Harris Integrated Solutions is a family-run digital control company that creates efficient, energy-saving solutions for its customers. Their diverse line of products can operate everything from home lighting to a commercial HVAC system to a jet air fueling tank. Linxup helps Harris manage service calls with three service trucks that run daily, every day. “The entire day is billable,” says Joey, the service manager. “This makes productivity in that billable time essential. Productivity benefits all of our employees because profits are given back to employees as bonuses.”
Invoices for Harris service calls need to include labor, travel time, and mileage. In the past, some of these costs were often guesstimated, creating a loss for the service-based business.
There is also a degree of stress that comes with needing to be able to tabulate this kind of data quickly. When you need to provide quick and timely service it can be easy to forget the basics like keeping track of time. Linxup prevents time wastage on service calls.
Once Linxup was installed, there was an immediate productivity increase on services provided. Joey notes, “Tickets were more precise on travel time and mileage.” The company can now accurately bill for all costs incurred during a service call, thereby increasing revenue for each job.
Monitoring employee activity is challenging for any company with a mobile workforce. Linxup has empowered Harris management to verify the routes and locations of drivers throughout the day.
“We’ve had issues with employees not being where they are supposed to be,” says Joey. “Kids and TV shows are not sounds you should hear when a driver calls and says he is on the job. The system definitely put the brakes on excessive personal use of the vehicle.”
Linxup also provides Harris with insights into each service call that they didn’t have before. “I know when they’re idling, and I know how long they are idling,” explains Joey. “Before, I had no reference point.”
These insights have led to constructive and cost-saving advice for his team, such as encouraging employees to fill out service tickets on the job site rather than in an idling vehicle.
Another benefit of Linxup is improved customer response times and the ability to communicate better.
“The customer can be better informed about when the service technician will get there,” Joey says. “The mobile app makes it easy to check on the fleet quickly. I log into the mobile app every morning from about 7:15 to 7:30 am to ensure everyone is where they should be. I like the fact that you can drill down on one driver and get details.” This functionality allows Joey to check first thing daily to see if his drivers are running on time for their first appointments.
Harris management can now monitor driving behavior and safety, thanks to Linxup’s safety rating of each driver. “It actually gives them a grade on their driving,” says Joey. “We think this will help us with insurance costs.” Joey’s favorite Linxup feature is maintenance events and reminders. “Fleet vehicle maintenance is the biggest nightmare of any fleet service department,” he explains. “I used to leave it up to the drivers to get oil changes. Now I can set up oil changes as a maintenance event, and they will automatically get a reminder.”
Joey and his fellow workers at Harris have found Linxup to be a valuable tool for managing service calls at a very reasonable cost. Since it is easy to install and use, they could immediately get value from it without waiting for specialized installation. “You can’t beat it for the money,” he says. “You just plug it in, and it’s done.”
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