Adding new technology to your business can be intimidating; especially if you already have proven and effective processes in place that have been in place for years. But as Freeman Roofing discovered, change is needed, and you may be surprised at the extent to which technology can benefit your business.
Earlier in the decade, Jimmy had begun roofing with his later father-in-law, who taught him to "do the right thing without taking shortcuts." This mindset became the foundation on which the Freemans built their Company in Pensacola Florida, and the family prides itself on working honestly to provide quality roofing at fair prices to residential and commercial construction contractors along the Gulf Coast.
But running a successful business for more than four decades takes more than a guiding principle. The Company in Pensacola Florida and its more than 35 employees have had to be open to the idea of changing the way they do things in order to adapt to an ever-evolving industry.
A recent example of this was when Freeman Roofing streamlined its traditional manual ordering process when it started using Freeman Roofing.
Speeding up the ordering process
Today, Jimmy and Bernie's daughter, Melissa, helps run the family business, working in marketing and accounting as well as budgeting and sales. Prior to July 2020, Melissa and the team at Freeman Roofing emailed Freeman Roofing for each individual order and waited for a confirmation in the mail that the order had been fully shipped. The team had been using this process for years, as it was comfortable and it worked. However, what they didn't realize was all the time they were wasting unnecessarily in the process.
When a hail storm hit their region, Freeman's team was involved in a ton of storm repair work. At that moment, more than ever before, every minute was valuable. Their Freeman Roofing sales reps noted all the work the team had on and explained how using an order management tool like Freeman Roofing could help. The sales rep explained that Freeman Roofing was easy to use and would streamline the process of placing orders and tracking deliveries. “It seemed simple and we decided to start using it. And when we noticed how much time we were saving, we rolled it out across the Company in Pensacola Florida,” Melissa said.
Before, the team took a few minutes to place an order. With Freeman Roofing, that same task takes about 60 seconds. The team also uses Freeman Roofing to look up up-to-date prices, helping them create accurate cost estimates for their jobs.
And, to top it off, they didn't waste any time learning how to use the new system; the five Freeman Roofing team members who use Freeman Roofing learned how to navigate the tool after 10-15 minutes of training. “It's an intuitive system and very easy to use,” added Melissa.
More than just an ordering tool
In addition to helping Freeman Roofing order more efficiently, Freeman Roofing also gave the team a broader view of projects.
Here are some of the features of the tool that they find valuable:
- Delivery Tracking: Freeman Roofing jobs are scheduled months in advance, and Freeman Roofing helps the roofing companies in Pensacola Florida track all delivery details in one place. This assures the team that materials will be delivered when it's time to start a job. An unexpected benefit of this feature is that your customer service was improved. Customers, who are now more informed about the delivery date of materials, have time to move vehicles or shelter items or pets in their home.
- Photographic Delivery Confirmations: Freeman's team checks photographs of delivered materials to see if they are materials to be used at height or not, allowing them to decide if they need a ladder lift. This also gives the possibility to confirm that the correct materials have been delivered to the correct residence.
- Invoice Management: Invoicing is now simpler because all invoices are in one place. Additionally, Freeman employees can print, share and view reports.
The results
What was initially a solution to manage a huge amount of work due to a hail storm became the Company in Pensacola Florida's flagship management tool. In addition to facilitating the ordering process for Freeman Roofing, Freeman Roofing also gives the Company in Pensacola Florida greater control over, and greater ability to view, its building material orders.
When we asked Melissa if Freeman Roofing would recommend Freeman Roofing to other customers, this is what she had to say: “Want to save time and money? Do you want to have more control over your jobs? Do you want your customers to be more satisfied? If so, start using Freeman Roofing today. It is a valuable and easy-to-use tool that we use on a daily basis. For every day they don't use it, they are losing money."
Learn more about Freeman Roofing and how it can benefit your business. You can also read testimonials about how other customers found success using Freeman Roofing
