How Plymouth Electric Saved $121k in One Year with GoCanvas

How Plymouth Electric Saved $121,700 in One Year with GoCanvas

The Background

Since 1979, Plymouth Electric Inc. has been providing fast and reliable completion of all types of electrical jobs. Their professional team in Plymouth, NE is just as comfortable taking care of your home’s electric heaters as they are installing alarm systems in large commercial facilities. Plymouth Electric works across all industries to provide complete, premium quality electrical services. When it comes to perfectly completed electrical jobs, Plymouth Electric Inc. is an industry leader.

The Problem

Prior to GoCanvas, Plymouth Electric was similar to many other electrical contractors in the world today in that they did everything on paper. The use of paper was causing multiple issues in their business including inventory control issues, mistakes in recording accurate data on job sites, and hours of back-office data re-entry into their pre-existing database systems. These errors caused by paper forms were adding up serval hours per week of wasted time and productivity, which equaled thousands of dollars in lost revenues

The Solution

Last March, Plymouth Electric went live with the GoCanvas App in order to start taking back the hours they were losing due to their inefficient paper process. Plymouth chose GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for business, because of the flexibility of the platform and its quick deployment structure. Beth Weishahn of Plymouth Electric commented that she
“enjoyed that we have the ability to change and adapt our app. If something isn’t working, we can change it.”Electrical contractors like Plymouth can search from over 20,000 pre-built app templates in the GoCanvas Application store that can be completely customized with the online, drag-and-drop App Builder tool. Using that same tool many businesses, like Plymouth Electric, elect to build their own from scratch. They decided to incorporate features like interactive checkboxes, digital signature capture, integrated customer/parts lists(via Excel), and auto-calculations. Other features include GPS capture, image capture, barcode scanning, and more.

After signing up for a free trial of GoCanvas, a Senior Consultant reached out to Beth and the team at Plymouth Electric to set up a client success call and ensure the project go off on the right foot. During this call, the team at GoCanvas analyzed the various business processes at Plymouth and identified where things could become more efficient. From there, the GoCanvas App platform could be customized to fit the exact processes identified during the success call and be tested by the entire Plymouth team!This was done within days with the use of GoCanvas’ powerful App Builder tool, which allows “citizen developers” to create their own apps to meet their specifications without any coding or techy language. The GoCanvas App was able to be created, deployed, and field tested in just a couple weeks.

The Outcomes

Plymouth Electric celebrated their one year anniversary of implementing GoCanvas in March. Over that time, they have been able to eliminate over 1,300 paperwork tickets by implementing the GoCanvas App. This has allowed them to clear up the issues bogging down their inventory reporting process and avoid wasting their in-office personnel’s time have to re-enter the data from paper back into their databases.

Plymouth also commented that the overall reduction of ordering and using paper forms has helped them save on their bottom line. Beth Weishahn commented that “Cutting paper helped save an additional $1,700 for the year.”

Since Plymouth Electric fully deployed the GoCanvas App in April 2015, they have seen a dramatic reduction in overall labor costs and increase in technician productivity.

Increase in Labor Efficiency – Since deploying the GoCanvas App, Plymouth has to be able to streamline their front and back-end data capture and storage processes. Now all the information comes back to the office in real-time as a secured PDF and is always available via the cloud for the technicians whenever they need it. They no longer have to right now everything with pen and paper, then drive it back to the office at the end of the day. “In fact, it’s been so efficient that we’ve saved approximately $475 per day in labor costs”, said Beth Weishahn.
Solving Inventory Control Issues – By using the GoCanvas App, all the data is able to flow smoothly from the field crews and into their back-office systems. No longer is there paper to bog down the process. Beth Weishahn of Plymouth Electric commented that “Honestly, GoCanvas was our solution to an inventory control problem. We went from having our work tickets as PDF’s to a real money saver in terms of efficiency and inventory accuracy.”
Getting Early Returns – Plymouth recently passed the one year mark of using GoCanvas and has seen dramatic returns on their investment. The savings have come from not only labor, but also productivity and material costs.
Beth stated that “in labor cost alone our savings have been over $120k in the last year across 4 crews”.

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GoCanvas has helped a variety of businesses across multiple industries transform their safety processes and rethink their efficiency, ultimately saving them money. Why not do the same? Reach out to one of our experts today to kickstart your process revolution.

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Automating How Work is Done – 70% said Project Tracking was the biggest challenge GoCanvas helps solve; 78% realized a complete ROI within the first nine months of deploying GoCanvas.

96% Why GoCanvas? – 96% of Enterprise clients rated GoCanvas’ Ease of Use & Features “Better” compared to similar vendors.

Average Increase in Productivity Across These Top Industries: Healthcare 22%; Construction 20%; Retail 20%; Manufacturing 16%; Energy & Utilities 23%.

