John Campau and Anne White are co-owners and operators of
Comtronics, in Jackson Michigan (www.comtronics.com), a 42 year old,
telecommunications and electronic security business, used new technologies to
their great benefit.
According to John, “we were able to obtain a contract for a
banking group over 10 national security firms, to install, service, and monitor
alarm systems in over 520 banks in 5 states, because of our use of portable
wireless e-mail devices.”
Technicians and sales personnel had wireless phones, equipped
with Internet service. Every one was dispatched by e-mail. All service tickets
and customer service history were retrieved by e-mail. The system automatically
time/date stamped each message, and the information was merged with accounting
software for invoicing, and employee performance review.
They in essence, provided “mobile offices” to all of their
employees. John further elaborated, “the minnow swallowed the whale when we took
on the big bank deal.
We were able to manage the installations very efficiently, and
completed them ahead of schedule, while improving our bottom line $3,000 per
month, and the paper trail was phenomenal.” Communications were much faster,
clearer, and more secure. This approach was far more productive than being put
on hold, waiting through phone system menus, and phone tag was eliminated. The
new systems were much less intrusive and more convenient (communications could
be sent and received at any time).
Comtronics and their customers greatly reduced their costs with
free Internet e-mail versus long distance calls. But John and Anne created even
more profitable benefits by taking the e-mail process further.
They converted the potentially nightmarish process of
monitoring the system and dealing with the constant need to change over 100,000
pass codes, employee names, numbers, etc. into a more effective and less costly
program. Bank managers, could e-mail changes or questions at anytime and get an
extremely fast response, which provided everyone the same multiple benefits
described above.
Reprinted with permission from Small Business
Success
Copyright 2001
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