WireStar significantly improves productivity & team morale with Praxedo.

Tell us briefly about your company and what you offer.

My name is Jason Gorman. I am the Director of Operations for WireStar Networks in College Station, Texas. WireStar is a fiber optic carrier and we specialize in building multifamily data networks across the USA. 

Can you describe your main pain point before implementing Praxedo?

Our scheduling used to be done on a whiteboard for years before Praxedo. We graduated to using Google Calendar, which was a step in the right direction but still obviously had its drawbacks. We were able to tie Google Calendar into our customer system so that at least we could create appointments automatically, but we really didn’t have all of the additional functionalities of a true field service management solution. Any business that struggles with dispatching understands what that really means for their day-to-day operations.

We took a long time to research and scour the marketplace to find a field service management solution that we felt was going to tailor to our use case, one that we could mold to our liking. After several months of really digesting what Praxedo could offer us and analyzing how that would impact our business, we moved forward last year, and haven’t really looked back since.

How has this issue affected your work and business?

I think the hardest part about not having Praxedo was that we really didn’t have metrics that we could study, so we were blind to many of the different things that are key for a service-based business to know in order to understand how to make effective decisions. I definitely think we were double booking appointments, resources, employees far more than we ever have since we’ve launched Praxedo. 

Collectively, between our team, me personally, and our customers, I think there was a lot of frustration that we felt not having the logistical solution in place to keep the business running efficiently, especially as we started growing; those problems just started compounding, and it was really frustrating for the team members to realize that they needed to be in two places at once because of a clerical error of not having a solution like that. So I think frustration would be the word I would use to describe not having a field service management solution like Praxedo.

Tell us about how you and your team use the product? What is the main problem that Praxedo solves for you?

Our field technicians and admins alike are both using Praxedo on a daily basis. We’re using it to dispatch work orders for every type of work that WireStar does, whether it’s new service or existing service to repair and help our customers. Our dispatchers are using it to gather information from the field to communicate to our clients after work has been completed, and we’re using Praxedo to follow up with our customers. We’re using it to study how long things are taking and analyze trends over time. We are also working to implement it into the backend of our business a lot more in an automated fashion that allows us to take some of the manual labor out of running our field service resources.

What are the main advantages of the Praxedo solution?

It boils down to the ability to customize our workflows based on the variety of different tasks that we send our technicians and employees out into the field to accomplish. We have no fewer than 45 or 50, perhaps even 60 different use cases where there’s a distinct set of requirements that contribute to the success of each work order on the administrative and dispatch side, as well as an equal amount of information coming back from the field.

So, the differentiator for us really was the ability to tailor each and every type of workflow in our business to maintain the balance of information between the dispatch side and the technician side, bridging that gap and ensuring both sides provide the necessary information to streamline communication and facilitate efficient completion of their tasks. This has been the most significant aspect for us – the ability to customize workflows to fit the specific requirements of each task assigned to a technician. Our operations are complex, spanning multiple product lines and verticals, each with its unique field service management needs.

Praxedo effectively bridges the gap between administration and production, streamlining and optimizing the dispatching and completion of field work, ultimately leading to increased efficiency.

What features do you find most valuable?

The customizable forms and field dependency are among the features that we believe have the most significant impact on our ability to maximize the benefits of the program. We are also highly intrigued by the seamless integration that is available. We have had discussions with GeoAuthentic regarding implementing the mapping features and GPS tracking of the GeoAuthentic platform into the Praxedo dashboard. Since these two programs are natively connected, this provides us with a genuinely viable and cost-effective option to track the fleets and implement additional checks and balances, as well as KPIs centered around aspects that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to monitor effectively without Praxedo.

Where are you seeing the biggest benefits?

One of the biggest benefits of Praxedo right from the start is the boost in team morale. It allows everyone to come into the office every day with a clear understanding of where they’re headed, what tools and equipment they need to bring, and what tasks they’re expected to accomplish, without needing to ask numerous questions to various stakeholders for that information. This has significantly enhanced our productivity and has made it much simpler for our technicians to start each day with a clear direction. The consistency of having this information readily available day in and day out has greatly boosted team morale across the company. Furthermore, this morale boost has had a positive impact on our dispatch operations, as they receive information from the field that facilitates their tasks, making their jobs easier as well.

Where are you seeing the biggest results?

The most significant results we’ve observed from implementing Praxedo truly stem from the information gathered in the field. The volume of data we now collect compared to before Praxedo is like night and day. Having this information readily available instantly, without the need for additional time and resources spent on employee communication, has significantly accelerated our work order closures. With Praxedo, we can invoice clients faster, providing more comprehensive documentation about the completed work when requested. This not only helps us justify the cost of our invoices to clients but also enhances our ability to provide thorough information and maintain client satisfaction.

How do you & the team feel right now after implementing Praxedo?

We’re experiencing significantly less stress now that Praxedo has been implemented in our organization. Since its launch, we’ve established a structured workflow, policies, and procedures that govern our daily operations. This is a marked departure from our previous approach. As we continue to use Praxedo, people are becoming increasingly familiar with its functionalities, and the learning curve is gradually becoming smoother for us. However, we still have employees who need to grasp the additional features available in Praxedo that they may not be utilizing yet. Once they understand these capabilities, I believe they will appreciate the program even more. One such feature is the advanced SmartScheduler. While some dispatchers are proficient in its use, others are still in the process of learning. However, once they recognize the power of this tool, they tend to rely on the advanced SmartScheduler consistently to optimize technician routes for efficiency.

How has your opinion about field service management software changed since working with Praxedo? 

I had used other field service management software in the past, but they were very different compared to the way Praxedo operates. I would say that what Praxedo has taught us about implementing field service management into our business is that it can be accomplished even when you think you can’t or won’t be able to. The approach Praxedo took to implement it into our business was very guided. We had dedicated representatives available to answer our questions, and we had weekly calls to address and overcome challenges, questions, and hurdles we encountered while integrating Praxedo into our field service management operations. They were there to guide us every step of the way, answer questions, and if they didn’t have an answer, they were able to quickly find out the answers needed to help us navigate through the process.

Would you recommend Praxedo? 

We would definitely recommend Praxedo for your service-based business. If you find yourself in a position where you haven’t yet implemented field service management and you need a partner to guide you through tackling all of the most challenging problems your business faces, the Praxedo team is highly dedicated in both the sales and support lifecycle aspects of implementation. For us, not having Praxedo would be a significant detriment at this point, and we truly wish we had made the decision to implement Praxedo much sooner than we did.