Headaches Solved By Using GoCanvas – 64% Viewing Data in Real-Time; 54% keeping track of data.

Reasons To Purchase GoCanvas – 72% simplify data collection; 71% boost workforce efficiency; 54% reduce operational costs.

Increased Productivity: 60% of companies using GoCanvas increased their efficiency by up to 35%.

Most Popular Types of Mobile Forms – 54% inspections; 43% Checklists; 34% Workd orders;

How Allied Air Conditioning Saves $32k Annually Using GoCanvas

How Allied Air Conditioning & Heating Saves $32K Annually with GoCanvas

The Background

Allied Air Conditioning & Heating Corporation started their business in 1969 servicing the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. Today they have grown into one of the largest HVAC contractors in the Chicagoland area that ranks in the top 2% nationwide in sales volume. They specialize in new heating and air conditioner system installation, repair, replacement, and seasonal maintenance. With 24-hour emergency service available 365 days a year, the ACCA certified technicians at Allied Air are always on call when their customers need them.

The Problem

Allied Air prior to GoCanvas was knee deep in paper forms. Paper was being used for keeping inventory, customer information, and billing. With all this paper being used, Allied Air did not have a clear or accurate picture of what was being done by their HVAC technicians on a daily basis. Also, the use of paper forms led to problems with inaccurate customer data because of messy handwriting and missing information. Employees in the Allied Air office would end up spending hours per week transferring the information from their paper forms back into their computer system.

The Solution

Last year, Allied Air went live with the GoCanvas App in order to start streamlining many of the processes that were being slowed down by using paper. Allied chose GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for businesses, because of the flexibility of the platform and its quick deployment structure. The GoCanvas App has helped thousands of businesses replace cumbersome paper forms with easy-to-use mobile processes that greatly improve productivity.

Businesses can search from over 20,000+ pre-built app templates in the GoCanvas Application Store (several of which are designed specifically for commercial HVAC companies) that can be completely customized with the online, drag-and-drop App Builder tool. Using that same tool, many businesses elect to build their own from scratch. Factor in powerful features like Dispatch, Workflow, uploading your price and customer lists, and integration with other systems and the GoCanvas platform changes the way work gets done.

Kevin Budinger, Vice President of Allied Air, commented on the reason and benefits of implementing the GoCanvas App. He remarked that “Having all that accurate information quickly and electronically is so valuable to our business and to our customers because we can send them live, near-real-time information.”

Like many customers, Kevin and his team at Allied Air began speaking with a Senior Consultant at GoCanvas to analyze their process and identify where the issues were located. After that discussion, the team at GoCanvas got to work customizing the platform to fit Allied’s specific business process needs. This was quickly done with the use of GoCanvas’ powerful App Builder tool, which allows “citizen developers” to create their own apps to meet their specifications without any coding or techy language. Kevin was also able to quickly add his 19 service techs to begin testing out the new paperless process and start centralizing all their data within a couple weeks.

The Outcomes

Allied Air will celebrate its one-year anniversary of implementing GoCanvas in April and is set to exceed over 14,000 digital data submissions across their 19 HVAC technicians. Allied Air has used GoCanvas primarily to overhaul their entire invoice process and is averaging over 1,160 paperless invoices per month using the GoCanvas App. Kevin Budinger commented that “with this solution, I can see exactly what happens each day and manage our business more effectively.” This has all culminated in financial success for the company.

Since Allied Air started using the GoCanvas App last April, they have seen a huge reduction in administrative costs and increase in technician efficiency.

Increase in Operation Efficiency – Allied Air uses the Dispatch feature of GoCanvas to schedule, assign, and track the completion status of jobs in real-time. This allows them to know if anything needs to be rescheduled, quickly assign an emergency job, or see if jobs are being completed on time throughout the day. This totaled to $31,200 in annual administrative cost savings.
Accurate Inventory – With the GoCanvas App, Allied Air was able to upload their complete parts list including category listing, name, detail, and price per part. Now when a technician fills out an invoice for a customer, they can easily choose the correct parts they want to add to the bill instead of having to look it up in a catalog book or guess what the price of the part is. All this data ties back in their Inventory Management system to ensure trucks are always stocked with the right parts to complete the job.
Increased Customer Satisfaction – By implementing GoCanvas, Allied Air has been able to reduce the number of service call-backs and increase the number a daily jobs completed.

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TE3CO provides mission-critical pressure relief technology and services to customers across the oil and gas industry. They employ a highly trained and capable workforce of field technicians and engineers. Before working with GoCanvas, TE3CO relied on spreadsheets and emails to manage their ticketing process but found the system time-consuming and difficult to track.

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VIP Lighting Gains Business Efficiencies with GoCanvas

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How Orbit Medical Switched to GoCanvas and Saved $250k

How Orbit Medical Switched Went Paperless and Saved $250k with GoCanvas

The Background

Orbit Medical, headquartered in Utah with regional sales offices throughout the Midwest, is one of the top medical equipment distributors in the country. They provide their customers with medically essential products like wheelchairs, mobility aids, and in-home oxygen. The problems arose from the stacks of paperwork that accompany working in the medical industry.

