Success Story:
Master Mastic
Adopted digital scheduling to stay ahead in expansion joints repair
Company:
Master Mastic
Industry:
Waterproofing
Location:
Sachse, TX
Website:
www.mastermasticdfw.com
“We have been able to double our sales with almost less effort.”
Brian Stilwell
Owner, Master Mastic
Highlights
Jobs are now assigned to technicians based on location and proximity to one another
Efficient scheduling allowed technicians to spend more time on jobs and less time driving
Two-way QuickBooks Online sync saved time and the need for double accounting entries
Electronic work
orders streamlined communication between the office and the field
Company
Master Mastic began as a family business in 1998, specializing in sealing expansion joints for the swimming pool industry.
Challenge
When Master Mastic first started, the expansion joint caulking company used a binder to keep track of jobs, while using a map application to navigate to them.
As the company began to grow, their workflow processes changed, becoming even more inefficient. Job scheduling now involved plugging addresses into Google Maps and taking a best guess at an optimal route.
As estimates and work were scheduled, relevant job information was squeezed into one line of a Google Calendar appointment. Schedules were then printed – any additional notes were handwritten in – and Master Mastic’s office manager would use an emailed photo of the printed schedule to confirm appointments.
Technicians were given printers in their homes to print out each day’s schedule and they’d receive a text with any cancellations or changes. At the end of the day, they’d take a picture of that printed schedule – which also contained their handwritten notes and measurements for each job – and text it to the office team. Invoices were then typed into QuickBooks and sent to customers.
With so many systems and processes to keep track of, Master Mastic sought a better, more efficient way to:
- Schedule and assign jobs
- Maintain communication between the office and field teams
- Invoice customers and collect and reconcile payments
Solution
When they first began using a field service management software solution, Master Mastic found that it helped to solve some of their challenges. But it lacked scalability as they looked to grow their expansion joint sealing business. After assessing other options on the market, they found an ideal solution with GPS Insight. While other platforms they considered had similar functionality, the company found that they lacked other key features, didn’t have as clean a user interface, and carried a higher price tag.
Benefits
A smoother workflow has allowed Master Mastic to eliminate man-hours previously dedicated to inefficient processes. The company has been able to hire new staff that spend their
time focusing on business growth and other detail-oriented challenges, instead of tedious tasks and communications. Master Mastic has also gained a reputation with their customers as being organized and professional, which earns them repeat business.
More Sales Opportunities
The ability to assign jobs to technicians based on the job location with GPS Insight field service management was a game-changer.
“The ability to see in real-time the pinpoints of jobs on a map and where they are clustered helps us to make sure our crew isn’t running from one side of town to another. Assigning our techs
to work in those clusters with efficient routes creates more sales opportunities because they are not spending time driving.” said Brian Stilwell, Master Mastic owner.
Communicating Without Communicating
One of the most important factors in Master Mastic’s search was cutting back on time spent on cross-connection between their office and technicians, being able to “communicate without communicating.” With GPS Insight field service management, all job data – not just what could fit on one line of an appointment block – was contained in an electronic work order that was impossible to lose or misplace like paper. Technicians no longer needed to print their schedule each day, instead accessing it with their work orders on a mobile app. Photos of handwritten measurements and job sites were now stored in each work order instead of being texted to the office team. A real-time sync from the tech’s mobile app and the office also meant that estimates could be sent to customers immediately, which allowed for real- time approval and seamless conversion into a job.
Two-way QuickBooks Online Integration is Better Than One
Another compelling reason Master Mastic chose to switch to GPS Insight field service management was a two-way sync integration with QuickBooks Online. As a tech completed a job in the field, office staff could, with the click of a button, create an invoice that instantly synced with the company’s QuickBooks Online account. Emailing customers their invoices, with a link for payment, eliminated the time office staff spent collecting credit card information over the phone. Payments then synced from QuickBooks Online to the GPS Insight field service management platform, a functionality that their original software provider did not offer. It has saved Master Mastic time and the headache of double data entry.
