It was tough getting past the gatekeeper. Every sales call was blocked.

Sorry, we are not interested.

We already have a system.

We looked at such a system a few years ago and decided to keep what we have. No, he’s not available.

Didn’t you call last week?

Then one day during the lunch hour, a substitute who was not versed in the art of blocking and parrying was taking calls at the front desk. I pounced. She said that most of their field techs were gaming the system and that management was frustrated, but had no choice but to go along with the game.

What system were they gaming, I asked? The text messaging system, she replied, and the GPS system was a joke, she added. Was he in, I asked?

And just like that I was transferred to a human voice of authority.

Now, let it be known that most owners of small to medium sized HVAC companies are cut from the same cloth. Once was happy that the company had grown and finally they could do whatever, whenever, but suddenly the pressures of keeping the business going, care and feeding of the sometimes prickly, sometimes double-dealing field crew and ever increasing customer demands and lingering debt load made these folks wishing there was a better way to make a living.

So who wants to talk to a damn sales guy while eating a baloney sandwich at the desk?

Yes, we have a decent text system, especially when it’s working.

No, a replacement was not in the cards because his boys just got used to the new upgrade and there would be a riot if he introduced a new system.

No, it was not a question of the tail wagging the dog it was just a question of the expensive stuff and all the tech heads that he’ll have to hire and he likes his existing dispatching system, anyway.

But send me some stuff, not too much, he said.

Needless to say, three calls and two cancelled visits later I’m sitting in the office of the Man. After the usual sports trivia small talk and him perusing paperwork on his desk, he says that he looked at our stuff and can’t see why we would waste time programming FAQs and manufacturer repair instructions into the device.

His boys know what they’re doing and would never look up computer instructions. But he likes the look of the new PDAs, especially if it can secretly track some of the laggards in his field crew. He can’t see any need for a receipt being printed on a mobile printer because most of his business is on commercial contracts and he invoices weekly. Just as he tries the built-in camera on the device he is interrupted by a phone call from one of his crew.

I sit through five minutes of him tell and advising his team member how to fix a particular problem. When he hangs up the phone he swears and calls the guy an idiot.

What do these babies cost? Aren’t the screens a little small? They’ll lose it for sure. It’s too small. These clowns will probably flush it down the drain.

Any hoots, come back and do a demo and let’s see where this takes us.

This is a far cry from:

Sorry, we are not interested.

We already have a system.

We looked at such a system a few years ago and decided to keep what we have

Don’t you wish business owners had the time to step back and reexamine their procedures before a crisis hits?

Don’t you wish business owners had a quota of taking a dozen new calls every week?

Don’t you wish owners took time out to attend a course on something not directly related to their main business so as to get away from the daily busy stuff?

Don’t you wish that small business could get some of the breaks that the big boys do?

For more information on how HVAC companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Instant Benefits from TaskCaddy

1-Using the TaskCaddy system, the project manager can input all task orders into the database. Task steps are defined once, and used often, so that the job ticket creation for routine maintenance projects is dramatically speeded up.

2-All job standards – Task duration, scheduled stat time, planned material usage and other costs are measured against actual

3-The field tech can print the work acknowledgement directly unto a mobile printer in the presence of the customer, thus speeding up the approval process and reducing return calls, faxes and unnecessary correspondence

4-Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would match the technician with the assignment before deploying the project

5-Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would attach installation instructions and other support material if required, to be viewed on the PDA or on the host server via the mobile device.

6-Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor may automatically assign multiple projects to multiple techs (paperless)

7-Using TaskCaddy, the system would match tasks by qualifications and certifications

8-Using TaskCaddy, the tech start-stop activity would be logged and sent to the main server

9-Using TaskCaddy, the tech would capture an electronic customer signature and print a service acknowledgement

10-Using TaskCaddy, the system would automatically compute inventory usage upon job completion

11-TaskCaddy provides the ability to store and reuse estimates from previously completed jobs for current or future use

12-You can Incorporate the ability to use GPS for driving optimization and Location Based Tracking

13-Using TaskCaddy a field tech has the ability to take a before and after photo capture of the job site

14-Using TaskCaddy mangers can capture the task completion metrics and feed to Excel or other business reporting systems

For more information on how HVAC companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Improving the Plumbing and Solar Repairs Process

It was hot out here in the California desert. Although city fathers had carved out a thriving community of middle class homes, trees, parks and pools, the sun was still the boss.

