Instead of allowing his business to manage him, Terry Bradwell has made the decision to manage his business.  Terry and Casey Bradwell are new customers of ours, and are the owners of Gaston Heating & Air in Gaston, SC.  Located just outside of Columbia, Gaston Heating & Air provides HVAC repair services on all systems, and provides new equipment sales for Whirlpool and Tappan products.

The reasons Terry and Casey purchased GPS:

• Ability to see where vehicles are during the day
• Cut fuel costs
• Manage employees better
• Cut down on non-productive time
• Reduce unjustified expenses

Even though times are tough, Terry and Casey decided that the money invested in GPS was worth it.  They realize how quick the ROI is when installing GPS, and they will soon have the proof.

If you have these concerns with your employees or business, give us a call.  We can show you how to gain a business advantage by using GPS, and save a TON of money doing it.

Until next time,

T

To start this post, I wanted to share a real-world experience with you.  I recently had a dispute with a local exterminating company over my invoice.  The problem was that the company was supposed to come out on the weekends and spray our house.  They did not.  They came during the week.  Not once, but several times.  So, I began to wonder what exactly I was getting from this company.  Are they spraying around my house?  Are they staying long enough to check for termites and all of the other things that I am paying for?  I was not sure.

I picked up the phone and called them.  How do I know that you guys were here doing what you were supposed to do?  They had no answer. I really began to question them now.  What about an arrival and departure time?  Nope, can't tell you that either.

Are you starting to see the problem?

If you own or manage a service based company, how do you account for your time onsite with a customer?  What system do you have in place to show them that you were there for the amount of time necessary?

It's funny, because I get these calls all the time from current GPS customers.  They tell me how one of their customers called and complained about being billed for an excessive amount of labor hours.  "The service technician was not here that long" they say.  So, my GPS customer goes into their GPS system, runs a report, and accounts for the time that the technician billed the customer for.

Problem solved.

If you do not have a system in place that can do this, or if you are constantly deleting invoices due to customer complaints, I can help.  But, you have to call me.

Our number: 1-877-212-4828

Until next time,

T

Just a quick note.............

It is with great pride that I report this morning that OneBridge Communications was involved in an operation that utilized our GPS solutions to apprehend two men that were involved in several violent late night break-ins.

I am currently working on a research project for a marketing piece that my company is working on.  As I dive into the mound of paperwork that I have on my desk that I have compiled, I began to glance at some of the statistics that relate to fatal vehicle crashes.

What I am finding is amazing!

The National Center for Statistics and Analysis posted a study on this very subject (fatal crashes), and their statistics are very eye-opening. 

Did you know that more than 60% of all fatal crashes happen between the hours of 12:00AM and 06:00AM?  Also, of those fatal crashes, over 70% were speeding?  And, more than 55% of those crashes did not involve a driver that was impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Now, that sounds unbelievable.  I did not believe it either.  Maybe for one year, right?  No.  These statistics are over the course of 15 years.  The last 15 years to be exact.

So, what does this have to do with my job?  Well..........everything.

See, the use of GPS tracking on your fleet of vehicles can help stop this.  Now, do I know how many of these accidents involved employees that were driving their companies vehicle after hours?  No.  But, do I know that after hours and unauthorized movement of your vehicle is going on at night?  Yes.  Especially if you are allowing employees to take them home, and you are not currently using a tracking system.

GPS tracking systems allow a user to set automated alerts for several key areas of information.  Those range from speeding, after hours movement, geofence violations, excessive idling, and non movement alerting.  The alerts can be sent to any email address, or text messaged to any phone number.

Imagine being able to know when your employees are using your vehicles on the weekends or after hours. 

It could save your company tons of money!  It could save someone's life!

Man it's been a long time since I last updated the blog.  I mean a really long time. 

Sorry.

Okay, so I have another great story that I wanted to share with you.

May 26th, 2010 was a crazy day.  I was laying in bed and heard my phone ringing.......it was early.  So, I rolled out of bed to see who was calling.  What I found was a voicemail from Janice Smith with US Lawns Myrtle Beach.  I could tell by the way the voicemail started that something was wrong.

I immediately picked up my phone and called her back. 

Janice picks up and tells me that 2 of their maintenance trucks were stolen overnight.  And, since she is not normally the one looking at GPS tracking information, she could not operate the website. 

I fired up the laptop with her on the phone and walked her through how to find her trucks.  After a few seconds of tracking, we found them.

So, Janice called the local authorities and gave them the address.

A few hours passed, she called back.  They found the trucks, but all the equipment was gone.  All of it.........$250,000 worth of it...........gone.

We got back on the tracking site.  I pinpointed an address that the vehicles made a brief stop at before leaving the trucks at their final resting place.  She sent the police to that address.

Guess what?

Found ALL of the equipment........ALL OF IT.......$250,000 of it.

Do you have the peace of mind knowing that if your equipment and trucks are stolen in the middle of the night that you can find it?

If you do not, I suggest you call me right now.  Don't wait until your trucks are stolen to call me, do it right now.

For $299 and $30 a month, you can have this same system.

So, I decided to join my install team on a little road trip.  I enjoy visiting customers, and I really enjoy being on the road............well, every once in a while.

Anyway, the itinerary was set on Monday, and we were heading out on Tuesday afternoon for Birmingham, AL.  After a quick stop in Spartanburg to visit a customer, off we go.  Through Anderson, through Atlanta.

Probably 15 minutes outside of Atlanta, we hear this noise.  Sort of distinct, one that we have not heard or were familiar with.  Almost as if a door had opened in the truck.  We look around, but nothing really sticks out as being wrong.