The Problem

Prior to finding GoCanvas, Orbit Medical was swimming in a sea of paperwork that was putting a stranglehold on their daily productivity. Paperwork was being used to complete everything including service tickets, delivery paperwork, billing, and more. It was limiting their daily production across different departments. The internal office staff needed a better way to collect, share, and file the documents that were being captured in the field. They also needed a way to gain greater insight into the day-to-day operations of the business.

The Solution

Four years ago, Orbit Medical went live with the GoCanvas App in order to start streamlining many of the processes that were being slowed down by using paper. Orbit chose GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for businesses, because of the flexibility of the platform and its quick deployment structure. The GoCanvas platform has helped thousands of businesses replace cumbersome paper forms with easy-to-use mobile processes that greatly improve productivity.

Like many customers, Justin and his team at Orbit Medical began speaking with a Senior Consultant at GoCanvas to analyze their process and identify where the issues were located. After that discussion, the team at GoCanvas got to work customizing the platform to fit Orbit’s specific business process needs. This was quickly done with the use of Canvas’ powerful App Builder tool, which allows “citizen developers” to create their own apps to meet their specifications without any coding or usage of an IT team.

Justin made sure that he tested the apps with his field teams and collected feedback so that the proper changes could be incorporated. This type of feedback and testing phase allowed for the successful rollout of over 20+ GoCanvas mobile forms(apps) to over 50+ field technicians.

The Outcomes

Orbit Medical has set the gold standard on how to transition from paper to paperless in the very form-based medical industry. They are set to exceed over 30,000 digital data submissions, which is a savings of over $13,000 annually by reducing their reliance on paper. Orbit Medical has used GoCanvas primarily to overhaul its entire delivery and service process. This has dramatically increased their rate of service, and billing, and reduced the amount of time spent managing paperwork in the office by 75%.

Since Orbit Medical has gone paperless, a lot of benefits have been felt throughout the entire organization.

Increased Billing & Filing Efficiency – With the implementation of GoCanvas mobile forms with all their drivers and technicians, all deliveries are now processed and invoiced within minutes, not days. Orbit Medical has even leveraged the GoCanvas cloud database to automatically integrate into their backend billing and electronic medical record (EMR) system via the GoCanvas API. This instant data collection and automatic filing has helped reduced billing time by 80% and helped to ensure that they get paid on time.
Total Paper Freedom – Orbit Medical has an initiative called “100% Canvas”. Justin Thomas, Vice President of Operations at Orbit Medical, explained that this program aims to make every field process 100% paperless, and today they have achieved that with all their drivers. “We’ve been able to tighten up so many processes that you can’t put a dollar amount on”, stated Justin Thomas, “(Canvas) opens the mind to better processes, things that were not possible with paper.”
Reduced Liability – By replacing their paper delivery forms with GoCanvas, Orbit Medical has been able to cut down on their medical liability across the board. With their “Dead Stop Report”, technicians now have the ability to record a GPS stamp, photo of the location, and timestamp to confirm that their client was not home at the scheduled time of delivery. This report can serve as evidence of attempted delivery in the case of a wrongful death lawsuit, which is all too common in the medical industry.

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How Bahrns.com Uses Paperless Estimates, Work Orders, and More

Overview

Custom GoCanvas Mobile Apps Used to Go Paperless

Time Cards (Several of them)
Lawn & Garden Equipment Service
Forklift Service/Work Order
Forklift Pickup
Estimate/Quote
Estimate/Quote – Trade-In

Case Study Highlights

This supply chain and materials handling company is saving $117,000+ annually with paperless work processes.
GoCanvas is integrated with their back-office system, Softbase (www.softbasedev.com).
Jobs dispatched to mechanics using Softbase and GoCanvas Dispatch feature.
Used equipment inventory available to salespeople in the field via GoCanvas Reference Data feature.
Mechanics and salespeople can use GoCanvas offline when they do not have data connectivity for their devices.

The Background

Bahrns Material Handling & Equipment Company is a supply chain business (focused on materials handling) that was founded in 1966 in Effingham, IL. Customer service has been the primary focus of Bahrns since the beginning. Many of their employees have been with Bahrns for over 25 years and have helped the organization expand from a single location to multiple locations and multiple businesses under the Bahrns name. Initially, they served customers throughout Illinois and some adjoining states, but they quickly saw the opportunity the Internet provided and now provide warehouse supplies to customers throughout the world via their website. Booms, cranes, dollies, lift tables, pallet trucks and much more can all be supplied by Bahrns to get your warehouse whipped into shape. Logistics is critical to the world we live in today and operating an efficient, properly-outfitted warehouse is where the rubber meets the road for many businesses today. Bahrns has the insight, expertise, and equipment to get any warehouse optimized for maximum efficiency.

