The 2023 Business Tech Conference (BTC), ADD’s triennial user conference, included many sessions showcasing ADD Systems’ latest software enhancements and best practices to help clients run their businesses more efficiently than ever. In this blog series, we share some of the key sessions held at the event.
The first part of the BTC Education Series focused on SmartConnect, our collection of APIs that seamlessly allow read/write access to ADD Energy E360/E3®. We’d now like to transition to one of our mobile products, Pegasus. If you have a service or HVAC department and want to make it more efficient and profitable, Pegasus will be your go-to mobile solution.
A Mobile Field Service Tool That Drives Efficiency
ADD Systems’ Major Account Manager, Grant McAllister, gave a Pegasus presentation during the BTC. “Pegasus is ADD’s field service mobile solution,” said McAllister. “It has been performing well for customers since 1995 and is completely integrated with our back office software. Service calls are created and scheduled in E360/E3, and then the Pegasus solution includes the dispatching functionality and onboard field-service tablet.”
The Benefits of Pegasus
With so many aspects of your business that require time and attention, you need tools to help you be more efficient. Whether you are a fuel delivery business unsure how to make its service department more profitable or an HVAC company wanting better control, Pegasus can help.
“Pegasus is a huge benefit to the ADD customer base,” McAllister said. “In the fuel distribution world, the service side of the business has frequently been not as well managed. It’s always been a part of the business, but many customers see it as a loss leader.”
Despite this sentiment, McAllister expressed his optimism on how businesses can manage their service department.
“I like to remind customers that there are companies that just do service all by themselves and make money. So, your service department can make money if you manage it correctly with the right tools,” McAllister said.
A Streamlined Service Department
Through efficient communication with dispatch, customer information at your fingertips, automated customer communication, and easy-to-use features, Pegasus can help ADD users make their service department a profit center. Dispatchers, technicians, and customers can communicate more seamlessly.
Pegasus not only allows for direct communication between dispatchers and technicians, but customers can also be kept informed of a technician’s progress with email and text updates. Notifications can be sent to the customer when the call is scheduled, as a reminder just before the visit, when the technician is en route, has arrived, and is finished.
Dispatching Efficiency
Because every customer location is different, technicians must have the necessary information to complete the call efficiently. Pegasus helps by providing call history and pictures to quickly bring a tech up to speed. A unique feature associated with Pegasus for Oil Company service departments is actually how to find where the tank fill location is. Sticking tanks to validate in-tank gallons is a common occurrence, but if you can’t find the fill location, your techs have a major headache. Whether for cleaning, checking for leakage, or inspecting a pipe for dents or rust, finding the fill pipe quickly is important for efficiency and profitability. Having all the relevant information means greater accuracy as well. Pegasus users can find the part numbers and pricing through the tablet, and they can also produce estimates for their customers while they are on-site, creating a sense of trust and transparency.
Keep Track of Equipment Movement and Maintenance
With propane companies, tanks are a huge investment since they are often owned by the company instead of the customer. They are also typically moved several times during their lifetime, so it is important to have a good tracking method. Equipment management functionality in Pegasus and E360/E3 means you know your tank locations and conditions.
Pegasus also supports NPGA Gas Check, with the ability for techs to collect the information in the field on the tablet and have it automatically update the back office system. This helps with safety and compliance, as well as saving time in the back office by eliminating the need to re-enter that information. Instead, it is automatically downloaded from the tablet.
“Tanks are very valuable pieces of equipment, so using Pegasus to make sure you don’t lose tanks is an important part of what we do. The value of a propane business is tied to its tanks,” McAllister said.
More Accurate and Timely Billing
Perhaps the biggest hero of Pegasus is more efficient billing. Billing for service work and parts is complicated, but Pegasus solves this by displaying everything you need for billing in an easy-to-use format. There is increased accuracy with the automatic flow of information from the tablet to the back office, eliminating double-entry work. Techs don’t have to write everything in the field, nor does the service/billing department have to interpret bad handwriting in the back office, which helps billing get done faster and with fewer errors, which in turn leads to – greater customer satisfaction and fewer disputes over invoices with your customers.
Use Pegasus for Flat Rate or Time and Materials Billing
At ADD Systems, we understand that every business has different billing preferences. Time and materials billing (T & M) and flat rate billing are both commonly seen within the service world. You won’t have to worry about which billing method you prefer because Pegasus offers both. Pegasus Time and Material billing allows the technician to bill for the actual time spent and parts used on a service call. When the call is complete, the tech can print out a priced-out invoice and even take payment at the time of service.
A Holistic Service and HVAC Tool
When Pegasus was created in 1995, it was focused on not just the tech in the field but the service department as a whole. It creates a seamless, holistic software that benefits all involved and empowers you to give a great customer experience. When the dispatchers, technicians, customer service, and billing efficiently work together, your service department will discover its potential, one that it’s had all along.
If you’d like to learn more about Pegasus, please contact us by email at sales@addsys.com or by calling us at 1-800-922-0972.
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