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Management software is a broad category covering a wide range of products that enable a company to run more smoothly and efficiently. A well-matched solution can gather, organize, analyze and distribute information and reports to help management and team members make informed decisions, plan and track activities, provide a better level of customer service, and/or improve the bottom line. The software can be enterprise-wide — covering most aspects of the daily operation of running a contracting business, or may focus on a particular segment of business operation, such as project management, service management or back office management.
Electrical contractors can choose from generic solutions aimed at service businesses in general, or from vertical solutions designed specifically for electrical contractors to help run all or selected aspects of a contracting business. While some choices come pre-packaged with all functionalities built in, other programs are sold as modules, with the buyer putting together a custom suite that suits the company's level of commitment to computerization or level of sophistication. With modular solutions, add-ons are always an option as needs evolve or as the software developer introduces new functionalities.
Modules from the same developer feature seamless integration so that all entered data can be shared throughout all the modules for multiple tasks, eliminating duplicate entry and the chance of transcription errors. Automatic updating of data anywhere in the solution in real time can carry through to all modules — a feature that ensures that everyone is always working with the latest information.
Management suites typically offer the opportunity to address a multitude of business needs, including accounting (accounts payable and accounts receivable); payroll; purchase orders; job costing (which helps management see which jobs stay within estimates and/or are profitable); project management; dispatching; work orders; service management; contact management; equipment tracking (including, possibly, by model and serial number, service history and warranties); inventory management (which may include warehouses, sites, and trucks and sometimes can associate an image with each item, and may even include minimum and maximum reorder quantities for specific locations); estimates; proposals; contracts; customer relationship management; and sales and marketing.
Some management solutions include mobile computing capabilities as an integrated component, enabling communication between the office and field personnel equipped with a laptop or handheld computing device. Mobile dispatching software also helps with monitoring technician activities and provides immediate transmission of information from the field that the back office needs to process. Full-featured solutions can provide technicians on the spot with customer service history, equipment details (including warranty data), and purchase order information. Some solutions also include the ability for a technician to transmit to the office a field-prepared, customer-signed invoice for payment of services rendered. Feedback information from field to office can include a summary of technician labor hours, equipment hours, production quantities, and even inventory on the van.
Also available: web-based project management, typically a subscription-based service hosted by a third-party service provider and available 24/7. These solutions generally feature customizable templates that enable creating and modifying (and storing) professional looking RFIs, contracts, purchase orders, submittals, change orders, progress billing, daily reports, and notes which can immediately be emailed to project partners. Authorized users can access the project information, which is maintained in real time, from any Internet-enabled computer.
Whether desktop-based or Web-based, daily detailed information gathered through management software enables management to continually evaluate how each job is progressing and whether or not each phase of the project—and the job overall—is hewing to the schedule and staying within budget.
By William and Patti Feldman