Equipment Experts

ABOUT EQUIPMENT EXPERTS

In 2005, Greg Conner built his first service truck between his new baby’s nap times, eventually starting a business to support his family of five. He jammed in over 100 hours a week for many years, building his company bit by bit.

Over time, Equipment Experts zeroed in on servicing heavy-duty trucks, forklifts, and equipment. Much of their service is now performed by mobile techs, with their now seasoned kids and upbeat team overseeing much of the business.

WHAT DID EQUIPMENT EXPERTS NEED?

By 2019, Equipment Experts had reached a critical stage in its growth. They wanted to continue growing and improving, but they knew their current operational systems were clouding the information they needed to do so. They began looking at various pieces of software and came up with two specific challenges any app needed to solve.

“[Fullbay] has the ability to have one on ones with us where we show our problem and [Fullbay] says here’s how you solve it”

CHALLENGE #1: COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SERVICE AND PRODUCTION

Because most of Equipment Expert’s techs are mobile, communication and documentation are critical, especially when it comes to improving efficiency. Fullbay offers a real-time understanding of the state of the work order and job. Fullbay also reduces the duplication of writing and entering information, removing the opportunity for critical errors in reading, deciphering, and updating work orders.

Shop managers need to trust their technicians and know that they’ll get the job done…but technicians can’t operate in a vacuum. A tech might complete a work order, but aside from the final time noted, the owner often has no idea how efficient the tech had been with their time. What if a repair that should have taken a half-day stretched into a week?

Without knowing what techs were up to and whether they could take on more work – or complete their existing work at greater speed – the shop was unable to try new methods. These sorts of delays impacted every aspect of the shop and its profitability.

CHALLENGE #2: MISSING STEPS, MISSING TIME

The shop needed to reduce all the little roadblocks that stop a work order progressing from the original call to the paid invoice.

Gaps in information can clog up even the smoothest-running machine. It’s too easy to miss something; for example, if a tech out on a mobile service forgets to write down the engine number, the entire workflow can crash to a halt.

Someone further down the line has to go back and find out the engine number. The amount of time spent filling in the missed steps can take a chunk out of even the most profitable shop.

THE DANGER TO THE SHOP

Losing time and clouded visibility on where to improve struck a direct blow against the owners’ desire to grow. The shop ran its operations via reaction: A repair order came in, and it was fulfilled, but there was little time left for anything else. Moving up to the next level seemed increasingly difficult.

ENTER FULLBAY

For the first time, the owners could see exactly what technicians were doing and how long it took them – as well as how to help them perform more capably. The reports also indicated which techs brought in the most money and which could stand to improve – as well as where things needed to change to bring out the best in their techs. Fullbay pulled back the curtain on the shop’s operations, providing greater transparency to everyone.

THE CUSTOMER PORTAL

In many shops, a customer is rolling the dice when they call. They might end up talking to a service manager, back office, parts manager, tech, or even the shop owner. If that information isn’t all in one place, the time spent obtaining the info needed from each person can tank communication and drag out what should be a very basic task.

“[Fullbay’s customer portal] is impressive and puts us above competitors that may not have something like it.”

Fullbay lets those with the necessary access immediately see all the pertinent information of a unit being serviced. This includes the actual customer, who can also receive information about upcoming service through Fullbay. Customers can also see which units are being serviced and not on-site – gone are the days of walking around the lot to see which trucks are available for use.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION FOR ALL

Equipment Experts quickly realized that Fullbay completely wiped out that communication hiccups. If your parts manager winds up fielding phone calls from clients, all they need to do is pull up the entry in Fullbay and they have all the visibility they need from service request to invoice.

A TRUE PARTNERSHIP

Equipment Experts noticed right away that Fullbay remained attentive even after onboarding was complete – support is a permanent part of the package. Parts? Back office? Service? Fullbay’s got their back.

THE GROWTH SPURT

The numbers after a year spent with Fullbay speak for themselves. In 2019, Equipment Experts increased its efficiency by 20-25%. They attribute this spike in productivity to their technicians being able to do more in the same amount of time – that’s how much Fullbay has changed the game for them. They’ve even added it to their sales pitch!

But that’s just the beginning. Fullbay continues to add useful integrations to help shops run even more efficiently. This, coupled with the systems Equipment Experts is putting into place, means there’s an even more promising future ahead.