SAWIN MOBILE has now been operating successfully in the field since 2006 and currently hosts over 300 technicians from more than 20 companies using SAWIN Mobile in the field.
One of those SAWIN MOBILE users is our western-most client which is Moore Heating in Anchorage, Alaska. Moore Heating has been using SAWIN since 2008 has 8 service technicians using Panasonic ToughBook model CF19 with the Printek FieldPro RT43 (BT & MCR) printer. He also has 4 salesmen using the ToughBook model CF52 and the Brother PocketLet3 printer for on-the-spot, computer generated proposals.
When I asked Wayne Jones, owner of Moore Heating, why he chose the ToughBooks he said, “Being in Alaska, temperature is definitely a factor so we had to choose a device that could operate in the extremes as well as their durability. They are used by the fire department, police department, and we wanted to set them up one time and have them last rather than constantly reconfiguring cheaper notebooks all the time.” I then asked if they have had any problems with them and he said, “We have not had one fail yet.
I personally use a ToughBook when I am in the field and once I left it on the roof of my truck and started driving until I heard the sound it made when it hit the concrete! I thought that would be the end of that one but I retrieved it, turned it on, and it started right up without consequence. It is still working today.”
When I asked him how his technicians responded to the SAWIN MOBILE implementation he said, “They were excited for new technology, the chance to set ourselves apart from other companies, and to look more professional to our customers.” When I asked Wayne what the undeniable benefits of SAWIN MOBILE are he replied, “No paper in the office, no invoices floating around in the trucks, instant update of parts pricing in the field, being more thorough, more organized,”
Regarding his customer’s response to SAWIN MOBILE Wayne said, “They are pretty impressed. They really like that the tech can get the information like when we were there last, what type of service calls we have done for them over the years, and other customer history the tech has access to.” When I asked him what challenges he faced with the implementation he said, “Not a lot. Getting to know the system was the biggest challenge.”
He said he spent around $4,500.00 per truck on hardware and software and pays $50 per month for the wireless data service for each device. When I asked him if he had seen a return on his investment (ROI) of over $40K to deploy SAWIN MOBILE he said, “I think the biggest savings has been in the office with the reduced paperwork, eliminating file cabinets, freeing up office space”. When I asked him, “If you could go back in time, would you do it all over again?” he said, “Yes, we would. Once you get over the hump you can see the benefits and how well it works. I am so glad we did it and it’s definitely well worth it.”
Successful business owners like Wayne Jones agree that a challenging economy may be the most strategic time to make capital improvements to your operations in order to stay ahead of your competition.
SAWIN MOBILE solutions will provide your firm with that competitive edge you need to survive, evolve, and excel as a company. Contact the sales department to find out why over 10% of the SAWIN Client base uses SAWIN MOBILE and why they will NEVER go back to hand-written invoices.