Continuing on..........

About an hour after this noise was heard, I notice a road noise, a very loud road noise.  Again we think that one of the doors was not completely closed, so we look...............nothing.

Immediately after looking around for the opened door, I turn around to look at something in the backseat.  When I do that, I notice that the back window has this weird glare on it.  All of a sudden, the bottom of the ENTIRE back glass flips up into the air.........like an overhead compartment on an airplane.  So, the top remains attached, and the bottom is swinging freely in the 80 mile an hour breeze that we are creating.

Well, desperate times call for duct tape measures right?  I always thought that the saying of "duct tape fixes anything" was just a joke.  Well, now I know that it is not.  I remember in the Marine Corps learning how to adapt and overcome.........so here it is:

All of us at OneBridge Communications would like to welcome US Lawns of Memphis to our customer base.

US Lawns of Memphis is a full service commercial landscape company specializing in making sure that your commercial property is always beautifully maintained. 

GPS asset tracking helps US Lawns manage employee timesheets, as well as monitor what properties are being visited and for how long. 

This creates efficiency and accountability within their organization, allowing them to keep profits up and wasted expenses down.

Want to know more about it?  Call us: 877-212-4828

Talk soon,

T

So, what better way to update the blog than to tell you a great story that I heard.

Okay, here's the scenario:

2 companies involved in the story.  1 company is a current GPS client of ours, 1 is a prospect (someone considering purchasing GPS).

I am in the process of working with the current customer to help them streamline some dispatch processes, which will help them become more efficient through GPS.  During that process, we realize that something does not add up.  After looking over various reports, we notice that company technicians are basically stealing 1 hour per day from the company. 

BINGO!! BAM!! GOT 'EM!!

Whatever you call it, something that I sell has just identified an unjustifiable expense so I am happy.

Here's the math behind it:

1 hour per day x $21 per hour (average technician hourly wage) x 5 working days x 17 technicians = ALOT OF DANG MONEY RECOVERED

Okay, enough math........

Later that day, I am in a meeting with my prospect, and I ask him what would happen if he had a system that would allow him to verify the accuracy of the time sheets that his employees turn in.  Then I said, "What if I could install a system on your company trucks that would give you the ability to potentially recover one hour per day, per employee?"

His response, "That is just the cost of doing business."

I was like.........Wha???..............Huh???

Now, I am not one to tell someone how to run their business, nor is it my place to laugh at someone for making a decision about their business, but "the cost of doing business?"

Let me ask you this..........what is your "cost of doing business?"

Is it taking customers to lunch? Buying season tickets to your local pro sports team to entertain clients? Is it buying new office equipment to make your office more efficient? Or, is it allowing employees to steal from your company by fudging numbers on timesheets?

If it's the latter, I recommend you do something about that.

You can, but you have to make that decision.

Decide to manage your company, not let it manage you.

It's easier than you think.  And, I guarantee a return on your investment!!  How's that?

Call me............1-877-212-4828.

Until then,

T

OneBridge Communications, LLC announced today a new program to help companies save more money. 

The promotion runs from now through the end of July, and allows companies to rent GPS units without signing any long term agreements. Upfront costs are minimal with only a $100 per truck installation fee.  Everything else is covered in your monthly rental fee.

All tracking is in real time, with 5 minute updates while the vehicle is moving.  Accessible from any computer that has an internet connection, users are able to find locations of vehicles from anywhere.

Can't get to a computer?  That's fine.  You can also use any PDA device to find your vehicles as well?  Don't have a PDA?  That's fine too!!  This system provides you with a toll free number that can be called where you are able to here the last location of your vehicle through a voice activated system.

Return on investment is guaranteed!!

If you are interested in this system and promotion, please send an email to info@onebridgewireless.com.

Too often, I receive questions from business owners that start like this, "How do I know that I need to track my vehicles?"  Business owners today want to make sure that the purchases they authorize for their business are actually going to help their business.  Owners also want to make sure that the purchases they make have a return on investment.  One that is measureable, one that is verifiable.

The answer to this question is simple.  If you are considering this purchase, it's probably time.

But, most business owners that we come in contact with have the same feelings when it comes to tracking people.  Either they do not like the idea of it, they trust their employees, or they do not want to make employees feel uncomfortable.

My response to those feelings is also fairly simple. 

What I am trying to say is that GPS vehicle tracking is so much more than just an employee accountability tool.  If the only reason companies purchased GPS was to hold employees accountable, well, we would have to close our doors.  There are so many more uses for vehicle tracking that have nothing to do with employee accountability.

For example, GPS vehicle tracking can be used as an invoice accountability tool.  Hmmmmmmm, what does that mean.  Let me ask you this, how many times has a customer called in to dispute the number of labor hours on an invoice?  How many times has a customer called and complained about your service truck not stopping at their house and completing a service? 

A question that I would ask you is, "How many labor hours are being erased because your company has no way to prove that your technician was there for the 2 hours that were billed, or that the service was performed?

How nice would it be to log in to a system that provides the information to prove that you are accurately billing that customer, or that your service truck stopped at Mr. Doe's house for 2 hours while your technician sprayed for bugs?

Now do you see what I mean?

To learn more, simply provide us with your contact information.  One of our GPS consultants can provide our free fleet analysis that will take an in-depth look at how you currently operate your fleet, as well as complete and ROI analysis on your business.

This free consultation takes about 30 minutes to complete, and there is no obligation for you to purchase anything.

Until next time,

TLS