Shelby Mechanical Maximizes Field Service Productivity with Service Pro and NetSuite

Plumbing service provider in Michigan empowers field technicians with the premier NetSuite-connected field service mobile app

 

Shelby Mechanical - MSI's Service Pro for NetSuite customer

 

Based in Michigan, Shelby Mechanical has been providing plumbing services for commercial buildings and residential homes for nearly two decades. As a family owned and operated business, the team at Shelby Mechanical strive to provide their neighbors with top-quality, same-day plumbing services. And their highly trained field technicians can handle it all, from fixing a leaky kitchen faucet in a residence to repairing a commercial water heater at the local Home Depot.

With customers distributed across several counties requiring vastly different services, the team at Shelby Mechanical needed to better communicate with technicians in the field while achieving an even higher level of customer satisfaction. That’s when they turned to a system like MSI’s Service Pro for NetSuite.

 

Shelby Mechanical fleet - MSI's Service Pro for NetSuite customer

 

 

CHALLENGE

Back when Shelby Mechanical was a smaller business with only one location, they relied on technicians filling out paper invoices in the field. This paper-based process worked just fine when they had only a few technicians on staff. But a lot has changed since then.

With many more technicians and two locations, Shelby Mechanical fulfilled dozens of field service requests every day. Business was growing, and customers were happy. But they still depended on handwritten paper invoices, leaving the back office team drowning in paperwork and struggling to get invoices out quickly.

Shelby Mechanical needed to scale their field service operations to support their growing business and increased customer demand. And get rid of paperwork for good.

Inefficient scheduling communication

In the past, when a service request came in to Shelby Mechanical, the dispatcher had to notify the field technician by sending a text message to his mobile device. A simple text seems sufficient enough for the technician to get the job done, right? Maybe not.

Though the technician had basic service call information from the text, he lacked access to customer history, specific work order details, contact information, and other important data. Not being able to see detailed customer information before the service appointment left technicians guessing what the issue was and what tools would be needed. The technician may have arrived at the appointment without the necessary background information and the right tools, forcing him to have to schedule a return trip.

Manual, paper dependent invoicing process

Once the technician was on site, it was up to him to handwrite the invoice, capture all the necessary work order details, and collect payment.

“We relied on paper invoices to be turned in from the technicians to know what happened and how much we were paid,” says Shelby Mechanical’s Megan Mitter.

If the technician missed including a charge for something or tallied the costs incorrectly, that was lost revenue for Shelby Mechanical.

Lack of insight into future appointments

Armed with just a text message from the dispatcher about his next appointment, the technician wasn’t able to prepare for service calls in advance. This means the technician might show up to a customer site not knowing specifically what the issue is or how to fix it.

Without insight into what his workday, week, or month looked like, the technician couldn’t effectively pre-diagnose the issue to resolve it faster.

 

SOLUTION

It was clear to the Shelby Mechanical team that they needed to empower their field technicians with more data and do away with paperwork for good. Because they use NetSuite as their ERP, they wanted a field service solution that can seamlessly integrate with their NetSuite system.

Here’s where MSI’s Service Pro for NetSuite comes in.

Because Service Pro automates manual processes and provides comprehensive historical information to technicians on their mobile devices, Shelby Mechanical knew it was the right solution for their expanding plumbing business.

Even just a few months into using the software, the team at Shelby Mechanical has seen vast improvements in field-to-office communication and invoicing accuracy and turnaround times.

 

RESULTS

Since implementing Service Pro for NetSuite, Shelby Mechanical has completely streamlined their entire field service operations, from the initial service call to customer payment.

 

MSI Data Field Service Management Oracle NetSuite SuiteCloud Developer Network

 

Instant dispatching and scheduling communications

Now when a service call comes in, the dispatcher simply schedules the work order with a few clicks using the Service Pro visual scheduler. Then the technician receives an automated notification through the Service Pro mobile app, with all the work order details, customer site information, and customer history right in the palm of his hand.

“Now we can send invoices and estimates the same day without multiple phone calls back and forth between employees.”

Megan, Shelby Mechanical

The technician’s location, status, and notes are visible in real time from Service Pro, providing dispatchers with a window into the field to make smarter scheduling decisions.

“With Service Pro, we can dispatch instantly, and the technicians are able to communicate through the app to let the back office know what work was performed and how much the customer paid,” Megan says. “Now we can send invoices and estimates the same day without multiple phone calls back and forth between employees.”

Seamless NetSuite-integrated service order process

By using Service Pro for NetSuite, Shelby Mechanical has completely revamped their start-to-finish service order process. The field technicians are better informed of their schedule and tasks, and the back office team are able to send out accurate invoices the same day work is completed.

According to Megan, “The entire process of a service order is very seamless. Invoices go out instantly, and payments are recorded the same day.”

“The entire process of a service order is very seamless. Invoices go out instantly, and payments are recorded the same day.”

 

Comprehensive customer and equipment data on mobile

Now that technicians have the power of NetSuite in the field, they can better prepare for their appointments in advance. This helps them get the job done right the first time and eliminates the need for a costly return trip.

“The technicians are able to see their appointments as far out as they are scheduled,” Megan says. “This helps them know what materials they’ll need and gives them the opportunity to prep for their jobs.”

And there’s more than just appointment information in Service Pro. Technicians are now able to take pictures, capture customer signatures, and record notes all from their mobile device.

All this makes for a better experience for both Shelby Mechanical’s customers and employees alike. As Megan says, “Communication with customers and the field from the back office and vice versa has proven to be much more efficient all around.”

Whether your service business has 12 or 12,000 technicians, Service Pro for NetSuite can help drive efficiencies throughout the entire field service process. Request a free demo of Service Pro for NetSuite today.

 

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