Tom Cartledge, Director, Technology & Operations, John Moore Services (JMS)

SuperNova Award Category

Technology Optimization & Innovation

The Company

John Moore Services (JMS) specializes in all types of home comfort and maintenance systems including air conditioning, heating, electrical, plumbing, attic insulation, pest control, and water damage restoration. When it comes to home comfort and maintenance, remember to "Call John and Get Moore."

The Problem

Our problem:  We were growing rapidly and needed to be more efficient with our existing resources and streamline all business processes. We wanted to optimize technology to transform into a leading-edge, innovative company capable of providing a high quality and consistent customer experience. Our systems were mostly manual: customers called in to report a problem; CSRs gathered information from callers to determine which type of technician was needed; and dispatchers found the right tech for the job, but this was a labor and time-intensive process that needed improvement.

The Solution

We knew we needed to replace manual processes in order to reduce overhead, improve the customer experience, and cultivate repeat business among our best customers. In addition, we needed to implement a technology infrastructure that would enable us to scale faster and more effectively and to improve business operations such as accepting on-site payments and improving the speed of invoicing. We were committed to cloud-based solutions, and solidified on a combination of Vertical Solutions’s VService Management™ plus NetSuite’s OneWorld for their tight integration and end-to-end service solution, all via the cloud.

The Results

Service is the core of our business and VServiceMangement offered everything we needed to manage our field service operations.  We have transformed our business by automating numerous processes, and are now positioned to manage future growth while maintaining a positive customer experience.

We especially have seen ROI from these areas after our implementation:
• Business workflows we created ourselves to automate processes.
• CSR training on customer interaction and soft skills rather than on the myriad scenarios involved in plumbing, heating, and air conditioning.
• Call data now transmit accurately and seamlessly to dispatch without delay via VSM, with improved information that enables dispatch to send out a tech with the right certifications, equipment, or parts needed to make the fix.
• Customer payments with instant credit-card verification and check processing; onsite signature capture capability means customers approve the work immediately and this is transmitted seamlessly to our ERP system.

The Technology

VServiceManagement™ (VSM) & V360 Scheduling, Vertical Solutions, Inc. (cloud deployment)

Metrics Matter

Before implementation: 26 minutes for technician turnaround time (time in between closing a work order and starting on a new one)

After implementation:  under 5 minutes for technician turnaround time

Before implementation:  Technicians consistently called the Call Center for assistance.

After implementation:  We have reduced technician calls from the field into the Call Center by 68%. (non-revenue calls reduced)

Before implementation: Manually closed out work orders -  time-intensive process

After implementation: Techs now close 60% of their work orders automatically, with corresponding reduction in time spent on this process

Before implementation: Our business required hiring many extra resources to manage the processes for our service organization.

After implementation: We have reduced overall staffing expenditures by 30%, in part due to increased employee performance, and in part due to less staff turnover

Disruptive Factor

We recognized that we needed to set a foundation for our vision of a “one-stop shop for all home services” and embraced an end-to-end cloud strategy.  Our goal as an organization is to be the single home services provider for every customer and this project has helped us move closer to that goal. This is game-changing in our industry.

Shining Moment

The results of this project have enhanced our company brand and streamlined our work environment in more ways than we anticipated and we are reaping the benefits.  We code-named our mobile rollout “LeapPad” , like the child’s game, because we strive to make each and every customer’s experience positive and simple.