One of the key areas that Pulse Business Software focuses on is the automation of repetitive tasks and getting the system to manage workflows and processes.
Why is this important? Well put quite simply, it saves money, increases accuracy and consistency in delivery and frees up manpower to do other more productive tasks.
So one example of where this works is recurring invoicing and contract management. Most businesses service type businesses have an element of recurring services or recurring contract billings. These are generally invoiced monthly, quarterly, twice yearly or annually. This will depend on the client and the deal negotiated.
This causes quite a problem for the accounts department who historically have done the billing. Initially its not too bad as everything is nice and clean, however as the contract moves forward, items are added and removed, some time and material works are carried out ad terms change – they should not in reality – but this is the real world and contracts need to be flexible.
So what happens? Usually, the contracts team issue the changes, update schedules and refer the changes to accounts to revise the billings, or the more common thing that happens is that invoices are sent out wrongly priced, contracts are left to update later and all time and material billings are lost, and bills are not paid…yes we have all been here!
So the solution is pretty obvious – change the systems to work for you, remove unnecessary steps in the process and automate!
Pulse Business Software is built in modules which seamlessly integrate to form a very powerful web-based business software solution. To solve the problem described above is very simple when using Pulse.
Basically, by combining our Service, Finance and Inventory modules, you can manage the whole process from one place seamlessly.
Firstly, the Service Module combines an SLA (Service Level Agreement) driven help desk and trouble ticketing system, contract management and time-sheet/work management system for engineers. This allows work to be allocated and timed from the fault coming into the help desk (either by phone, email or web portal) to the right engineer based on skill sets, work load or product/fault type, recording all events and times spent on this work. Then, by setting rules in the system, can record the time and invoice directly against any given task.
Contract management becomes very simple, allowing adds and changes to be carried out in real time, adjusting any forthcoming billings and raising any interim invoices as the changes happen, thus recording all events as they happen, reducing the possibility of non payment.
Inventory management is crucial in service environments, so knowing where every part is at any time is vital. Whether the part is in repair, in an engineer’s van or on a customer site, it’s all tracked allowing the service manager to allocate the parts to the job. The system holds a complete “medical history” of each part allowing trending of failures and repairs to be predicted, and obviously the costs of repairs.
The Financial Module adds the glue to the system, bringing all transactions to the ledgers, giving complete control over all financial transactions and debtor / creditor control.
As you can see, this is a very typical operational situation which can be streamlined and made more effective, saving money and increasing customer satisfaction. Using Pulse Service also adds discipline into the service team and increases quality of delivery, giving the Service Manger excellent control – a vital element in ITIL and ISO type operations.
So if your Service team is struggling to cope or you just need to get more efficient, contact Pulse Business Software now to see how your organisation could benefit from a web based or Cloud based service and help desk solution.