When we purchased our home, we inherited a rooftop solar heating system whereby pool water is circulated through a series of PVC rooftop conduits and heating elements then to be returned as heated water for our nearly year around enjoyment. Close-up, it was Rube Golbergesque.

So we were very concerned when the rooftop system developed a leak.

This was no minor issue, because if that leak became more fractured and if we were away from home, we would have the entire contents of a 14x 20×10 pool of water demolish our home from above.

You’d think it would be easy to find a repair crew to make the fix but I soon found out that most of the local solar companies specialized in installing and repairing their own systems but were reluctant to waste time on repairing someone else’s work. Crazy, huh?

Finally our pool cleaning guy recommended a reputable company that was not afraid to take a challenge.

We were happy when a pleasant and talkative Field Technician arrived early one morning to address the problem. He was on the roof in a heartbeat and quickly diagnosed the problem. His repair estimate was reasonable and included two hours of labor.

About 1½ hours later, I saw him spraying black paint on a length of PVC piping. He explained that he had run out of supplies material and had to substitute available PVC into black to match the remainder of the piping.

At the two hour mark, the technician was still on the roof. At the three hour point he called from the roof to explain that he had under estimated the time it would take to allow for the drying of the epoxy and the spraying of the white PVC pieces.

Next he had to conduct a series of test runs to allow the pool water to traverse the entire system and he had to examine the system for leaks. By now the sun had come up and the roof was not very hot.

In the end the entire job took just over 4 hours, or double the estimated time.

What went wrong?

Most small to mid-sized companies have evolved without having a professional systems process analysis of their business, therefore a sound process analysis during the TaskCaddy implementation stages would be beneficial for the company.

For more information on how Plumbing and Solar Installation and Repair Companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Instant Benefits from TaskCaddy

• 1. Using the TaskCaddy system, the project manager can input all task orders into the database. Task steps are defined once, and used often, so that the job ticket creation for routine maintenance projects is dramatically speeded up.
• 2. All job standards – Task duration, scheduled stat time, planned material usage and other costs are measured against actual
• 3. The field tech can print the work acknowledgement directly unto a mobile printer in the presence of the customer, thus speeding up the approval process and reducing return calls, faxes and unnecessary correspondence
• 4. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would match the technician with the assignment before deploying the project
• 5. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would attach installation instructions and other support material if required, to be viewed on the PDA or on the host server via the mobile device
• 6. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor may automatically assign multiple projects to multiple techs (paperless)
• 7. Using TaskCaddy, the system would match tasks by qualifications and certifications
• 8. Using TaskCaddy, the tech start-stop activity would be logged and sent to the main server
• 9. Using TaskCaddy, the tech would capture an electronic customer signature and print a service acknowledgement
• 10. Using TaskCaddy, the system would automatically compute inventory usage upon job completion
• 11. TaskCaddy provides the ability to store and reuse estimates from previously completed jobs for current or future use
• 12. You can Incorporate the ability to use GPS for driving optimization and Location Based Tracking
• 13. Using TaskCaddy a field tech has the ability to take a before and after photo capture of the job site
• 14. Using TaskCaddy mangers can capture the task completion metrics and feed to Excel or other business reporting systems

For more information on how Plumbing and Solar Installation and Repair Companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Time was, only the big boys could afford to reengineer their operations to utilize mobile Field Services and Work Order database oriented systems. By that we mean, having the ability to store data in a formatted usable method for data collection and management analysis.

The majority of Small to Medium sized Businesses (SMBs) were happy with just receiving text messages from their main office, after which they inputted the work order information into their accounting system.

Companies that have evaluated and selected real time mobile data delivery and collection systems were usually surprised when software companies hit them with additional charges for customization and other special features.

We believe that with simple procedural changes and new business practices, many of the unique functions that a service provider may have could be resolved in other ways.

To be more specific, we believe that at the end of the day, no matter how complicated the goal is, what we do on a daily basis are a series of tasks to complete a job or project.

We therefore concluded that if companies could identify all or most of the measurable steps of a job and then input these tasks in the database once, almost as an ingredient of a recipe, then when the service call comes in, the dispatcher would simply select the project profile and click the tasks related to that project and the system would do the rest, by identifying which technicians are qualified and available to do the assignment.

