If you’re like many food equipment company leaders, you use several software programs to run your business. After all, it seems natural to pick up new programs as your company grows. Unfortunately, stacking multiple systems is a recipe for disaster.
If you use multiple field service software systems, it could be stunting your company’s growth and teeing up headaches for the future. Here are four ways relying on multiple systems could be hurting your food equipment company without you knowing it.
Here’s a common scenario for food equipment companies: You start with a simple field service software system. As new needs pop up, your company picks up a new system for every new task.
Maybe you want to centralize purchasing. Perhaps you’re ready to bring payroll back in-house, collect electronic payments, or monitor warranty claims. In all cases, if basic software can’t handle advanced tasks, you’re left picking up new programs. The next thing you know, you have a laundry list of logins and a pile of programs.
What’s the cost to your company?
First, every new system puts extra demands on employees who need to learn how to use it. Second, it’s expensive to buy new programs and invest in extra training. In fact, some estimates say installation, training, maintenance, and upgrades make up 40-60 percent of a software system’s total costs. Every cent you spend on new systems and every hour of an employee’s time that’s wasted could be going into investments that drive profits instead.
Anyone who’s been in a hot kitchen during rush hour knows that food service equipment companies rely on smooth processes, efficient deployment, and quick repairs. Unfortunately, disjointed systems can cause the wheels to fall off fast.
One of the biggest problems with multiple systems is double entries and having to effectively manage two systems. Simply put, if your employees aren’t using the same entry system during chaotic times, errors will happen. Every time your team stumbles over unclear customer records or makes an invoicing error, it damages your company’s relationship with its customers.
Worse yet, disjointed systems can slowly eat away at your company’s culture. One goal for any field service operation should be to use systems that connect the whole team. When internal employees and technicians are all working with the same systems, it keeps them talking and moving forward together. All the while, customers will take note when your company is firing on all cylinders.
Chances are that you already understand that productivity equals profit in the food equipment industry. Unfortunately, inefficient processes are pulling the productivity out of many field service employees. One McKinsey study found that field technicians waste as much as 40 percent of their workday doing non-value-adding activities, including “unnecessary data entry.” That’s 40 percent less time to focus on valuable activities, such as:
Alarmingly, relying on multiple systems is stifling internal teams as well. Without unified information, it’s difficult to track, schedule, and deploy workers. In an industry that’s growing as quickly as the food equipment industry is, every little holdup is a missed opportunity.
Instead, food equipment companies should use technology to automate simple tasks as much as possible. Once you free up employees’ time, it’s a breeze to funnel energy into the areas you know will turn into higher profits.
The clearer your service metrics are, the easier it is to chart plans and grow. When data is scattered across multiple systems, on the other hand, it’s nearly impossible to set up service indicators, measure success, and expand your operation.
Here’s where all-in-one platforms show off a sharp contrast. Because information is being fed into one database, all-in-one software makes it easier to examine your performance numbers. In fact, advanced systems will even display analytics in a single dashboard, so you can see how well you’re meeting company goals and where the team can improve.
Multiple systems may be causing problems, but you don’t have to let them hold your company back. The solution is simple: Invest in a quality, all-in-one software system once and for all. The right all-in-one program will help you organize your processes, will streamline data for you, and will grow with your company.
Want to see how all-in-one software works? We love to show it off. Schedule a demo today and learn how Davisware technology can improve your food equipment services company.