Now-a-days they call that support….?

My vision for customer support is called “when-you-need-it”. You call support and it is after normal business hours and you either get a live person or you might get a recording but you get a call back within 10 minutes. The person is helpful, in fact you find at the end of the call that this person is one of the developers of the software, not some person who never worked in your industry and certainly never used the software in a real-work setting. This person really solved your problem quickly and understood your pain…support nirvana!

Where can you find that level of old fashion support?

One place I know of…..CrewTracker!

What does the word experience really mean? How do we relate to that word in the business world? I certainly would not hire someone who only watched a video on how to drive a skid loader. I like to think in terms of experience versus exposure.  Exposure means that you have some introductory knowledge of the subject, not necessarily working knowledge. To me experience means that you have working knowledge of the subject and don’t need much additional assistance to be productive.

So, my question to you is this – would you buy software for snow removal from a company where the owners don’t know anything about snow removal?

We at CrewTracker work hard on the experience side of things. Our president is a CSP (Certified Snow Professional) and owned a very successful snow removal company. Our Chief Technology Officer has a Masters Degree in Computer Information Management and has over 25 years experience in computer software design and development.

Experience counts. Exposure…we’ll that is for amateurs

I’ve been thinking that this low snow year would bring about a lack of investment by snow and ice management companies. The low snow produces low cash flow, which produces a lack of initiative to invest in the business. This is a simple kind of logic but one that I’m sure you might be thinking too. The person with which I was having the conversation looked at me and said that I’m just a pessimist (those who know me know that I’m not anywhere near pessimistic). His take was that because the low snow year there would probably be a pretty big shakeout in most markets because a lot of companies would be either going under or would be shifting focus. The end result would be a lot of unassigned market share in the snow and ice industry. The opening up of a lot of market share would then prompt the remaining companies to gather in more market share in their areas. The more share you get the more work you’ll have this next winter.

Imagine this – this year you collect more market share and have potentially 20% more work for next winter. Then you get hit with a winter like what occurred in 2010 or 2009. How will you handle both the increased volume in combination with a tough winter? Yes, it is a good problem to have but nonetheless a larger problem than you had previously. Automation is the key but more to the point automation that does NOT drive your overall costs up. Of course now is the time to be thinking about that. If you wait until October to think about your “system” that will be too late.

Turn your thinking up-side-down and start growing your business now. So get started looking for opportunities, what are you waiting for? Get a plan in place to go after that opening in the market, now is the time!

Last Tuesday and Wednesday we had our Annual User’s Conference where we experienced double the attendance we’ve had in years past.  The two days were broken up into one and two hour sessions; each explaining different parts of our software and also introducing new features we have added.  We would like to thank Phil Harwood from Pro-Motion Consulting for his wonderful presentation on customer service and culture in the work place.  We would also like to thank Jeff Hodgson from Chicago Weather Brokerage for his intriguing presentation on how snow and rainfall can be traded.  It was great seeing our clients, meeting new faces, and introducing our new GPS capability to them before we débuted it publicly on the trade show floor!  Side note — the food at the hotel during our conference was absolutely amazing!

The SIMA Symposium was great! They started off with a bang at the Welcome Reception with the début of Pro-Tech’s SnoFighter Documentary.  The movie was very impressive and the movie theater style theme at the party with popcorn and candy made it a fun event to attend.  If you haven’t seen the movie yet you have to check it out.  I’m sure SIMA will probably have it up on their website or Pro-Tech will put it on their YouTube Channel.

At the Symposium, we had our biggest booth yet!  And thank goodness we had all that space because we were constantly surrounded by attendees wanting to know more about CrewTracker and to watch a demo of our software.  It was also a lot of fun having some of our customers volunteer in our booth on Friday to explain to attendees what it was really like for them to implement CrewTracker Software at their company.

Along with Morton Salt and International Salt, we sponsored the Snow Warriors Awards Banquet.  We all had custom fortune cookies made with special fortune messages from all of the sponsors.  Randy also gave his rendition of The Late Show’s Top 10 when he read off the top reason’s why our clients said they do snow removal.  The lucky grand prize winner walked away with a Vacation of their choice valued at $1,500!  The awards Banquet had their largest attendance yet.  Two of our clients BSR and Sneller’s Landscaping each won the Excellence in Business Award!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

The outgoing President of SIMA, Daniel Gilliland (President of CrewTracker Software) has been succeeded by Jim Hornung Jr. ( Elbers Landscaping – another CrewTracker customer). Congratulations to both of them!

Now that winter is over, everyone is recuperating from the crazy snow season that was full of blizzards.  I have found that there are a few similar things our top snow clients are doing right now whether or not they have a lawn businesses too.