The dispatcher would then select the tech and the project is would be available to be deployed to the field.

Our 80-20 rule is that 80% of service calls are routine and the remaining 20 % may be difficult or unique. So why not have a system where repeat calls are predefined and easily copied and deployed to the field? In addition, difficult jobs can still be defined in the system but they may be subject to some level of special handling after the fact.

In summary, the significant reduction in handwriting by the techs, the elimination of clerical re-keying in the office and the improvement of the invoicing process should be the main goals of this approach.

Field Services (HVAC, Plumbing, Delivery, Facility Maintenance, and Site Inspectors) companies could benefit from this approach.

Service providers should consider the following questions.

For more information on how Field Service Repair, Delivery and Site Inspection companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Instant Benefits from TaskCaddy

1. Using the TaskCaddy system, the project manager can input all task orders into the database. Task steps are defined once, and used often, so that the job ticket creation for routine maintenance projects is dramatically speeded up.
2. All job standards – Task duration, scheduled stat time, planned material usage and other costs are measured against actual
3. The field tech can print the work acknowledgement directly unto a mobile printer in the presence of the customer, thus speeding up the approval process and reducing return calls, faxes and unnecessary correspondence
4. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would match the technician with the assignment before deploying the project
5. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would attach installation instructions and other support material if required, to be viewed on the PDA or on the host server via the mobile device
6. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor may automatically assign multiple projects to multiple techs (paperless)
7. Using TaskCaddy, the system would match tasks by qualifications and certifications
8. Using TaskCaddy, the tech start-stop activity would be logged and sent to the main server
9. Using TaskCaddy, the tech would capture an electronic customer signature and print a service acknowledgement
10. Using TaskCaddy, the system would automatically compute inventory usage upon job completion
11. TaskCaddy provides the ability to store and reuse estimates from previously completed jobs for current or future use
12. You can Incorporate the ability to use GPS for driving optimization and Location Based Tracking
13. Using TaskCaddy a field tech has the ability to take a before and after photo capture of the job site
14. Using TaskCaddy mangers can capture the task completion metrics and feed to Excel or other business reporting systems

For more information on how Field Service Repair, Delivery and Site Inspection companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Government Agencies have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure project success. Trust and Verify should be credo for all projects

Developing an RFP is not an easy task. What with putting out sources sought and RFIs and all the work required for vetting responses and then coming up with a single document that successfully defines the problem, outlines the project parameters, and list the criteria for evaluation and successful award are a true test for agency officials.

How come after contract award and all of the happy talk, getting-to-know sessions and project governance rules, projects still fail or result in limited deliverables? How come there are always surprises? Why the numerous project post mortems and finger pointing?

Oftentimes the problems arise because of poor execution and even poorer communications between the two parties.

A project manager must perform like an orchestra conductor. He/she must turn their back to their audience (the ultimate customers) and wave the baton to the orchestra’s player’s (awardee(s)) trying to solicit unique notes from each team member, while keeping them all in sync to obtain the desired results.

An orchestra maestro is not required to be an expert at playing all instruments, but he must have an understanding of the acceptable output from each instrument. And if he senses any notes that are going astray he must take immediate steps to guide the player back on course. Live performances do not get to do a redo.

To summarize, the contract awardee may have many subs with a variety of roles and skills and who in turn may employ numerous persons with different execution skills. The government project leader must coordinate this risky proposition. No wonder projects are difficult to control.

Project difficulties often happens not for lack of tools. Hugh sums have been invested in complicated project tracking systems, but the understanding of these ‘big-iron” systems are often tenuous. A single project tool may not do the job.

When you purchase a vacuum cleaner it comes equipped with a variety of nozzle types and sizes. This is because you’ll not be effective if you choose to vacuum the stairs with the larger size nozzle. Thus the need for multiple flavors of project management tools for the multiple stages of a project.

Here’s what goes on in a typical project.

The Principal project manager is assigned and he briefs his subordinates as to the project charter. A timeline of high level issues is hammered out and inputted into a big project management software system.

Sub contractors are brought in at their required stages and they perform their tasks to the best of their abilities. This is the ideal, but reality is different.