Visit Bahrns at www.bahrns.com or www.bahrnstoyotalift.com to learn more about their businesses and the services they offer.

The Problem

Like many GoCanvas subscribers, Bahrns operated their business processes with analog tools like multi-part carbonless paper forms, pens, and trucks. There were two different three-part carbonless forms for their forklift repair service where their mechanics documented the work they had done. Those mechanics also reported their time each day on a two-part carbonless form. There was also a two-part form for their used equipment inspections and a basic, one-part form for the sales department to submit quote requests.

Their mechanics traveled around with large clipboards that had compartments in them to store both blank and completed forms. The mechanics would have to drive all of their completed paper forms (except the lost ones!) back to the office at the end of each day so customers could be invoiced by the accounts payable group or quoted for additional services. Forget about being real-time; typically none of this happened until at least the next day. All paper forms (except the lost ones!) were stored in a filing cabinet. If there was ever a question from a customer then the paperwork had to be dug out of the filing cabinet. If it wasn’t there then they were out of luck (And so was the customer).

There were a number of holes in this system that pushed Bahrns to look for another way:

Lost service forms and purchase orders meant the customer just never got invoiced. Bahrns would write off that business.
Mechanics and salespeople always had to drive back to the shop to return their paperwork. Any “next steps” were delayed until the paper form made its way back.
Bahrns was not always billing customers for the time they were paying their mechanics for. Bahrns would write off this business, too.
It took a few days for customers to get quotes for trade-in equipment. Sometimes it didn’t get done at all.
Work Orders that were illegible or missing information were put in a separate pile. They would then have to sit down with the Mechanics or get them on the phone to review each one. At least 10 per week ended up in this pile requiring 5-10 minutes each to resolve (About an hour per week minimum).

The Solution

In February 2012, Bahrns addressed these challenges by turning to GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for businesses. Thousands of organizations leverage GoCanvas’s mobile app platform to replace cumbersome paper forms with highly customizable mobile forms (We call them apps!) that improve their data collection and productivity.

Businesses can search from over 20,000 mobile form app templates in the GoCanvas Application store that can be completely customized with the online, drag-and-drop App Builder tool. Using that same tool, many businesses elect to build their own from scratch. Factor in features like Dispatch, Workflow, the PDF Designer, uploading your price and customer lists, and integration with other systems and GoCanvas changes the way work gets done.

Tara Funneman, the office manager at Bahrns, knew there had to be a better mousetrap and she found GoCanvas while searching the Internet. This was at the end of 2011. She reached out to us and got connected with Kalliopi Vlastos at GoCanvas. Kalliopi supported Tara as she built out her initial apps on GoCanvas. “I downloaded GoCanvas and immediately began designing and found it easy to use and when I would hit a snag I would call their support team. And to be completely honest – that is what sold me on Canvas”, says Tara.

She started with one service tech and one salesperson. They started using GoCanvas out in the field as her “guinea pigs”. They provided feedback as they were using GoCanvas. “Since the online designing of the apps with the GoCanvas App Builder is so easy many times I could make the changes while they were on the phone or in my office. We had the entire service and sales staff on board in no time at all.”

Bahrns operates very differently today than it did back in 2011. Lots of processes have been smoothed out and they operate as efficiently as they advise their customers to operate their warehouses. Over 1,200 GoCanvas Submissions (forms filled out) are made each month by over 25 employees using the service. That is a lot of paper saved and a lot less confusion compared to using handwritten documents.

Service Apps/Work Order Apps (They have several)

Using Canvas’s Dispatch, API, and Reference Data features, jobs are assigned to mechanics inside their business software which then pushes out the appropriate GoCanvas App to the appropriate tech on his/her mobile device. The tech receives a notification on his/her mobile device, and is told where to go and what to do, plus the customer’s information is automatically populated (Reference Data) so the tech does not have to type it in.
Pictures are included so customers can easily make a decision about whether to move forward with the work.
These pictures also help in documenting the damage that might have been caused by abuse and is therefore not covered by a Guaranteed Maintenance program.
The data is transmitted immediately back to the office for invoicing or other additional steps that need to be taken.

Timecard Apps (They have several)

Timecards are now filled in as they do the work. Users punch in and punch out of jobs throughout the day.
A single timecard is filled out throughout the day so Bahrns and the tech know how much time should be billed to the customer for each job.
Timecards are submitted electronically each day using GoCanvas. It is easy to know who has and has not submitted one.
Timecard data and data from the corresponding Work Order must align. Customers clearly know how much time was spent on their equipment.

