Technology has changed how we work, how we learn, how we’re healed and how we entertain ourselves. All at breakneck speed.

This technology revolution hasn’t spared the security and surveillance industry. Innovations such as UHD (ultra-high-definition), multi-dimensional perception, cloud technology, thermal imaging, combined radar/camera integrated surveillance technology, audio sensors and artificial intelligence have generated radical changes in how we ensure the safety and security of the things we hold dear.

But along with greater capability comes greater complexity. This has generated a demand for integrated field service software systems that handle maintenance, invoicing, HR and inventory management in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Why is an effective ERP system with field service capabilities an essential tool for security companies?

ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems are software packages designed to integrate key components in business operations. They typically include product management, financial management and customer relationship management (CRM).

The addition of field service management capabilities provides security companies with the necessary tools to enable the efficient scheduling of technician and contractor assignments for surveillance system repairs or installation.

An ERP that includes field service management software also enables security guard management and tracking, including the ability to create efficient shift rosters that maximise productivity while minimising waste.

In addition, inventory management tools help security companies automate the need to catalogue, store, distribute and re-order the multitude of parts and equipment required by sophisticated security technology.

Administrative functions such as invoicing are processed by ERP software in a seamless cost-effective manner. Timely billing contributes to a positive customer experience, and the right field service management capabilities empower field technicians to submit required information, including before and after photos and customer signatures, fully and promptly with no duplicate data entry required.

These systems are also on the cusp of innovations that will propel software for security companies to a new realm of efficiency and effectiveness. Systems integration through the “internet of things” (IoT), machine learning, predictive data analysis through algorithmic artificial intelligence and cybersecurity will radically reshape the capabilities of the security industry.

As Australia’s leading Oracle NetSuite solution provider, Klugo has partnered with Next Technik to provide NextService, a cutting-edge field management software system built on the NetSuite ERP cloud platform.

NextService integrates seamlessly with Netsuite and addresses the most challenging aspects of field service work within the security industry. It provides complete field mobility, including scheduling, dispatching, asset and inventory management, invoicing and much more on a single integrated cloud-based platform.

As these revolutionary technologies reshape security industry management software, the NetSuite + NextService ERP package will keep your company ahead of the curve – and ahead of the competition.

Contact us to discuss how we can help your company utilise these cutting-edge technologies and deliver world-class service to your customers.

We offer a number of resources to help companies navigate this process. Consider what Klugo can do for security and surveillance distributors and installers ready to reach the next level.

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Why aren’t solar energy businesses as productive in the field as they could be? Issues come in many forms, but they all have the same origin: lack of information.

When techs venture into the field, they need the complete job requirements, the correct parts and tools, and information about the client and job site.

Likewise, the office needs real-time access to information about the progress of their work for both administrative and compliance purposes. In practice, renewable energy field service involves a constellation of fast-moving information – and if it slows down or breaks down at any point, productivity does too.

Before, communication, coordination, and compliance problems felt like inevitable features of field service. Especially since solar energy companies often rely on third-party service providers who operate outside their own sphere of operations.

Not any longer. Digital transformation empowers a solar energy business to use information to its advantage so that the situation in the field, in the office, and at every point in between is clear to all and as productive as possible.

The What and Why of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is an emerging approach to running a business (solar or otherwise) that advocates for digitising and integrating core aspects of operations. Rather than utilising a series of discreet tech tools, organisations that undergo digital transformation have a seamless collection of digital tools and data that starts at the centre and extends outwards in 360 degrees.

ERP serves as the centre. It collects data from all sources and stakeholders in one place and surrounds it with tools for analysing and organising that information. Often called a “single source of truth,” ERP makes accessible as much data as possible so that every question has an efficient answer.

Starting digital transformation means putting an industry-leading ERP like NetSuite in place. Completing it involves supplementing the native capabilities of ERP with solar software specialised for field service.

NextService offers those capabilities within the NetSuite platform – no integration required. NextService comprehensively addresses the requirements of renewable energy field service: scheduling, inventory controls, compliance reporting, budgeting etc. As a total solution, NetSuite and NextService transform field service into a digital asset driven by real-time data, efficiency and insight rather than a manual process running on paperwork.

