Idaho Backflow - Saving 2 Hours of Work Per Day with ReachOut

Client

Clayton Barrows

Region

Idaho, US

Company

Idaho Backflow

Industry

Plumbing

Services Provided

Testing and Repairing Backflow
Winterize Backflow Assemblies and Blow Out Sprinkler Systems

Running a backflow testing business with ReachOut

Clayton Barrows tells us that he was thrilled to death when he found us.

With over 14 years of experience in testing and repairing backflow assemblies for commercial and residential properties, Idaho Backflow, owned by Clayton is a leading local business in the state of Idaho.

Backflow testing ensures that drinking water in a plumbing system is not being contaminated by the infiltration of dirty water. Property owners or tenants need to get these systems checked out periodically to ensure that they are operating correctly. That means Clayton can expect customers to call-in very often! Managing tight field service schedules and getting daily reports became taxing and Clayton was searching for a perfect service scheduling software till he discovered ReachOut Suite.

So, how did ReachOut change the whole game for Clayton?

Challenges that obscured bigger business opportunities

“Before ReachOut we were organizing everything by paper”

Clayton’s team was using paper-based notes, manual forms, and excel sheets to manage their work. It was difficult for them to update their daily work status and generate reports soon after finishing each day’s jobs.

“There was one program we previously looked at and even they couldn’t do what ReachOut is doing”

In spite of using an application that was designed specifically to support backflow testing, it was challenging for Clayton and his team to transfer data from paper-based forms to the legacy application and get reports out of it. They had to spend a lot of time and effort as the legacy software offered only built-in forms that couldn’t be customized. Neither did it allow Clayton to auto-populate information into his reports.

“We’re doing twenty to thirty tests per day and scheduling these tasks using Google Calendar wasn’t just realistic”

Clayton was using Google Calendar to schedule backflow testing services. While it worked, it wasn’t realistic because Google Calendar couldn’t be adequately integrated with multiple accounts. Due to its complex interface and usability constraints, he was unable to work efficiently using Google Calendar.

How the service scheduling software helped Clayton

“I could tell you that ReachOut helps us save two hours a day compared to our old system”

Now Clayton’s team is using the digital forms powered by ReachOut while they are out in the field. These forms are accessible on any mobile device or tablet used by the team. End of the day, Clayton uses the ability of these forms to self-populate information into work status reports and track the parameters crucial to his company’s budget and performance, saving time and eliminating data entry errors.
Clayton says that auto-populating information into the reports was a game-changer. Better insights are now fast-tracking his decisions!

“Having a reliable scheduling has made a huge difference to our business”

Having a reliable schedule is a huge benefit that saves any business from missing its valuable customers. Idaho Backflow experienced a major transformation by using ReachOut to manage scheduling – producing more efficient schedules and eliminating infeasible assignments. Clayton says that he can now quickly review daily summaries to stay on top of his technicians’ schedules for the next day. This ensures that all appointments will be serviced as planned and helps him prioritize jobs based on their nature.

Top ReachOut features used

While Clayton used field service scheduling software extensively, these are the top features that helped him:

Inspection Management:

With its clear visual interface, ReachOut’s inspection management feature helps him stay organized and manage his team utilization by standardizing and simplifying inspections and audit scheduling.

Ticket Management:

ReachOut compiles all his customer details online so that he doesn’t need to sift through papers when a customer calls in. Client requests recorded as tickets are used to generate new work orders or inspection requests.

Calendar/Scheduling:

Scheduling was the most significant challenge faced. He now relies on his new ability to conduct the scheduling or rescheduling of tasks. He benefits from the integrated visibility into the technicians’ calendars.

Forms to collect data:

ReachOut’s styled digital forms allow Clayton to effortlessly gather data from the field with the smartphones and tablets his team uses. He also has leveraged his ability to create and modify forms that are customized to become much more resilient to changing requirements.

Entity/Asset Management:

As the business grew, he realized they needed to have a robust entity/asset management system. With its rich features including centralization, automation, collaboration, and reporting, ReachOut has the breadth of field service functions he needs to capitalize on the benefits of the latest technology.

What the customer says

Clayton tells us that he often discusses ReachOut when he’s out with other companies that are also into backflow testing. He adds, “they ask us what program we use and we tell them that we use ReachOut and it just works. We hear about the issues that they have with their other programs. For us, the answer is definitely obvious as we know Reachout is the way to go.”