Estimate/Quote Apps (They have several)

Their salespeople use GoCanvas to provide quotes for used equipment Bahrns has in stock. Reference Data is updated so the salespeople know what is in stock and can add it to their estimate. It auto-populates all the pertinent information about each item so salespeople don’t have to type it out.
Now they can create an estimate on their iPad and the customer can view it on-screen and sign off on the purchase right on the spot. They pull images of the used equipment right off of their website and those can be included in the estimate document created by GoCanvas.
If a customer has a trade-in then the salesperson or tech uses another GoCanvas App to capture information about the trade-in (especially pictures!). That is transmitted to the office right away where the value of the trade-in must be figured out before a quote is provided.

The Outcomes

Bahrns has seen a tremendous impact on their business over the years.

Service jobs are rarely written off now that they are capturing and transmitting data electronically. Lost paper forms are a thing of the past. “We discovered a lot of unbilled work orders. If the tech would lose a paper or forget to turn it in it wouldn’t get invoiced unless someone went looking for the information”, according to Tara. $10,000 worth of write-offs is recouped each year that was lost to their paper process.
Huge time and cost savings since mechanics and salespeople don’t have to drive back to the office to manually transmit paper forms. There have been savings in fuel consumption costs, too. Mechanics can return home without having to make extra trips to the shop. This also has the additional benefit of reduced environmental impact.
Back office personnel gain back an hour of time due to fewer errors, blank fields, illegible handwriting, and other paper issues.
Customer service is better than ever! Quotes are delivered much faster in real-time. Service forms are found easily and can be re-emailed to customers right away. Jobs are completed sooner since data is transmitted electronically. “If the customer happens to need a copy of it all we have to do is send them the digital version of the work order.”
Timecard data is more accurate now that time is captured on the job instead of mechanics doing it from memory at the end of a pay period. No more end-of-pay period chaos to get people paid.
Jobs are billed more accurately and Bahrns is doing less work for free. Errors in time are noticed right away instead of after a customer has already been billed.
Cash flow is accelerated. Jobs can be finished sooner. Customers can sign-off on work right on the spot. There are a lot fewer disputes and billing questions. “Now that we use GoCanvas the customer can actually be invoiced before the tech is even back to the office.” Since the work was just done they remember it all and don’t question the work as much. Plus more detail is provided to customers on the Work Orders since using GoCanvas so they are less likely to dispute or question the pricing.
This has all resulted in a huge competitive advantage for the company! A paperless supply chain business can be a reality with GoCanvas!

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How Do Mobile Payments Pay Off for Small and Medium Businesses?

As a small business owner, you probably already use mobile for some things: updating your social media pages, checking bank balances, or communicating with customers. And you probably know about the mobile card readers that turn your phone or tablet into a POS (point-of-sale) terminal.

As today’s POS systems become more affordable and easier to use, businesses that have held back due to cost or fear of complication are starting to move forward. In fact, 40 percent of small businesses are already working with a mobile card reader, and with compelling evidence that using one could actually increase the amount customers spend, more companies — including your competitors — will soon join the trend. Read on for more compelling statistics on how going mobile can help your business succeed.

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How do mobile payments pay off for small and medium businesses?

The latest statistics tell the story. Where payments are going: Mobile payment transactions will reach $721 Billion by 2017, with 450 Million users worldwide. Most Americans still pay by cash and check, but they don’t want to: 1/3 say that checks are the least convenient payment method.

The most convenient payment methods are: 93% Cash; 92% Credit Cards; 90% PayPal; 87% Gift Cards;

Types of mobile payments: “Mobile payments” is a broad term, encompassing online banking, payment processors like PayPal, mobile wallets like Apple Pay, and mobile card readers like Square and PayPal Here. Mobile wallets have been slow to take off: Only 23% of Apple Pay users actually used it in June 2015. But mobile card reader usage is exploding. Customers don’t have to install anything – just swipe their regular credit card – and businesses don’t have to jump through hoops to accept cards.

40% of SMBs already use a mobile card reader. 16% will add one in the next 12 months.

Benefits to accepting payment: Lower transaction fees (PayPal charges a flat 2.7%) than cards swiped through a traditional POS or manually keyed on over the phone. Get paid quicker (in seconds, rather than 30, 60, or 90 days).

Customers spend 12% to 18% more vs. paying with cash. On average, businesses using PayPal see a 29% increase in total customers; a 16% increase in total customer spending; 1.8X more transactions per customer; 2X more spending per customer.

Customer considerations: Security: 84% of customers say security is the most important feature of a mobile payments system.; Simplicity: Customers say they want a seamless, frictionless payment experience.; Better records: Half of the customers say that digital receipts are more useful and fun than paper receipts.