Productivity improves, but so does utilisation, customer engagement, administrative efficiency, inventory visibility, and billing/EOM processes. The term transformation describes it quite well.

The Future of Field Service

Digital transformation creates a bi-directional information pipeline that travels between any technician anywhere in the field and the home office to eliminate information deficits at both ends.

Techs can turn their smartphone into a powerful tool for planning and performing field service. Mobile devices link them into the ERP and the field service software so that time, distance, and location don’t inhibit their access to information. Techs can use the data and tools at their disposal to precisely prepare for a job and efficiently carry out the work after arriving on site.

Back in the office, solar management software gives administrators real-time visibility into jobs in progress so they can provide guidance/support as necessary. They can also automatically capture metrics about job performance – utilisation, profitability, material wastage, customer satisfaction – to start deploying resources more effectively.

Along with metrics, administrators can request pictures of important milestones being reached so they can see work being done and evaluate technicians (especially third parties) based on something besides numbers.

Real-time insight into each job also makes it easier to determine when contractors may need to be utilised and when resources need to be redirected to jobs that require urgent attention.

Compliance also improves since data from every job flows directly from the field onto a centralised platform where the relevant details get automatically extracted.

Take a Leap Towards Digital Transformation

The future of field service isn’t just more productive; it’s also more efficient, cost-effective, scalable, and flexible. That all leads to greater profitability in a competitive industry, especially for the solar energy businesses that prioritise digital transformation early, complete the process sooner, and establish themselves as elite service providers.

Klugo makes digital transformation accessible for a solar energy business by offering the key components: ERP and solar project management software along with an experienced team to help users implement and optimise those tools.

We offer a number of resources to help companies navigate this process. Explore the value of ERP with this ROI calculator, and consider Oracle financing options. Learn more about the technical requirements of ERP with this planner. Finally, consider what Klugo can do for solar energy businesses ready to reach the next level.

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Like everything else, the HVAC industry has become more tech-driven in the 21st century. That applies to the way heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems function, as well as how businesses that install and service that equipment run their operations. Few aspects of HVAC haven’t been transformed by technology…for the better.

Businesses that embrace and incorporate these technologies sooner put themselves at a distinct competitive advantage. They look more compelling to customers seeking the best in HVAC; they increase revenues and profit margins by selling more advanced equipment and the service that goes with it; they cut costs by fine-tuning how they utilise resources like inventory and field techs. Today’s innovations promise to push every important metric in the HVAC industry in a positive direction.

Which innovations in particular? These technologies are having a broad, deep, and lasting impact on the industry right now:

Software-Enabled HVAC

Software that collects and analyses data on HVAC systems provides techs with valuable insights into usage patterns, performance trends, and system status.

These insights help tech optimise performance and streamline maintenance and repairs because they have visibility into the HVAC system as a whole, as well as the constituent parts. The most advanced systems utilise automation to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and performance.

Environmentally-Friendly HVAC

Demand for “green” solutions has led some HVAC businesses to begin installing solar panels and wind turbines. Many others are updating older equipment with energy-efficient alternatives that heat and cool in the same way but with a much smaller carbon footprint.

Technology is also making geothermal viable on a much larger scale. The market for energy-efficient HVAC is projected to grow 11% annually between 2018 and 2022. Companies set up to install and service these tech-driven HVAC systems will stand out in the market.

Predictive Maintenance

Instead of performing proactive maintenance on schedule and reactive repairs as needed, technology enables predictive maintenance: when HVAC techs respond to an issue before it causes problems. Sensors embedded in HVAC systems can provide this advanced warning, along with a diagnosis of the issue.

Performing predictive maintenance reduces the long-term cost of HVAC for users and increases the value of businesses equipped to provide this service.

Enterprise Resource Planning

Running an HVAC business through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform like Netsuite gives it a centralised portal for all the data it has and every workflow it performs across departments: sales, customer service, technical support, invoicing, routing, and many more. One thing missing from Netsuite and other ERP options is robust HVAC field service software – an important tool for any businesses in this industry. NextService fills that gap.