They are:

1. Reviewing their estimated costs for each property versus the actual costs to make sure they are writing their contracts correctly.
2. Analyzes how efficient their routes were and where any problems occurred.
3. Updating, training, and running practice tests of new snow software they are implementing next snow season.

#3 is one of the most important things a snow company can do right now.  A lot of you out there get so busy with lawn that you figure you’ll start thinking about snow operations come September or October.  Well, that’s simply too late!

The top companies stay on top because they plan ahead.  By analyzing last year’s snow season now, you have time to come up with the most efficient ways of doing things.

An example of this that a lot of our clients are doing practice snow events using our IVR system.  They act as if it was an actual snow event: All the crews are called out to their properties and they have to call in using our IVR system, real-time reports are being analyzed, adjustments to routes are being made, and example invoices are being processed.  By planning ahead you save money on snow materials, office equipment, man hours, and gasoline.

When you give yourself the time to prepare, it eliminates the negative chaos, the unknowns, and everyone works as a team better because everyone actually understands the correct process to follow.

Last week, I grabbed some breakfast at a local restaurant and noticed that the people sitting next to me had an iPad.  They brought their iPad to breakfast with them so that their child (who looked to be about 2) could watch his morning cartoons.  At first I thought that it was ridiculous that they were promoting watching tv during a family breakfast.  But then I realized that it kept the child from screaming, whining, or complaining and the parents looked really happy being able to carry on their own conversation and enjoy their breakfast.  Is the iPad the new babysitter?

And let’s not forget, CrewTracker Software™ can be used on anything that has internet access using a web browser!

So I compiled some reviews and prices for the more prominent tablets on the market….

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: $499

Pros
Excellent user interface. Sharp, beautiful screen. Top-notch browser with full Flash-video support. Wirelessly transfers files to and from computers on same network. Internet tethering with Blackberry phones works well—and it’s free.

Cons
Some hardware issues and significant software bugs. No native e-mail support at launch—only browser bookmarks for Webmail sites. Bridge support for BlackBerry phone sync is not yet finalized. No video chat despite front-facing camera.

Bottom Line
When RIM pushes out the updates to make the BlackBerry PlayBook a better tablet for e-mail, video chat, and productivity, we’ll revisit this rating. For now, though, it’s outmatched by competitors with more versatile and complete feature sets.

Acer Iconia 6120: $1,199.99

Pros

Dual screens equals lots of screen real estate. Innovative touch software bundle. Reasonably priced. USB 3.0 port included. Its TouchBrowser utilizes both screens.

Cons
Virtual keyboard will anger and flummox most typists. Big and heavy for a tablet or laptop. Bottom screen is hard to use under a bright light. Media card slot reader is an external USB attachment. Gesture editor and number of other utilities are too BETA to use. Paltry battery life. Lacks a good 3D chip for CAD and serious graphics designers.

Bottom Line
The Acer Iconia 6120 is a unique and innovative take on multitasking, but the virtual keyboard and Acer’s touch software pack aren’t ready for prime time.

Motorola Xoom (Verizon Wireless) $599- $799

Pros
The first Android tablet with Google’s tablet-specific Honeycomb OS. Fast. Beautiful, highly responsive touch screen. HDMI output for televison/computer monitor viewing.

Cons
User interface seems overcomplicated at times. Flash support is only in beta mode, has limitations. While promised in the future, there’s no support for SD cards at launch. Android Market on the device is buggy. Few high-quality, must-have Honeycomb apps.

Bottom Line
The Motorola Xoom for Verizon Wireless is the best Android tablet yet, but with a lack of key features (like full Flash video and SD card slot support) and mediocre apps at launch, it doesn’t measure up to the Apple iPad.

Apple iPad 2 (Wi-Fi + 3G): $629- $829

Pros

Thinner than the original. New A5 chip offers faster graphics processing, general performance. Dual cameras for video chat, HD video recording, and stills. Improved design incorporates internal magnets for Smart Cover accessory. 3G versions available on AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Improved AirPlay features. Supports HDMI output (via optional adapter).

Cons
Image quality with rear-facing camera is not great. Front-facing camera is not HD. Still no Flash video support. No earbuds included.

Bottom Line
The clear standout in the ever-widening sea of tablets, the Apple iPad 2 brings a slimmer design, faster processing, dual cameras, and FaceTime video chat to a tablet that already had a leg up on the competition.

Accessory of the Moment –Zagg Zaggmate with Keyboard: $99

Pros

Holds iPad in landscape or portrait orientation. Useful iPad-specific keys. Connects easily via Bluetooth. Long battery life. Doubles as screen-protecting case.