Case Design Accelerates Sales Cycles with GoCanvas

Case Design Accelerates Sales Cycles and Improves Invoicing with GoCanvas

Overview

Apps used

Home Repair Work Order (Contracted)
Home Repair Work Order (Time & Materials)
Plumbing Work Order

Highlights

Project Managers receive Work Order forms immediately via email so invoicing or additional work can be scheduled.
Calculations on costs and mark-up are performed automatically and therefore with greater accuracy.
Craftspeople do not need to return to the office just to drop off paper work.
The completed Work Orders are automatically attached to the customer’s record in Case’s CRM system, MS Dynamics.
Their customer receives a PDF document customized by GoCanvas to reflect and match Case’s distinct branding.

The Background

Case Design is a family-owned, award-winning firm based in the Washington, DC metro area. Started in 1961, Case has always been a company of innovation. Whether that is the work it does or the company’s process for getting it done, Case has pushed the envelope in improving the results it delivers for its customers.

Case Design offers a range of services from full additions, to kitchens, baths, and handyman services. Case’s innovative twist around its handyman business was to launch a separate brand and business called “fred” (www.schedulefred.com). This slick, contemporary offer required some slick, contemporary technology.

The Problem

Multi-part carbonless paper forms don’t scream “innovation”. They take time to fill out when you’re calculating job costs and margins. They are hard to read and easily lost. And they need to be driven back to the office before anything can be done with them. A truck is definitely a slow way to transmit work instructions.

At Case, the craftspeople were supposed to fill out the top section of the paper form first and get a signature from the client agreeing to the work. Then they were supposed to start the job. After the work they would add in and calculate the materials, labor, travel fees, and mark-up. “Calculations for the mark-up on materials was left to the craftsperson. This led to calculation errors”, says Karen Eckert, Sr. Director of Technology for Case.

A credit card number was collected from the customer and written onto the paper form. Another signature was collected. And then it was driven back to the office. “In the past”, says Karen, “The paper forms required the craftsperson to return to the office before the invoice could be processed.”

The Solution

In March 2014, Case addressed this business challenge by turning to GoCanvas, the global leader in mobile apps for businesses. Thousands of organizations leverage GoCanvas’s mobile app platform to replace cumbersome paperwork order templates with highly customizable mobile forms (We call them apps!) that improve their data collection and productivity.

Businesses can search from over 21,000+ mobile app templates in the GoCanvas Application Store that can be completely customized with the online, drag-and-drop App Builder tool. Using that same tool, many businesses elect to build their own from scratch. Factor in features like Dispatch, Workflow, uploading your price and customer lists, and integration with other systems and Canvas changes the way work gets done.

Set-up

Karen built Case’s work order using GoCanvas’s powerful App Builder tool. GoCanvas’s professional services team then customized the PDF document that the GoCanvas platform generates to match Fred’s paperwork order.

Case also leveraged GoCanvas’s Professional Services team to connect GoCanvas to Microsoft Dynamics CRM in order to further automate the process.

According to Karen, “Building out the work orders and getting the integration with our CRM system went very smoothly. The team at GoCanvas was wonderful to work with. They created custom PDFs that look just like our paper form. GoCanvas was also very responsive to assisting me in building the work orders.”

The Outcomes

Case now has one cool team of craftspeople out in the field each with an iPad mini, and their fred business is more streamlined than ever. Now what does their process look like?

Craftspeople

They quickly populate the customer’s information at the top of the form by choosing the appropriate job number from a drop-down. The rest of the customer’s information is populated automatically using GoCanvas’s Reference Data feature.
The Reference Data (their customer list) is updated automatically thanks to the integration with MS Dynamics CRM.
They then review the job with the customer and capture their signature prior to starting work. They have to because GoCanvas does not let them advance to the rest of the form until they do!

After the craftsperson completes their work, the process looks like this:

They enter their costs into the form and mark-up is automatically calculated for them using GoCanvas’s Calculation functionality.
They collect the customer’s signature agreeing that the work has been completed to their satisfaction.
Or, if more time needs to be scheduled, the form is updated to indicate that and it is sent off to the Project Manager right away.
They can collect payment via swiping the customer’s credit card with the iPad mini (Case does not use GoCanvas’s mobile payment solution because they had an existing relationship with their bank for this.).
The form is transmitted immediately to the office so next steps can be taken right away.

Project Managers

The Project Manager receives an email with the PDF form attached.
If the job is complete, then the Project Manager can close it out right away in their system. Electronic forms are much easier to read and craftspeople can’t skip required fields.
If the job requires more hours, the Project Manager can schedule that right away to keep things moving.
The PDF is automatically attached to the customer’s record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

The Impact

A number of things have been dramatically improved for Case since moving this process over to GoCanvas.

Customers are happier because jobs requiring an additional work request are scheduled right away.
Case Design’s billing is more accurate because pricing and the associated markup is calculated automatically.
Job close-out happens sooner and faster.
Cash flow is accelerated. Especially if the customer pays via credit card on the spot.