Our HVAC management software integrates seamlessly with Netsuite and addresses the most challenging aspects of making field service work for all involved. It handles scheduling, dispatching, planning in the field, inventory management, and more, all through a purpose-built tool that links into the ERP.

All of the technologies on this list deserve a deeper dive because they will come to define what HVAC looks like in coming years. But the final entry merits extra consideration. ERP systems supplemented with HVAC service and dispatch software provide the infrastructure necessary to make new products and advanced service offerings work from a business perspective.

With new technology comes new complexity and new expectations. HVAC companies will need to operate at a higher standard than anyone did in the past and fire on all cylinders. ERP that handles everything, including field service management, makes that possible by providing 360-degree visibility, top-down controls, and data-driven insights into every decision that matters.

What do those tools look like in the hands of the user? How could they improve your own efforts around field service, growth, and adaptation? Get clear answers from a team that understands the HVAC industry, past and future. Contact Klugo for a consultation or demo.

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Implementing effective key performance indicators is important to any business that focuses on achieving goals. Using KPIs the wrong way can become toxic and may poison a team’s performance.

KPIs are at the top of my list when running a business because they allow me to assess performance and determine focus. Well-designed KPIs allow us to recognise excellence, celebrate success and build a winning culture. This improves morale and team engagement.

Customers notice happy engaged employees. Engaged teams react faster to customer needs, provide a pleasant experience and, most importantly, happy employees create happy customers.

Good KPIs are dynamic and change over time in reaction to changing conditions. Too many KPIs dilute focus, while not enough leaves blind spots. To make KPIs meaningful, we also need goals.

KPIs are Lagging Measures, Not Target Thresholds

Unfortunately, many field service organisations fail to understand that a KPI is a lagging measure. A KPI lets us investigate the past. We establish thresholds on KPIs to narrow our focus or to see if an initiative is impacting our measures.

Setting the threshold as a target, as many field service organisations do, can be dangerous for team morale and customer service.

For example, we expected our first time-fix rates to be greater than 90%, but we consistently measured them to be 80%. After investigation, we found that one of our suppliers regularly sent the wrong parts or shipped them late to the site. We had two choices, change supplier or reduce the threshold to 80% and accept this as the normalised practice.

Guess what we did? Suffice it to say our first time–fix rates now exceed 90%, and we have a new supplier.

It is valid to say that 90% was our target for first time–fixed rates. This allowed us to determine if there were issues worth investigating. The question becomes, what happens to the team if the target is set to 100% for each individual technician and a bonus incentive is offered? Would this have changed the team’s behaviour in a negative way? Would the service team start avoiding jobs or start gaming the type of jobs they are booked on? Would they try to hide reasons for re-visits or record false reasons? To illustrate the point, let’s focus on utilisation a common KPI used in service businesses. Implementing this KPI did not go so well.

Keep Focus on the Customer

We began by modelling how the utilisation would be calculated, based on the usual arguments about billable versus non-billable travel time, full-day jobs versus multiple jobs per day, repair versus maintenance, you get the idea. On reflection, the whole conversation was internal, about us, about how the calculation can be gamed. We did not focus on the customer at all.

And that’s when the arguments started. Ok, arguments are too harsh a word, it was more like continuous ongoing disputes within the team. Claims of why the target could not be achieved, questions about why some technicians kept getting the full day jobs, accusations of job padding and overcharging customers to buffer individual results.

The whole focus of the team became time. Service managers started booking appointments back-to-back, with little downtime. Technicians slowed down their onsite visits rather than finishing early. Over-booked technicians rushed the work and paid no attention to customer service. Everybody became overworked and stressed, and our customers noticed.

We had one customer comment on how our technicians didn’t even have the courtesy to say goodbye, they just rushed out the door.

We poisoned (or incorrectly incentivised) a team that previously valued customer service by providing bonus incentives to achieve a utilisation target. We didn’t understand the impact this decision would have on the team and on customer service.

By focusing on utilisation as a target measure at the individual level, we decreased productivity, negatively impacted customers, and reduced customer engagement.

Incorrectly using a lag measure as a target can poison team performance, which impacts customer happiness.

