Infinite Pool Finishes relied on disconnected and on-premise software or manual processes that hindered their ability to operate efficiently and achieve real-time visibility and coordination across various aspects of their business. They knew there had to be a better way.
Their reliance on QuickBooks for work order management, coupled with fragmented field operations through email and Google Calendar, resulted in inefficiencies and a lack of real-time visibility. This fragmented approach made it difficult to coordinate sales, scheduling, dispatch, field operations, billing, and payroll effectively, leading to delays, errors, and a lack of departmental coordination. Additionally, their complex quoting process – involving multiple calculations and manual work – caused delays in providing quotes to customers and impacted the overall sales process. Handwritten job reports required manual data entry into Quick Books, leading to time-consuming and error-prone processes, while invoice generation suffered from delays due to manual data handling and lack of automation.
IPF’s payroll processing with intricate payout structures and manual data reporting further consumed time and increased error risks. The existing infrastructure limited employee flexibility and remote work capabilities, obstructing productivity and collaboration.
The primary objective of the project was to implement an end-to-end solution using Salesforce Sales Cloud and Field Service Lightning (FSL) to address the work order management challenges faced by Infinite Pools. The specific project objectives were as follows:
1. Centralize Work Order Management: Create a unified platform for managing all aspects of work orders, including sales, quoting, scheduling, dispatch, field operations, billing, and payroll.
2. Real-Time Visibility: Enable real-time visibility into the status and progress of work orders, allowing stakeholders to track and monitor tasks at each stage of the process.
3. Streamlined Sales Process: Implement a robust sales management system within Salesforce Sales Cloud to streamline the sales process, improve lead tracking, and enhance customer relationship management.
4. Efficient Scheduling and Dispatch: Develop a scheduling and dispatch system using Salesforce FSL, ensuring optimal resource allocation, minimizing downtime, and reducing travel time for field technicians.
5. Seamless Integration with QuickBooks: Utilize Accord Sync, a Salesforce integration tool, to seamlessly integrate the Salesforce platform with QuickBooks Online (QBO), enabling smooth data flow between the two systems and minimizing manual data entry.
6. Automated Quoting Process: Streamline the complex quoting process by leveraging Salesforce’s capabilities to automate geometric calculations, square footage/linear footage measurements, tiered pricing, loaded labor costs, and add-ons. The goal is to reduce the time required to produce a final quote from hours to minutes.
7. Instant Invoicing: Implement a system that eliminates the manual data input and processing time for invoices. Enable data from field operations, captured through FSL, to be sent back to the back office in real-time. The system should process the inputs and generate invoices for finance review and approval, allowing invoices to be sent in a matter of hours.
8. Automated Payroll Processing: Develop an automated system that processes completed job information and generates all the necessary payroll data. Integrate with the payroll provider to deliver the data, eliminating manual data reporting and rekeying, and saving significant time.
9. Cloud Migration: Move the entire tech stack to the cloud, enabling Infinite Pools’ employees to work from anywhere, breaking the tether to the office and facilitating remote work capabilities.
RESULTS
By implementing the Salesforce Sales Cloud and Field Service Lightning solutions, along with the integration to QuickBooks Online using Accord Sync, Infinite Pools achieved significant improvements in their work order management processes. The results obtained from the project were as follows:
1. Centralized Work Order Management: Infinite Pools now has a unified platform that enables them to manage all aspects of work orders within Salesforce. This has eliminated the need for multiple systems and improved data integrity and accuracy.
2. Real-Time Visibility: With the new solution in place, stakeholders have real-time visibility into work order status, progress, and related activities. This has enhanced collaboration and allowed for proactive decision-making based on up-to-date information.
3. Streamlined Sales Process: The implementation of Salesforce Sales Cloud has streamlined the sales process for Infinite Pools. They can now efficiently track leads, manage opportunities, and nurture customer relationships, resulting in increased sales effectiveness.
4. Efficient Scheduling and Dispatch: Salesforce FSL has optimized scheduling and dispatch operations for Infinite Pools. Field technicians are assigned tasks based on proximity and availability, reducing travel time and improving overall operational efficiency.
5. Seamless Integration with QuickBooks: Accord Sync has facilitated seamless integration between Salesforce and QuickBooks Online. This integration has eliminated manual data entry, reduced errors, and ensured accurate and timely billing and payroll processes.
6. Automated Quoting Process: With the automation capabilities of Salesforce, Infinite Pools’ complex quoting process has been streamlined. Users can now enter dimensions and select products/pool features, and the system produces a final quote in minutes instead of hours.
7. Instant Invoicing: Through the integration of FSL and Salesforce, data from field operations is instantly sent back to the back office. The system processes the inputs to generate invoices for finance review and approval, enabling the delivery of invoices in a matter of hours.
8. Automated Payroll Processing: The implemented system automatically processes completed job information and generates payroll data, eliminating manual data reporting and rekeying. The integration with the payroll provider facilitates seamless delivery of payroll data, saving significant time.
9. Cloud Migration: By moving the entire tech stack to the cloud, Infinite Pools’ employees can now work from anywhere, breaking the tether to the office. This enhances flexibility, collaboration, and productivity.
Overall, the project has transformed Infinite Pools’ work order management system, enabling them to operate more efficiently, improve customer satisfaction, and drive business growth. The implementation of Salesforce Sales Cloud, Field Service Lightning, and integration with QuickBooks Online has provided Infinite Pools with a robust, end-to-end solution that meets their specific business needs. The automation of complex processes, instant invoicing, and streamlined payroll processing have further contributed to significant time savings and increased operational efficiency. The cloud migration has empowered employees to work remotely, enhancing flexibility and productivity in the organization.