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Royal Cargo Saves Over $144K Annually with GoCanvas

How Royal Cargo Innovates and Saves Over $144K Annually with GoCanvas

Overview

In recognizing the need to keep up with their customers’ digital lifestyle, international total logistics provider Royal Cargo constantly seeks innovative solutions to digitize operations. Through a partnership with Globe Business and its IT Enabled Services Group, the premier logistics company implemented the breakthrough paperless mobile solution, GoCanvas.

The Solution

Through GoCanvas, Royal Cargo was able to convert its pickup/dropoff, discrepancy, damage, and situation reports as well as many other paper forms to dynamic mobile applications that have far more functionalities than paper. Since users can capture information on any mobile device and send it to customers or colleagues in seconds, GoCanvas allows Royal Cargo to save on paper as well as processing time.

Royal Cargo has over 35 years of experience in cargo transportation and handling and has a global network of owned companies and trusted agents. Following its vision to become a world-class total logistics provider and its commitment to using up-to-date technology, the company acquired the GoCanvas licenses and has been using them successfully since 2014. With an improvement on the “Track and Trace” process through the instant updating of the system, Royal Cargo was able to implement a more efficient system of transporting goods — allowing a fast, live, and accurate transfer of delivery information through mobile solutions.

The transition from a paper-based Proof of Delivery (POD) to an ePOD on mobile devices has enabled Royal Cargo to transmit details from a delivery destination to the system that updates the POD milestone accordingly with a touch of a button. Drivers are equipped with mobile devices like Android smartphones that allow them to capture critical information including the actual date, time, and location where the shipment was delivered, the e-signature of the consignee, plus a real-time photo taken when the shipment was received. All the data collected from their mobile applications are instantly uploaded to the cloud and emailed to the corrected channels. This capability further strengthened the specialized logistics services being offered by the company including international and domestic freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution, projects and heavy lift, business process outsourcing, customs clearance and brokerage, liquid transportation, shipping agencies, trucking service, and logistics solutions for clinical research and development.

“We realized the value of using GoCanvas mobile forms primarily for our PODs to customers. For the most important requirement — that the final link in the supply chain has to be updated and communicated in real-time — we thought of utilizing GoCanvas and implemented ePOD with our deliveries,” shares Calvert ‘Abet’ M. Cabungcal, Vice President, Global IT of Royal Cargo Inc. “And today, we’re reaping the results of a faster and more accurate delivery of goods to our valued customers,” he added.

Every GoCanvas mobile application is customizable through the “drag and drop app builder tool” and can incorporate functionality such as electronic signatures, image capture, dispatch, barcode scanning, GPS, push notifications, and access data such as parts catalogs, price lists, and customer records. Subscribers can start from scratch or choose from a wide variety of customizable Transportation and Warehousing mobile form templates available in the GoCanvas Application Store. Canvas eliminates paperwork, captures more information, and allows collected data to be shared instantly — anytime, anywhere.

The Outcomes

GoCanvas eliminates paperwork, captures more information, and allows collected data to be shared instantly — anytime, anywhere. With the utilization of the GoCanvas mobile application, business customers that are going paperless can reap significant cost, productivity, and efficiency gains, saving up to 75 percent on paper costs alone and achieving significant annual productivity savings.

“With a service like GoCanvas, Globe is better able to provide companies like Royal Cargo with innovative solutions that help them better transition their existing business processes to a more productive and sustainable system,” shares Rey Lugtu, Vice President for IT Enabled Services at Globe.

The collaboration between two global leaders in telco and mobile applications for business enabled Royal Cargo to implement innovative solutions that improve productivity, heighten collaboration, and generate quick returns on investment.

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How Co-operative Group Saves $265k Monthly with Paperless Retail Audits

How The Co-operative Group Saves $265,000 per Month with Paperless Retail Audits

The Background

The Co-operative Group, based in the UK, is one of the world’s largest community-focused food retailers. It is also the largest organization of its type in the UK with over eight million members. They even have a store in every single UK postal area (2,800 food stores and Petrol stations total nationwide).

The Problem

The Co-operative Group sought a solution to allow their field management team – responsible for conducting on-site store audits – to ditch pen and paper-based audits in favor of a mobile solution to enable them to spend less time in the office on paperwork and more time on the shop floor, improving their document management practices in the process.

The Solution

The Co-operative Group led an initiative to address this challenge and turned to GoCanvas. Thousands of organizations all over the world leverage our cloud-based, software-as-a-service mobile app platform to replace cumbersome paper forms with highly customizable mobile business apps. These forms can be filled out on any mobile device, and the data can be shared in real time so there are no delays or additional manual data entry required.

To help subscribers get started, the GoCanvas application store has over 20,000 ready-made apps that can be easily customized to an individual business user’s needs, with no limits on how many apps can be used. GoCanvas also offers a do-it-yo u rself app builder that enables non-technical users to build apps in minutes, with no programming or coding needed.