The Right KPIs Guide Continuous Improvement

Fortunately, we caught this quickly and reverted to customer engagement metrics. We now reward individuals who receive positive customer feedback. We still report team utilisation in the management meetings, as it provides a useful insight into overall team effectiveness. If it’s below expectations, we focus on what improvements can be implemented or accept it as transitory if it is the result of external factors.

Receiving this information in real-time from the field allows us to react faster to customer needs and enables the field service teams to be more responsive and effective.

KPIs are powerful tools if they are used as indicators to measure progress towards a goal. However, if the KPIs become the goal then they can turn into toxic measures that will inhibit team performance and employee engagement.

Getting your KPI reporting right leads to highly engaged teams who are motivated, provide positive customer experiences, care about customers and outcomes, care about your company, have high rates of retention, create repeat business, enable upsells and achieve high levels of utilisation because they know it’s important to the team’s success, the company’s success, the customer’s success, and their own individual success.

Field Service Management solution NextService + NetSuite allow users to define and create dashboards with KPIs that are real-time from the field. Understanding what a KPI tells you about your business is critical to being a customer-focused responsive organisation.

Realtime insights from the field provided by NextService + NetSuite allow Field Service Management and Providers (FSM/FSP) to accurately manage scheduling, inventory, and resources levels while exceeding customer service level expectations.

Improve decision making by utilising the business intelligence features of the world’s leading cloud ERP business platform, Oracle NetSuite combined with NextService for FSM / FSP organisations.

Another Smart Business Decision

He helped our customers to calculate how much their service business could save and generate in business opportunities in 2021. Our customers have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in time and resources after implementing NetSuite + NextService.

• Checkpoint Systems saved $200,000 per year in fixed overheads and reduced paper usage by 100%
  SprintQuip saved 30 minutes per day for each of their 70 technicians
• HeadLand Machinery reduced lost stock and tools by 98%
• Use our free ROI calculator to find out how much your business can save.

About Klugo

NetSuite + NextService

Klugo’s vision is to unlock the full operating potential of our customers to maximise the value of their business. We do this by helping our customers achieve operating excellence using NetSuite + NextService, the world-leading cloud ERP and FSM business platform for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

The active decentralisation of workforces is something that has been gaining momentum in the past decade, and even more so recently. As technology and internet infrastructure has drastically improved so too has a businesses ability to empower their team to effectively work remotely.

A combination of technologies including video conferencing software, VOIP phone systems and cloud business management platforms like NetSuite gives businesses a unique advantage over competitors who are wedded to legacy on-premise systems and infrastructure that mandate the need for teams to work from a dedicated location.

While ‘work from home’ arrangements are becoming commonplace we are increasingly seeing organisations wanting to align their IT strategy in order to simplify network infrastructure and the efficiency and effectiveness of access to their key business systems, such as accounting, warehouse management and field service and mobility. Their goal is to maximise mobile access for their teams, minimise security risks and streamline the flow of information and data throughout their various business departments.

The Communication Revolution.

It is hard to believe that the first mainstream smartphone released to a mass-market occurred in 2007, just 12 short years ago. The Apple iPhone, which would go on to become the most popular smartphone device on the planet opened a world of opportunity by giving people access to business systems, such as email anywhere, anytime.

Shortly after, in 2008, HTC released their G1 model and in 2009, Samsung, the world’s now second-largest smartphone manufacturer came to market with their competitive offering the Samsung GT-I7500 Galaxy.

There’s An App For That.

By 2012, the smartphone race was on. With leading manufacturers including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and HTC holding the majority of the market after investing billions of dollars in R&D to ensure that their latest release trumped other players.

One of the biggest revolutions in communications and devices is the concept of App Stores, which give people the ability to configure and expand the usefulness of their devices to their own needs.

Whether in business content, or private use, the smartphone changed people’s expectations of technology both at home and at work.

Mobility Madness

Between 2010 and 2020, we have seen a change in the way people interact with each other and access information.

In 2020, employees expect that will be able to be as connected to their companies, colleagues and key business systems, as they are in every other aspect of their lives.

Video conferencing software, such as Zoom, Skype and Teams are connecting colleagues and customers in ways I am sure no one ever imagined. Whilst for some businesses and individuals this has required a significant and pivot, for the majority these technologies had already been adopted in some way.

