Out with the Old

The integration of a software system can have a huge impact on business management. It can be used as a database for billing, marketing, routing and more. While industry vets can still remember the early days without computers, they now say they couldn’t live without a software system.

“When I started in 1984, I didn’t have a computer and I did everything the old-fashioned way,” says Brad Johnson, owner, LawnAmerica in Tulsa, Okla. “But now it’s hard to imagine running a business without it. Software has become so ingrained in the way we do things.”

Getting technicians to the job has been a vital function for Matt Jesson, owner/president of Green Pest Solutions in West Chester, Pa. “Real Green has completely nailed this,” he says. “With turn-by-turn directions for our route technicians, they’re getting to jobs faster. After each job, the information is entered and the system initiates a time stamp. Then when all my route trucks pull into the parking lot, the work automatically syncs into my database. Without having to input all that data, it saves anywhere from five to eight hours a day. That’s been a tremendous help.”

Johnson says that a huge improvement over the last few years has been in billing and routing. “The ability of the customer to get online and see their entire account and pay their bill has been huge,” he says.

Jesson says that he’s about to launch that same function for customers and expects it to save countless hours for the business.

“The functionality of that service is not only valuable for saving office time but will help streamline our customer service,” Jesson says. “Today’s customers prefer round-the-clock customer service and with this, they can do things like request service, ask questions, and pay bills 24/7.”

Having industry-specific software like Real Green Systems has also been quite valuable, Johnson says. “There are probably some companies out there that are just using a more generic software program and they’re probably doing okay with that, but not as well as they might be able to do with a system that is geared toward the industry.”

Jesson adds that other companies he’s talked to aren’t getting the full potential out of their software. “People aren’t always willing to put in the time and the money involved in really learning how to use the system so they’re not getting everything out of it that they could,” he says.

“You hear people say, ‘Our software company isn’t doing enough for us.’ But the truth is that as a business owner you have to be willing to put an allotment of resources – time and money – into training.”

Johnson says that there’s not a huge learning curve with Real Green but agrees that you have to put the time in. “As long as you’re spending time with the system, and keeping up to date, it’s relatively easy to use,” he says.

Jesson says Real Green has a great support system and has even flown some of his employees to the Real Green headquarters.

“I have a dedicated IT manager who is on the phone with Real Green on a regular basis, making sure that we’re utilizing the software as efficiently as possible in the business,” he says.

“Sometimes you have to be willing to make that extra effort.”