Faced with a shortage of licensed technicians, Charlie’s Plumbing needed their field workers to spend more time plumbing and less time filling out paperwork. But the company’s old, paper-based workflow was inefficient and prone to errors. Processing paperwork and billing clients took several weeks, which often led to customer complaints. To grow the company, Charlie’s Plumbing needed to streamline workflows, get invoices out sooner and boost overall productivity.
Samsung Galaxy Smartphones and Tablets Boost Plumber Productivity, Accelerate Billing Cycle
Customer Need
Samsung Solution
Charlie’s Plumbing made the decision to equip its workforce with Samsung Galaxy S smartphones and mounted Galaxy Tab E devices in all service vehicles. It also invested in new field service management software from dESCO, including the ESC Mobile app. The company is now able to dispatch technicians to client sites right through the app. Rather than filling out paper tickets, the technicians now use their mobile devices to upload information about each job, which the home office can view immediately. There’s no paperwork to process, and bills are generated right away.
12%
increase in efficiency due to mobile workflows
Results
The mobile solution has increased technician efficiency by 12 to 13 percent, as they now spend significantly less time on paperwork and phone calls. The billing cycle has accelerated by 1,000 percent, which has increased cash flow. Receivables are also down by 30 percent due to increased speed and an 85 percent reduction in billing errors. Because customers receive invoices more quickly, Charlie’s gets paid more quickly too. And improved team communication has led to more collaboration, a greater sense of camaraderie among workers and better employee recruiting and retention.
Charlie’s Plumbing has provided commercial, industrial and residential services for the Greater Houston area since 1979. With more than 30 fully stocked vehicles, its fleet quickly responds to emergency plumbing situations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A team of highly skilled plumbers and technicians also perform major renovations, small or large installations, sewer pipe cleaning and a variety of other plumbing services. The company serves about 2,500 clients annually, across industries such as education, manufacturing, government, healthcare and hospitality. Charlie’s Plumbing prides itself on utilizing the latest technologies in the industry, including video inspection and Hydrojet services aimed at saving water and improving pressure and sanitation. To learn more, visit CharliesPlumbing.com.
The Customer Need
Growing Business, Limited Human Resources
With the U.S. economy rebounding from the 2008 recession and unemployment rates at a 42-year low, companies across industries are struggling to fill new positions and retain workers. In skilled trades industries, where the war for talent is particularly tough, companies are turning to mobile technology to boost productivity and better leverage human resources.
“There is such a shortage of licensed plumbers and technicians,” says Merrill Crawford, president of Charlie’s Plumbing. “If you can’t get enough of them, you have to figure out how to put more of their time to plumbing and less to paperwork. That’s the only way to grow the company.”
But the company’s old, paper-based workflow was inefficient and prone to errors. Plumbing technicians came into the office once or twice a week and “checked out” stacks of paper tickets. Throughout the week, service managers dispatched technicians to jobs via phone calls. Technicians would write the initial details on the ticket, fill out the rest on the job and get the client’s signature. Every Tuesday morning, technicians turned in tickets and time sheets from the previous week. Then tickets had to be logged back in, processed and sent to the billing department, which resulted in it taking clients three to four weeks to receive invoices, and up to five weeks if the bill was incorrect.
- Digitize workflows
- Accelerate billing cycle
Crawford says the process was inefficient, error-prone and often led to customer complaints. “Let’s say a customer calls in. Our service department treats them wonderfully, and our technician does a fantastic job. But the bill doesn’t arrive for three weeks, and it’s incorrect because the information has passed between multiple hands. By now, the client has forgotten the wonderful job we did. They just see that Charlie’s Plumbing can’t get a bill out.”
After-hours and weekend jobs presented additional challenges. With the office closed, team captains dispatched technicians via phone. Each captain had a large book with information about billable clients, including which were acceptable to serve during off hours based on credit history. But the book didn’t stay updated, and technicians often took calls they shouldn’t have, creating cash-flow problems from unpaid invoices. Seeking to grow the company, Crawford needed to streamline workflows, boost plumber productivity and get invoices out sooner.
“If you can’t get enough plumbers, you have to figure out how to put more of their time to plumbing and less to paperwork.”
Merrill Crawford, President, Charlie’s Plumbing
The Solution:
Paperless and Productive
Charlie’s Plumbing made the decision to equip its workforce with Samsung Galaxy S smartphones and mounted Galaxy Tab E devices in all service vehicles. It also invested in new field service management software from dESCO, including the ESC Mobile app.