Cons
Raised edges make typing difficult. Small keys. Recessed connectivity buttons. Some keys in unexpected places.

Bottom Line
The Zagg Zaggmate with Keyboard is a useful travel companion that can help boost your iPad productivity, but it’s not for the large-handed or the impatient.

*All of these reviews are from pcmag.com

If you are a smaller snow removal or lawn mowing company, the PRO 50 package might be the best choice for you.  The PRO 50 package gives you all the same benefits as the PRO Unlimited but with fewer properties.  With PRO 50, you can have an unlimited number of crews but only have a maximum of 50 properties.  By implementing the PRO 50 package, you will have all of your data organized and will be used to using CrewTracker so that when your business has grown beyond the PRO 50, the switch to the PRO Unlimited will be extremely easy.

No matter what package you choose, you still get all the great CrewTracker Software features like: CrewTracker’s IVR, Remote Entry, Unique Web Portal, Visual Routing, and Customized Reports.

Also, please check out our newly updated website that has more detailed information!

Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter @crewtrackersnow, Watch us on Youtube.com/CrewTracker

It’s important to adapt your current business practices so that you are still making a profit in these new conditions.

There’s a few things you can add to your contracts like: blizzard clauses, ice storm clauses, and fuel surcharge clauses.

Blizzards seem to have become a given during a snow season now.  Before, it was a rarity for a blizzard to happen, but now we have experienced them for the past two years in Kansas City.  A way to protect your business if a blizzard happens is to add a blizzard clause into your snow removal contracts.  This type of clause really saves you in your seasonal contracts.  The most popular blizzards clauses state that you charge hourly after it gets to a certain snow depth or if it has been defined by weather professionals as a blizzard. The definition of a blizzard according to Wikipedia is “a snow storm that must have winds in excess of 56 km/h (35 mph) with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more”.  It’s important to add a blizzard clause to your contract so your customers understand how having to keep large equipment ready (large loaders, dump trucks for hauling snow, and large pushers) really does cost you a lot more money.  You will also find that in a blizzard, you will need much larger equipment on a smaller property that you hadn’t originally planned for.  (CrewTracker has a built in blizzard option).

Fuel is only getting more expensive.  To support the growing fuel prices, it’s a good idea to put in a fuel surcharge clause.  By setting a fuel surge clause, you let your clients know that when fuel reaching a certain amount that you have to raise your prices accordingly.  This clause really comes into play when you have to remove snow from a property.

The question for these week is…. At what price does fuel have to reach for more companies to start using snow melters to get rid of extra snow on properties? (after all, snow melters are better for the environment then dumping snow in other places)

Here at CrewTracker Software™, 2011 is all about our customers.  We hit some big milestones last year, and now we are concentrating on maintaining our success.  Happy customers are a company’s best advocate, which is why this year we are making big changes in our customer relations campaigns.

At CrewTracker Software™, our customers are experiencing success faster and easier.  This is because we are always improving our communication methods.  This year alone we have developed unique programs and implementation workbooks.  We are gearing up for our 2nd Annual User’s Conference that is held the two days prior to the SIMA Symposium.  This is a an event where our customers can network with each other and attend guest speaker presentations.

Now ask yourself, “What does your software company do for you?”

You can categorize your entire life and business with these things! It’s relatively easy to learn.  You can do a lot of things with a spreadsheet but is it really efficient?  Not only does it take a long time to initially set up the spreadsheet with all of the equations you need and enter all of your data into it, but you also have to have multiple people enter and re-enter all the data into multiple spreadsheets every time you have new data to put into them.

Things that make you cringe about spreadsheets:

• spreadsheets start small and you think they are organized but then they grow and get out of control
• What can seem organized to one person makes absolutely no sense to another person
• Too easy to change, anyone could do something to it
• Hard to know which copy is up to date
• It doesn’t integrate with accounting software
• You have easily spent $10-20 thousand dollars in man hours to keep them up to date

So I’ve put together a little list “ You know you’ve gone to far with spreadsheets when…”

…it takes 100 pages to print out one spreadsheet,

…you have to scroll down your spreadsheet for 2 min to find what you’re looking for,

…you realize you have 100 spreadsheets that you haven’t used in a year,

…you’re having a conversation with your spreadsheet that are mainly made up of 4 letter words,

…you can’t sleep because you’re sleeping about spreadsheets,

…you think a great xmas present is buying the newest version of Excel,

….you start thinking you need glasses because you’ve been staring at spreadsheets for too long

feel free to add to the list…