GoCanvas enables organizations such as The Co-operative Group to convert paper-based processes to electronic forms rapidly and cost-effectively. The Co-operative Group launched multiple apps for this project, including:

In-store internal audits and checks – Mobile apps are used to conduct day-to-day checks that ensure stores are up to standard, operating legally and complying with health and safety standards. As part of the audit process, the data captured is transmitted in real-time to Head Office. This ensures that any issues can be dealt with immediately and without delay.
Toolkits – GoCanvas mobile apps are used for stores facing a specific issue such as cash loss or workforce management problems. Unlike the audits, these apps are permanently assigned to users. The apps ensure the user asks the right questions of their teams. When the user indicates a policy or procedure is not being followed, the app advises them on how to remedy the situation.

The Outcomes

The ease of the GoCanvas service for both back-end IT administrators and front-end users, along with strategy and leadership provided by the core Co-operative Group Food team driving the project allowed the organization to get 230 Field Managers using the system for these business processes almost overnight. This followed an initial two-month development and trial phase that exceeded expectations. From the initial launch of 230 Field Manager users, an additional 400+ users have been added to GoCanvas. New users include health & safety teams and the quality assurance team. The Co-operative Group’s use of GoCanvas has expanded to include conducting risk assessments and monitoring the quality and freshness of their products.

The shift from paper-based forms and manual processes for auditing and sales to GoCanvas mobile apps has delivered significant productivity and cost benefits to UK Co-operative Group Food, including:

Transformative Change in Work Culture

GoCanvas users access the apps via a combination of devices including iPads, iPhones, Android devices, and Windows PCs. Using GoCanvas has sparked a change in work culture and the way that hundreds of field workers operate. They are more efficient, spend less time at the office inputting data from paper forms and can focus more time on their jobs.

Real Time Access to Data

With almost 700 users, The Co-operative Group leverages GoCanvas for detailed data analysis that can be collected and shared in real-time throughout the organization. Canvas’s cloud-based platform has allowed The Co-operative Group to leave behind paper forms in favor of real-time, actionable intelligence.

The data captured via GoCanvas is transmitted in real-time to corporate offices. Therefore, store issues can be dealt with immediately and without delays. Compliance rates for their stores are often close to 100%. At the corporate office, decision-makers now receive reliable, standardized data delivered in real-time, eliminating the need to collate and organize thousands of datasets.

Improved Information Flow

As a cloud-based mobile service, GoCanvas has provided The Co-operative Group with the flexibility to easily add or edit each app, as user and business needs evolve. With other mobile app alternatives, making even minor changes within each app was cumbersome. At the same time, The Co-operative Group can now create fully customizable forms depending on particular business requirements. This flexibility allows the synchronous flow of information seamlessly between the corporate office and the field teams.

Rapid App Deployment

Canvas’s intuitive mobile app platform has enabled The Co-operative Group to create and deploy apps for key business processes in a matter of days, by non-technical users within the organization.

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How Top Small Businesses Use Technology

Small businesses and mid-sized businesses have no choice but to stay up to date on technology. But how are the top small businesses really using technology and what’s working to get them ahead of their competition?

Mobile and the cloud are popular with small businesses today. Companies with fewer than 20 employees are more likely to be using the cloud than large companies, and the best small businesses know that embracing mobile also means growth: those SMBs that use mobile payments intensively, for instance, see revenues grow twice as fast as their peers.

“A growing majority of SMBs regard mobile solutions as essential business enablers, with 60 percent saying mobile solutions are critical to business,” says Laurie McCabe, an analyst with the SMB Group. “Mobile solutions also account for a growing share of small business technology budgets when we compare findings over the past four years.”

Find more details about what’s working for the best small businesses and then get yours up to speed.

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HOW TOP SMALL BUSINESSES USE TECHNOLOGY

The Cloud: 87% of all businesses and more than 60% of businesses with less than 99 employees now operate in the cloud.

SMBs with less than 20 employees are 20% more likely to have adopted the cloud than companies with more than 500 employees.

60% of SMBs say mobile solutions are critical to business. 84% of small businesses and 87% of medium businesses view mobile apps as complementary to traditional business applications. 66% of SMBs have a mobile-optimized website; 16% do not. 80% of internet searchers use their smartphones. 47% use a tablet.

Mobile payment: Only about 13% of small businesses are currently accepting mobile payments. But the SMBs that use mobile payments most intensively see revenues growing up to 2x faster and add jobs up to 8x faster than their peers.

CRM is expected to grow to a $36.5 Billion market worldwide by 2017. Since 2012, CRM is gone from a rank of 0 to 7 in the list of technology that businesses say support their goals. 71% of small businesses prefer cloud-based over on-premise CRM systems go up from 48% in 2013.

69.7% of U.S. Internet users prefer email for communicating with businesses. 59% of marketers plan to increase their email marketing budgets in 2015.