ASRS Use ReachOut to Streamline Inspection
Introduction
In this era of lightning-fast delivery of goods, have you wondered how they get processed and distributed to end users so quickly? Behind the scenes, in warehouses and fulfillment centers, specialized equipment called storage and retrieval systems work in tandem with the workforce to handle, store and retrieve materials automatically on demand.
Fast and precise, these computer-controlled systems have revolutionized goods storage and retrieval. They essentially bring goods to the person instead of the other way around, thus lowering manual intervention to a higher degree. Together, handling systems bring in a more streamlined process that has a significant impact on raising accuracy, saving valuable floor space, better ergonomics, productivity, and more control over the inventory.
The Need for a Service Scheduling Solution
Our client Advanced Storage & Retrieval Systems, Inc. is a major distributor of high-end material handling products by Hänel. Together with distribution, they also offer their expertise in automation projects through installation and servicing. To aid in this, ASRS needed a solution that helps with their scheduling and dispatching of technicians to facilities in serviceable locations.
About Client - Advanced Storage & Retrieval Systems, Inc
Client
Jack Chynoweth
Industry
Manufacturing & Operating Facility Maintenance
Company
Advanced Storage & Retrieval Systems, Inc. (ASRS)
Region
Marietta, Georgia
ASRS, Inc. is a leading distributor of Hänel’s state-of-the-art Lean-Lift® and Rotomat® automated vertical storage and carousel systems in the southeast territory of the United States. Founded in 2001, ASRS is based in Marietta, Georgia, and serves customers in Alabama, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and central to northern Florida.
As chief suppliers and service providers of this high-end equipment, ASRS has enabled its customers to streamline and upgrade the material handling functions at their manufacturing, operations, warehouse, and distribution facilities. Besides, they also specialize in planning, equipment specification, installation, workforce training, and maintenance.
How ReachOut Service Scheduling Software Helped ASRS
One reason why ASRS settled on ReachOut was its ease of use. Despite going through various other providers, they pinpointed different aspects of ReachOut that were especially helpful in their use case:
- Versatile and easy to learn
- Hassle-free job scheduling
Improved Scheduling of Inspections
Inspections were routinely performed at facilities to ensure the trouble-free functioning of lift systems and carousels. ASRS technicians were assigned work and dispatched manually from the back office. Often, this resulted in unnecessary delays as managers were unable to track the status and availability of technicians.
Using ReachOut, the team at ASRS was able to turn their everyday job scheduling into a hassle-free experience. They found specific features of ReachOut’s scheduling especially useful like
- Graphical Job Scheduling – Using ReachOut’s intuitive drag-and-drop scheduler, ASRS is able to schedule inspections taking into account the workload and availability of technicians. Workday planning became more effective and time-saving.
- Inspections Management – Inspections – simple or complex can easily be created from the job module inside ReachOut. For ASRS, this proved to be of immense value as they can assign inspections for technicians combined with the needed instructions like observations and suggested means of repair.
Better Organize Customer Information
With a customer base spread across the northeast, ASRS had to fulfill requests for installs, maintenance, or repair in large numbers. This meant they had to keep all their customer data in one place, organized for quick access when required.
And ReachOut perfectly fits in with their requirement. Using its inbuilt CRM module ASRS was able to:
- Centrally Store Data – ReachOut’s customer management system helps managers and technicians at ASRS store everything about their customers in one place. By centrally organizing customer details online, it becomes much easier to retrieve and update information anytime when needed.
- Instant Data Retrieval – Both managers and technicians at ASRS are now able to fetch data linked to every customer like their past service history, contact details, site information, linked entities, and more. Service teams have more knowledge of each customer and thus offer better service each time.
Perform Jobs & Record Data Easily
ASRS needed a handy tool that can help their technicians execute jobs on site as per the standard procedures involved with installs or repairs. Paper forms and records were inconvenient and caused errors. ReachOut’s field service mobile app provided the right means for technicians out in the field to get the installs or repairs done. They were impressed with its capabilities to
Manage Assigned Jobs
Newly scheduled jobs get instantly notified to the technicians via ReachOut’s mobile app. From there, technicians can take on the request or even create a job on the spot, refer to the customer details and job instructions, reach customer locations faster and fulfill the task within the scheduled time.
Simplified Data Capture
ASRS technicians used to record data about the equipment’s status and other particulars on paper forms. Now they are using ReachOut’s mobile-optimized forms custom-made for their unique data-gathering requirements.