Employment of Technology
Mike’s Glass is not content to benchmark its operations against other glazing services providers. Rather Mike’s Glass sets the benchmark for other glazing companies to follow. Mike’s Glass uses cutting edge technology to manage and monitor the progress of all jobs on a real time basis. Mike’s Glass enjoys a close relationship with Telecom New Zealand and technology partner EConz, a provider of job dispatch management solutions. This technology allows our job dispatchers to allocate and reallocate jobs (if necessary) minimising non productive time and allowing instant feedback to customers of job status.
Mike’s Glass has been featured in a number of technical publications such as MIS – Managing Information Strategies magazine (November 2004).
Wireless Data Forum: ECONZ & Mike’s GlassECONZ delivers tailored wireless dispatch and management solution to small business
To meet the challenge of ensuring real-time information is communicated to their team of five highly mobile glaziers, Wellington based Mike’s Glass, uses E-Service, a job management system from Auckland-based wireless software developer ECONZ.
E-Service ensures that Mike’s Glass can manage effectively its core business, insurance based glazing work.
“You don’t need to be Green Acres or U-Bix to benefit form the E-Service technology. Managing a mobile work force of any size involves many of the same challenges and ECONZ delivers the same technology to smaller businesses in a bundle they can afford”, says John Tattersall, National Sales Manager for ECONZ.
According to Mr Anders, Managing Director of Mike’s Glass, E-Service provides total visibility to all staff, from dispatch through to completion as well as the availability of individual glaziers. “With E-Service we can send job details to the glazier’s smartphone while he or she is on the road. We are able to see where our glaziers are and how far away they are from the next job. This means if a glazier is running late we can either advise the customer or re-assign the job to another glazier. Furthermore the access to real-time, accurate information has eliminated the double-booking of jobs.”
The system also provides a complete record of customer details including information such as access to the property. A search function allows easy access to job and customer information, and the assigned job numbers allow for simple tracking from the dispatch through to finance.
“ECONZ adapted the E-Service system in a number of ways to accommodate the specific needs of our business. This included a customisation of the job screen which enabled our operators to easily differentiate between the two screens that simultaneously appear on their computers. ECONZ even modified the ringer on the smartphones so that the glaziers could be woken when an urgent job arrived. We are, after all, a business that operates 24/7,” says Mr Anders.
