Namco Pools is committed to helping its customers create their own private backyard oasis. The company is the largest independent above-ground pool, spa, and patio furniture supplier in the northeastern United States, with 21 store locations from Maine to Rhode Island.
Namco Pools was founded in 1962, and in 2018, the company was acquired by two of Canada’s most prominent pool and fitness companies. The acquisition has allowed Namco Pools to offer an even greater variety of outdoor leisure products with the best warranties in the industry.
Namco Pools is always looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction and implemented Zuper’s field service management solution to meet the needs of their customers better.
Challenges
Namco Pools is a seasonal business that faces the challenge of logistics during its peak season from April to September. However, with new tools entering the market constantly, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest technology. In addition, existing tools may not be able to meet the needs of a growing business. Namco Pools needed a scalable field management solution to provide efficient service and could be easily integrated into its existing systems.
Multiple Tools
Having to use multiple tools for project management caused a lot of challenges for Namco pools. They had to spend extra on each tool and keeping track of everything from CRM to invoicing to dispatching and tracking field technicians was difficult.
Scheduling Conflicts
Scheduling conflicts can cost companies time and money. Either jobs get booked in the same time slot for a single technician or team, and you lose man-hours. Or multiple technicians can end up being reserved for the same position, and you’re paying numerous technicians for the same job. Namco Pools was struggling with this very issue. They had difficulty keeping track of field service technicians, which led to inefficiencies and wasted time and money.
Field Data Inefficiencies
Field service teams waste time and money when they don’t have the right information. A lack of cohesive field data management leads to increased customer churn. Outdated systems make it challenging to track work, and technicians spend valuable time reconciling data. Namco’s field service team needed a better solution to manage their work, calls, and data.
Bad Logistics
Until recently, field service inventory management has been one of the most complex and time-consuming business tasks. As some of the most effective ways to reduce costs associated with field service-based businesses, Namco Pools needed real-time inventory updates, avoid stockouts, and prevent overstocking. In addition, bad logistics created significant challenges for the company, including additional shipping costs and delayed deliveries. As a result, Namco Pools often missed out on sales opportunities due to outdated inventory information.
Solutions
Namco Pools implemented Zuper Pro’s service management to help them manage their field technicians’ schedules, training requirements, equipment, and parts inventory. The software also helped automate their daily tasks. Automation helped the company spend less time on paperwork and more time on fixing problems, making it easier and more efficient for Namco pools to manage their projects.
Automated Work Order Management
Zuper simplified the process for Namco Pools by automating the creation and maintenance of jobs and work orders, removing human error, and giving the organization more time to focus on providing an excellent customer experience. Zuper’s solution also helped in territory planning and maintaining control, so every service request is assigned appropriately, to the right person, at the right time.
Smooth Communication Between the Office and Field
Zuper’s mobile app enabled Namco Pools to manage their workforce better by giving them access to critical information about their field technicians, such as location, skills, and availability. The app also helped with two-way communication between the office and field, so service requests, updates, and changes could be promptly communicated. In addition, the app helped Namco Pools technicians stay organized by keeping all their work in one place and allowing them to update job statuses in real-time.
Intelligent Dispatching
Scheduling and dispatching are one of the most pervasive challenges in field service management. Zuper’s intelligent dispatching system takes into account various factors, such as skills, location, and availability, to assign the right technician to the right job. The system also updates in real-time, so if a technician becomes unavailable, the job is automatically reassigned to someone who can do it. This helps Namco Pools avoid scheduling conflicts and ensures that every job is completed on time, every time.
Improved Line of Sight
Zuper’s solution helped Namco Pools get a better line of sight into their field service operations. The software’s robust scheduling, reporting, and analytics features helped the company track technician performance, job statuses, and customer satisfaction levels.
Inventory Management
Zuper FSM enables Namco Pools to keep track of stock and restock with the touch of a button, saving them time, money, and the frustration of dealing with a separate inventory management system.
Proof of Delivery
With Zuper Pro, Namco Pools has improved the accuracy of their proof of delivery (POD) by automating the process. The software’s built-in POD functionality allows technicians to take pictures of completed work, update statuses, and automatically attach them to the corresponding work order.