Delays occur, personnel are rotated, change orders impact schedules, project managers are reassigned and budgets are strained as cash flow becomes the only thing that is managed.

For more information on how Government agencies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Instant Benefits from TaskCaddy

1. Using the TaskCaddy system, the project manager can input all task orders into the database. Task steps are defined once, and used often, so that the job ticket creation for routine maintenance projects is dramatically speeded up.
2. All job standards – Task duration, scheduled stat time, planned material usage and other costs are measured against actual
3. The field tech can print the work acknowledgement directly unto a mobile printer in the presence of the customer, thus speeding up the approval process and reducing return calls, faxes and unnecessary correspondence
4. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would match the technician with the assignment before deploying the project
5. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would attach installation instructions and other support material if required, to be viewed on the PDA or on the host server via the mobile device
6. Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor may automatically assign multiple projects to multiple techs (paperless)
7. Using TaskCaddy, the system would match tasks by qualifications and certifications
8. Using TaskCaddy, the tech start-stop activity would be logged and sent to the main server
9. Using TaskCaddy, the tech would capture an electronic customer signature and print a service acknowledgement
10. Using TaskCaddy, the system would automatically compute inventory usage upon job completion
11. TaskCaddy provides the ability to store and reuse estimates from previously completed jobs for current or future use
12. You can Incorporate the ability to use GPS for driving optimization and Location Based Tracking
13. Using TaskCaddy a field tech has the ability to take a before and after photo capture of the job site
14. Using TaskCaddy mangers can capture the task completion metrics and feed to Excel or other business reporting systems

For more information on how Government agencies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

TaskCaddy in a Wireless World of Facilities Restoration

Scenario…

Your service demand has increased after the recent fires. Now a large multi-national hotel resort chain requires you to demonstrate your Restoration and Damage clean-up on-site task capabilities and reporting systems.

Constraint

You’ve also had high turnover at the management level in this business unit.

What to do?

Among the many choices you have are: (1) pull one of your best people off of an existing project and send him as a subject matter expert, (2) spend unplanned days and hours to mock up a demonstration system for the one hour presentation, (3) walk away from the deal.

Another Solution?

Utilize TaskCaddy, the Project Management and Mobile Deployment System where all common tasks are defined once in your data base. Actuated job standards are computed and placed in the database at the task level.

All daily work activities are planned and task based. And you have real-time visibility over the feedback your management team is receiving from the field. Not filtered by local management, not copied and massaged by intermediaries, but taken directly from that last-mile of activity, as it is entered into the PDA.

Typical TaskCaddy activities

Using TaskCaddy, the Project Manager (PM)…

1. Selects Project Bill of Task from previous visit
2. Copies previous project into New
3. Reviews inventory status
4. Allocates inventory
5. Assigns scheduled start dates and scheduled end dates
6. Selects FT for project

TaskCaddy outcomes

• New project is created
• Automatically sends project tasks to selected FTs’ mobile PDAs
• Setup and task steps instruction are already predefined in the device
• You receive instant feedback on problems
• Instant feedback on task completion via the PDA

Benefits of using TaskCaddy, the Work-Smarter solution…

-Frees up Field Management to focus on planning

-Provides metrics for activity based costing

-Makes projects more predictable

-Optimizes utilization of personnel during project execution

-Seamlessly transacts inventory management activities

-Gives operational visibility for each location, real time

-Compare activities between selected properties

-Identify under utilized workers immediately

-Invoice the customer faster

Contact us @ 909 724-4876 www.qedinfosys.com

The Pest Control guy came to our house to eradicate a roof-rat problem. Rats had made their way into the attic through an opening where the rafters meet the chimney. The pests made a cozy home up there.

The pest control tech performed an assessment, where upon we agreed that work should be done immediately.

He set some traps and left us with instructions that he would return to examine and remove the traps at selected intervals, after which he would seal the opening.

He returned for the first scheduled revisit and removed two traps that had become the last home of two unfortunate critters. He then reset new traps before departing.

The following week, we were surprised when a different tech arrived at the door. He said that the previous guy had left for an unscheduled family emergency and he, the new guy, would take over the account.

He wanted to know what the problem was. I was surprised that he was asking such a question.

Was he not advised by the previous tech? Answer no.

Did he not come with the paperwork from the previous visit? No. The office had dispatched him to the job site with just sketchy information, and besides he was new on the job and had not met the prior tech.