However, this is not as true when it comes to the average businesses key systems, such as accounting, warehouse management software or field service management software.

Cloud Technology, But Not As You Know It.

If you follow Klugo, you will probably have heard us talking about True Cloud and Fake Cloud Technology in the past and why it is imperative to understand the difference. We are dedicated to helping Aussie businesses transform their technology footprint by simplifying their multitude of disparate systems into a single business management platform, NetSuite.

True Cloud Systems, such as NetSuite and NextService offer our clients teams the ability to access their organisations unified software platform, anywhere, anytime on any device. More than that, however, because of the True Cloud nature of our solutions, they are able to access the system quickly and simply, without the need for complex infrastructures such as DaaS Solutions or Virtual/Remote Desktop technology.

Put simply, Hosted Cloud Technology adds complexity to a business’s IT Strategy. In addition to the work required to design, implement and keep software systems running, there is the added workload of ensuring that teams are able to log into your systems through complicated VPN’s and Portals as well as the burden of ensuring that relevant data is interfaced between systems in a timely and accurate manner.

Comparatively, Klugo’s NetSuite customers enjoy a much simpler experience and have been able to pivot very quickly when businesses requirements change, and we think that is powerful. The fact that NetSuite is a single true cloud platform, the need to manage hosting and access is eliminated and data does not need to be interfaced or uploaded to different systems, as it is a single software solution managing all aspects of financial and operational control.

In Summary

Modern businesses need modern technology in order to be agile and adapt in rapidly changing industries. If you are interested in learning how we are helping Australian Field Service Companies, Construction Service Providers, Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Retailers, and more modernise their system strategy, then reach out to one of our NetSuite experts.

Over the past few weeks, we have been speaking with our customers in order to understand how we can help them leverage the power of NetSuite to pivot quickly and get back to business. Through discussions with many business owners and C Levels, we are finding an interesting commonality in these conversations.

As leaders in their industries, our customers are looking at ways they can evaluate what in some cases has been decades of ‘business as usual’ and transform their strategies to make the most of the ‘new normal’.

1. Communication – Technology Supporting Collaboration Between Customers and Colleagues

It is no secret that at this point in time, Video Communication Platforms such as Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams are keeping the world turning. Both in business and in people’s homes, these cloud technologies are helping people connect, communicate and collaborate. Whilst this technology is not new, its place in everyday life has been hugely amplified and is making it easier for everyone to go about their work, education and personal lives.

This is largely possible due to the leaps and bounds we have made in recent years when it comes to internet speed and infrastructure and the lowering of costs to high-speed internet and data. In addition to this, the quality of camera lenses and the prevalence of video recording technology in most smart devices means that accessing this new communication channel is very much possible for the majority of people.

2. Travel – Risk vs Reward

At Klugo, travel is very common across our teams. From our Business Development Consultants who fly around Australia to conduct on-site discovery sessions and software demonstrations through to our NetSuite Consulting Team who regularly attend customer sites to run training sessions and provide Go Live support, travel is a part of the job.

Whilst face to face contact with our customers is highly beneficial, we have found that by changing our processes we have been able to maintain a high level of service and customer satisfaction.

Similarly, our customers in the interest of the safety of their team’s have welcomed the way we are currently delivering NetSuite implementations and appreciate that we are able to push forward despite the challenges.

3. Physical Presence and Productivity

Another common conversation item is the impact that a lack of physical presence of team members in their offices has had on their productivity and efficiency of communication. In most cases, our customers have reported that they were able to quickly mobilise a ‘work from home’ plan for any non-essential staff since NetSuite can be accessed anywhere, anytime on any device.

Whilst face to face contact is hugely important in building relationships and ensuring clarity during conversations many business owners are exploring the potential benefits of expanding their legacy ‘work from home’ policies such as a reduction in required office space, increase in productivity from team members and increase in their ability to support work-life balance.

We are excited to be able to help our customers get back control of their businesses very quickly, whether through new NetSuite module implementations, or custom development. If you are interested in learning how our team of NetSuite experts can help your business, feel free to reach out and discuss your requirements with one of our NetSuite professionals.