Pulse Business Software – The ideal solution for IT Service companies.
If you are involved in any Information Technology Service business you will face a unique set of problems that must be overcome to ensure you deliver the services your clients demand.
This business is highly competitive and contracts are won and lost by your performance and your ability to deliver – time is a constant enemy and every second counts. Clients do not tolerate downtime or failure to deliver. This puts a very special strain on resources and systems, hence lots of software products are out there to solve issues regarding spares holding, service level agreements, contract management or even resource management.
All these different products are great in their own right; however they are mostly stand alone, or have a basic interface to other systems, but do not allow the managers to see the whole picture. The cost of each one of these systems is usually quite high, they have to be run on dedicated servers and each require upgrades and support contracts, not to mention the power they consume with the servers and back up devices. All this makes them expensive to run and you are still not in control of your business.
This is where Pulse Business Software comes into play.
The Pulse Business Software suite of software modules addresses all the issues above, but with several major advantages to you and your clients. Firstly, the software is web-based. This means you do not have to have expensive hardware and support contracts, or the costly in house expertise to manage these devices (you can if you wish but most clients want a hosted solution). This also provides you with a Disaster Recovery Solution as well as an offsite backup, again saving time and money as well as protecting your business.
Pulse Business Software is modular, so it can be deployed to solve one issue within the business and then slowly and gracefully migrate to other departments within the business as and when budget allows. The main modules deployed in IT Service companies are:
Service – this is the heart of the system and the one that really makes a huge difference to the organisation. All the other modules interface seamlessly with the Service Module and draw upon its power to deliver. The Service Module tracks all service requests, either logged from within your business, via the clients own login or via email. Depending on how your company wants to operate, the client can set their own escalation and response criteria or you can set it in many ways including type of fault, client service levels, out of working hours emergency etc – basically you control the way calls are handled.
Once a call is actioned and the SLA applied, the system will allow you to allocate spares, resources, response times and escalations – the combination is very flexible and works how you want to work. Our unique Fire-bar real time indicator shows you the status of all calls and how far into the escalation loop it is, allowing proactive management to happen. Engineers and technicians can be allocated to each call and their work is sent via email. They can be reminded by email or text when the call starts to come out of tolerance, again giving early indication of an issue before it happens. Once the call or task is completed, the engineer can close the call and either generate an invoice to the client automatically based on a set of costs agreed for that client (when interfaced with the Financials Module) or flag the manager to let them know that this call is closed.
Inventory Module – This module completely tracks not only parts and spare holdings, but all the equipment you support in the field. When used with the Service Module, it provides a complete history of the parts, service records and movements of each and every part in your business. Multiple warehouses and van/maintenance stock is a standard feature allowing you to track parts where ever they are – even when they are back in your repair facility. Component failure records easily show common issues and allow proactive maintenance to be undertaken.
Projects – This module allows you to program tasks to work as either a project based implementation or as a maintenance schedule. The Projects Module also allows you to schedule resources and allocate tasks easily using a drag and drop interface, thereby allowing you complete control of your plant, staff and resources. This module allows you to create template projects and routines, following your exact processes, which can be used time and again -saving you time when creating new projects and keeping your delivery quality consistent. All tasks can be allocated by group, type or person, giving you the flexibility you need in planning your work flows.
Sales – Combining Service and Projects with the Sales Module allows all service and projects to be seen by the sales force. This flags opportunities that are often missed due to a lack of visibility. Most clients using these modules use them as a lead generation tool, increasing profitability in existing accounts and gaining better account control. Service technicians can quote the client based on predetermined pricing agreements, the quotes then appear on the Sales forecast, allowing both service and sales to work together towards a common goal and to follow up the opportunity.
Financials – This module glues all the modules together to allow automated invoicing, scheduled and recurring billing. It can also show accounts on hold, credit limits and payment details (based on permissions) giving the managers total visibility of the clients credit position and allowing them to make decisions on service provision.
Reporting is fully integrated and very powerful. Key reports are created bringing together all the information required by the individual, team or owners. These reports can be scheduled to publish on triggers, by date or at a specific time – the variations are endless, but the output allows you control of the key performance indicators of your business.
So to move your IT Services business to a higher level, speak to Pulse Business Software now and see the difference it will make for you.