Believe it or not, this tech then asked me if I had a flashlight for him to see in the darkness of the attic. After reviewing the traps, he then called the dispatching office and asked permission for them to send a purchase order to a nearby hardware supplier for him to pick up the construction foam material which was needed to seal the hole beside the chimney.

This guy then left for the hardware store and we were forced to wait another twenty minutes before he returned. When I asked what took so long, he said that he also had to return to the warehouse to get a longer ladder to complete the job.

Amazing! A fifteen minute visit took close to an hour, from the time of arrival to completion.

How could these problems have been avoided? How could this account contract been more efficient?

For more information on how Pest Control companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

Instant Benefits from TaskCaddy

-Using the TaskCaddy system, the project manager can input all task orders into the database. Task steps are defined once, and used often, so that the job ticket creation for routine maintenance projects is dramatically speeded up.

-All job standards – Task duration, scheduled stat time, planned material usage and other costs are measured against actual

-The field tech can print the work acknowledgement directly unto a mobile printer in the presence of the customer, thus speeding up the approval process and reducing return calls, faxes and unnecessary correspondence

-Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would match the technician with the assignment before deploying the project

-Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor would attach installation instructions and other support material if required, to be viewed on the PDA or on the host server via the mobile device.

-Using TaskCaddy, the supervisor may automatically assign multiple projects to multiple techs (paperless)

-Using TaskCaddy, the system would match tasks by qualifications and certifications

-Using TaskCaddy, the tech start-stop activity would be logged and sent to the main server

-Using TaskCaddy, the tech would capture an electronic customer signature and print a service acknowledgement

-Using TaskCaddy, the system would automatically compute inventory usage upon job completion

-TaskCaddy provides the ability to store and reuse estimates from previously completed jobs for current or future use

-You can Incorporate the ability to use GPS for driving optimization and Location Based Tracking

-Using TaskCaddy a field tech has the ability to take a before and after photo capture of the job site

-Using TaskCaddy mangers can capture the task completion metrics and feed to Excel or other business reporting systems

For more information on how Pest Control companies could benefit from the utilization of affordable field services technologies go to www.taskcaddy.com

TaskCaddy and a Wireless World of Construction Sub-Contracting

Scenario…

Your company has just been awarded a sub-contract from a major prime and you know that if this project is completed efficiently significant follow-on projects will come your way.

Constraints?

You are stretched thin at the management level, plus your skilled experts will have to work double overtime thus reducing the already slim profit even more.

What to do?

Among the many choices you have are: (1) pull one of your best people off of an existing project and send him/her as a subject matter expert, (2) hire unskilled workers and hope for the best, (3) walk away from the deal.

Another Alternative?

What if there been a common and reportable task reporting system that was instantly usable and was independent of expert users? That is why TaskCaddy was developed. Common tasks are defined once in your data base. Actuated job standards are computed and placed in the database at the task level.

All daily work activities are planned and task based. And you have real-time visibility over the feedback your management team is receiving from the field. Not filtered by local management, not copied and massaged by intermediaries, but taken directly from that last-mile of activity, as it is entered into the PDA. You see the feedback directly, over a secure web-based server, wherever you are in the world! From this you can then do reliable data analysis.

How can TaskCaddy assist you?

Using TaskCaddy, the Project Manager (PM)…

1. Selects Project Bill of Task from previous visit
2. Copies previous project into New
3. Reviews inventory status
4. Reserves inventory
5. Issues inventory
6. Assigns scheduled start dates and scheduled end dates
7. Selects FT for project

TaskCaddy outcomes?

• New project is created
• Automatically sends project tasks to selected FTs mobile PDAs
• Inventory is pulled and staged
• Setup and task steps instruction are already predefined in the device
• You receive instant feedback on problems
• Instant feedback on task completion via the PDA

All the above is done without having to modify a single piece of software!

Benefits of using TaskCaddy, the Work-Smarter solution…

-Frees up Construction Management to focus on planning

-Provides metrics for activity based costing

-Makes projects more predictable

-Optimizes utilization of personnel during project execution

-Seamlessly transacts inventory management activities

-Gives operational visibility for each location, real time

-Compare activities between selected properties

-Identify under utilized workers immediately

-Invoice the customer faster