Ken’s Window Cleaning has come a long way since Ken Bullinger bought his first bucket and squeegee in 1988. Although Ken’s company is now a resounding success, their journey to the top was littered with hiring, financing, marketing, and operational obstacles. One problem, however, always loomed larger than the rest; how do you migrate a multi-state operation from a pen and paper system to a software system?
“Having a paper company is like working with a glass ceiling. You can only go so far, although you can see the other side. If you want to bust through the glass ceiling you need software.” Some people go on software searches. Ken went on a software crusade. “Nothing was going to stop me from finding this software. I searched the internet, I called people I knew, I traveled to four different states to find people already implementing software.” Finally, Ken found his solution.
“The software demanded data, so we gave it data. We typed, the software beeped and chirped, we couldn’t wait for the big pay off. The time finally came to answer the phone and wield our mighty software sword. I loomed over the computer and watched intently. The girl answered the phone. The customer wanted an appointment. All we needed to do was remember to open this window, double click on this, then right click on that, copy and paste this over there, click on a drop down box, select the correct option, open the sales tax box… We were exhausted. Every time I was out of the office, it went back to paper. It was easier to keep doing what we were doing than feed the software all the information it needed.”
After striking out the first time around, Ken stepped back up to the plate. “I started my software search again, much more educated and hesitant after my last expensive and time consuming disappointment. I called Smart Service.”
Ken also spoke with a number of Smart Service customers to get their real-world perspective. “No one seemed stressed out. In fact, they all said it worked great and didn’t have much else to add. I knew what that meant, it was working FOR them. It had integrated well with their day-to-day routine and become a positive force in their business.”
Now a satisfied customer, Ken has more to add. “Smart Service works. Period. In our office we say, ‘click, click, boom.’ We get things done that used to be cumbersome and frustrating with a maximum of two clicks. Crews in the field are more informed and easier to communicate with. We’ve increased revenue by becoming more efficient. For the first time in years everyone looks forward to the growth of the business instead of being in fear of the coming workload. We actually high five each other at the end of some days because so much work gets done smoothly.”
“The software grows along with us and at our pace. The support staff is the best I have ever dealt with. The only regret someone would have with Smart Service is they didn’t start using it sooner.”
The only regret someone would have with Smart Service is they didn't start using it sooner.
