It’s the 21st century. Whether you run a business that fixes toilets, leaky pipes, cleans gutters or apartment buildings, you’ve come to realize that your smartphone, computers and the internet are a large component of your operations. What you may not have realized however, is that there is more to the Internet than answering emails. So why not harness the power of the ol’ World Wide Web? I promise — moving to the cloud will help you to run a more smooth and efficient business.
If you are on the fence about integrating a field-service software, here are five reasons why you should go out with the old and in with the new:
1. Keep track of your technicians and increase visibility With your crew working remotely and often in dispersed geographical locations, it can be difficult to know whether your workforce is on task, on a job, or near a location where work needs to be done. When you move your business to the cloud, the ability to track your workforce is no longer a big, black hole. Your technicians will be running the integrated software on their smartphone or tablet. This means that you’ll be able to have greater visibility and know where your crew is in real-time and when they are available to fix the next leaky roof.
2. Be connected in real-time Gone is the day where you send out your arborists, wait for them to finish their daily jobs and then bring the paperwork and payments back to the office. Moving your business to the cloud means that payments and data entry (aka paperwork) can now happen on site and in real-time.
3. Data accessibility – Anytime, anywhere. Perhaps you want to know historical job information, past and present invoices, customer information or even the crew schedule. Operating in the cloud will enable you to access this type of information when you’re holidaying with your family (we know you’re working even when you’re resting), on the other side of town or away at a conference. Don’t let distance from your physical business location hinder your ability to do your job.
4. Eliminate double data entry If it seems redundant and a waste of time to write up invoices on site and then transfer and translate messy handwriting to a computer when you get back to the office, it’s because it is. When you have your software in the cloud, data gets entered and sent to your database immediately. This efficiency feature may even allow crew members to complete an extra job at the end of the day, while eliminating what so many hate to do.
5. Low monthly cost and easy updates No need to have a closet full of expensive servers — besides, what would happen if something were to happen to them? Flood, break and entry. There is no need to worry about storing your info in the cloud. It’s secure, waterproof and impossible to steal if you have the right security measures in place. We’re also constantly updating the software, so you can have the latest and greatest with the click of a button. It’s unfortunate, but on-premise software becomes outdated the moment you get it set up.