Mobilising workers and pest controllers

Problem

As with most businesses a sale starts with a lead, this then hopefully progresses to a quote and then hopefully a sale and then payment.

However, processing leads on pieces of paper is difficult to manage effectively, often ending to leads being lost with no way to check if they’ve been followed up, quoted for, won or lost. This was precisely the problem Greenway was experiencing and they needed a software solution to resolve this.

Before we created a CRM for Greenway they were creating quotes manually and then having to remember to follow up the quote, which could often lead to a lost opportunity and more importantly lost revenue. They were also manually creating invoices, which meant the process of chasing payment and then checking for payment was a time-consuming administrative process which they needed to be streamlined.

There was also no easy way of reporting on conversion success rates, cash flow and other ‘business fundamentals’ because all of the business ‘data’ was stored on paper.

Solution

There are numerous CRMs available to manage leads and numerous software applications to manage the creation of quotes and invoices. There are also numerous platforms that can manage jobs. However, there isn’t anything that fits the exact needs of a pest control business.

To assist Greenway in building this ‘unique’ system, Sapere provided software consultancy, design, and development services to create a bespoke web-based application. the created CRM now allows the business to manage leads, quotes, jobs and invoices from one place. A printer integrates with the solution to allow staff to print out QR codes and stickers to apply to ethical traps, allowing the owner to identify a problem remotely and then, in line with the business ethos, ethically remove the pest.

A heat map report facility also allows the business to identify outbreaks, within a geographical area, of infestations and react accordingly.

This project illustrates how a really effective, efficient bespoke solution built around the needs of the customer can allow a business to grow without being constrained by paper-based processes.

Business Benefits

The following business benefits have been realised by Greenway since the software solution went live.

  • Heat maps of problem areas allow the team to predict where their services might be needed increasing the sales pipeline.
  • The profit level per job has increased because the process of completing a job and invoicing is lean.
  • Payments are never missed because the system flags up overdue payments without having to look for them.
  • The system allows the company to remain ethical as it reports on any chemicals used and the reasons for their use.

Andrew Hancock, Managing Director says:

“I wanted a software solution that would both allow my business to grow with more ease and give my domestic and commercial clients a better experience. I approached several companies but decided to go with Sapere due to their professional and easy to understand approach to software development. I knew where I stood at all stages of development and having my own go-to contact in the development stage meant the process could be more organic, with things changing along the way as we tweaked and tailored the software to fit my needs exactly. I’m extremely happy with the end result and would happily work with Sapere on future projects.”

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