With this new mobile technology, technicians are now dispatched to client sites via the mobile app. Rather than filling out paper tickets, they use their mobile devices to upload information about each job, including photos, which the head office sees immediately. There’s no paperwork to process, and bills are generated right away. “We’ve gone from a three-week billing cycle to a one-day billing cycle,” says Crawford, “which has greatly increased cash flow, reduced errors and made payroll easier.”
Additionally, technicians can now access client information without calling the head office. “Let’s say a plumber is on a job and knows we’ve gone to the same site for the same problem before. He can look up the customer history, see pictures from previous jobs and get a better idea of what he’s dealing with.” The mobile solution also works much better for after-hours calls, a large source of revenue for the company. Both team captains and technicians can access client information from their mobile devices, so plumbers are no longer dispatched to customers with delinquent accounts.
Billing cycle shortened from three weeks to one day
Additional tasks the technicians can use the mobile device for include GPS mapping, locating materials, looking up schematics and accessing instructional content online.“The field technicians love it,” says Crawford. “It’s changed how we do business.” And because technicians use the app for so many purposes, Crawford says the multidevice solution works well. “What they do is wet and dirty, and sometimes the phone is more convenient. But it’s easier to complete paperwork and show it to clients using the tablet.”
Charlie’s Plumbing is looking for even more ways to increase productivity using the tablets. For instance, Crawford plans to add video collaboration tools, virtual assistants and eventually, augmented reality applications. She chose Samsung Galaxy devices to help her meet these goals for two reasons: reliability and flexibility. “I have used Samsung devices for a long time,” she says. “They’re durable, premier devices. And I know Samsung will keep up with the technology we’re going to need going forward. A lot of other companies seem to come and go, change their business model or change their platform. I trust Samsung to consistently keep supporting new technology.”
The Technology:
Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
Galaxy S Series
Flagship smartphone line for enterprise productivity, performance and security.
Galaxy Tab E
9.6" and 8"
4G LTE connectivity to stay connected on the go.
“Now our clients get their bills fast. There are no errors. They’re much happier and pay a lot more quickly.”
– Merrill Crawford, President, Charlie’s Plumbing
The Result:
Happy Workers, Happy Customers
Crawford says Charlie’s Plumbing has been in “a real growth mode” in recent years. The mobile workflow has helped enable that success by:
- Increasing productivity: The mobile solution has boosted technician efficiency by 12 to 13 percent by allowing them to spend less time on paperwork and phone calls. As Crawford explains, “We no longer have technicians sitting on the phone waiting and waiting to get their next call, because there are 10 other calls waiting.”
- Streamlining billing: The digital workflow has accelerated the billing cycle by 1,000 percent, increasing cash flow. Receivables are down by 30 percent due to the increased speed and an 85 percent reduction in billing errors.
- Improving customer satisfaction: “Customers aren’t happy when they don’t get their bill on time or correctly,” says Crawford. “Now our clients get their bills fast. There are no errors. They’re much happier and pay a lot more quickly. And Charlie’s Plumbing looks very high-tech, sharp and on the ball.”
“There’s an upfront cost when switching to paperless, but it’s worth it. Money, speed, employee happiness and customer happiness — you can’t beat that.” – Merrill Crawford, President, Charlie’s Plumbing
- Fostering collaboration: Crawford says the mobile solution has increased communication in a number of ways, leading to better teamwork and a stronger sense of camaraderie. “Technicians can get parts faster because of increased communication with our parts department. And they enjoy talking to other plumbers about how they’re using the tablets. At our monthly company meeting, there’s a lot of, ‘I found this app that’s very useful,’ or ‘You’ve got to check out this website that’s helpful.’”
- Bolstering recruitment and retention: The technology gives Charlie’s Plumbing a hiring advantage. “At a certain level, everybody is offering decent pay and quality benefits,” says Crawford. “Leaders have to ask, ‘What else can I do to attract new hires?’ To be a company that works at a higher level, that provides better communication and better technology, is a cool perk. Our new hires have been vocal about how much they like our technology and communication.”
Due to the productivity boost, deploying the mobile solution has been like adding additional employees in the field, notes Crawford. “There’s an upfront cost when switching to paperless, but it’s worth it. Money, speed, employee happiness and customer happiness — you can’t beat that.”
