, we ask how they heard about us, and a lot of them say from your Web site, or we did a search for, say, lateral lining, and your Web site came up.
“A lot of our work is from bidding on jobs, so the Web site only provides about five to 10 percent of our business leads. But it’s still an essential part of an integrated marketing program. Sometimes we’re asked to bid on projects because someone did an Internet search for sewer companies and our name came up.
“Our Web site has separate sections that explain all our services and provide an overview of the company. We have before-and-after visuals of certain repair projects. People like being able to see what we can do; they seem to respond to that. We also use the Internet to see what our competition is up to – what they’re promoting and what kind of technology they have. We want to make sure we’re using the latest and greatest technology to keep a competitive edge.”
