We first became aware of and previewed Ignite in October 2002, and were impressed with its user-friendly environment, the management
tools and broad coverage, which the program offered. One of our main reasons for changing to Ignite was to help simplify and manage our
payroll, since we paid our crews on a commission basis. Though that was our initial focus, it has proven invaluable in many other areas as well.
Training a new office assistant has become more standardized and simplified because of the scripts, which are a part of the program. Each script
can be edited or customized for individual businesses.
We can keep track of not only where our equipment is at all time, but also how much it cost to purchase, how often it has been used and when
maintenance should be done. This is available for all vehicles as well.
It generates customer follow-up and has a mean of keeping track of all customer contacts.
Each job is attached to payroll records for job costing. A variety of reports can be generated to show overall profitability for job.
We have at-a-glance view of disaster jobs, which includes subcontracting, production, documentation, and photos.
Adjuster/agent database gives us information on how many jobs we did for each and which one were serviced during a specific time period.
This provides valuable information for marketing.
We can send interoffice memos to other staff members or write a reminder note to ourselves to follow-up on some task.
It allows for office staff and/or crew managers to generate invoices or work orders, check schedule or job progress without having access to your
accounting system. At the same time, it is fully integrated with Quick Books and Peach Tree accounting systems.
We no longer have to make double entries. Once the phone call is finished & job is scheduled, the work order is ready to be printed for the crews no
second entry required.
Most all that we need to do for office/management phone scripts, scheduling, work order, invoicing, follow-up, marketing, maintenance records,
and managing profit is handled by this one program. It is truly a phenomenal tool. We use Ignite in our office from the time we answer the phone
until the job is completed and paid for. I would be amiss if I failed to mention how great it has been to work with John Schwery and his staff.
John is a good listener and a good teacher. He is open to ideas and sensitive to whether a change in the program would be beneficial all or
have negative affect someone’s business.
The best thing, by far, that I did last year in May was to convert my software system to Ignite and Quick Books. In fact, I think this is probably
in the top 5 best decisions I have made in my entire career as a franchisee. No doubt.
I tried Goldmine - didn't work because couldn't tie in with the actual jobs and production dollars. In fact, I struggled with GM for a few years -
ask IT department. They could never fulfill the real needs. And GM didn't work with the accounting system at the time, XactAccount.
So everything was double entry, and you still had production hours and dollars not included.
Now, there is Ignite. Used with Quick Books it covers everything. I can tell you today how many man hours and what amount of money we have paid out on EVERY JOB. DR , Residential, commercial. I know if today we are profitable on the current or past jobs and if I put more hours in tomorrow it will no longer be profitable based on the estimate. I can tell you exactly how many hours each of my crew has worked as of closing yesterday and where those hours were spent and if they were overtime. I can choose to pay my techs on base plus bonus (based on % of jobs allotted to production). I don't have to pay anyone a bonus if we have not collected on that job yet. I can see the status of all my subcontract work - total dollars owed, who has been paid and hasn't, if we have a current cert. of insurance on them, if they have returned all their lien wavers on jobs we have paid them for. I can see all my agents and adjusters, when was the last time we visited them and what we did then or what has been mailed to them. I can automate the DR job processes of collect deductible, create estimate, create invoice, follow up on payment, etc. in the time frames that we are expected to meet and it will pop up for EVERY DR JOB. No excuses for things not being done. I can look at every conversation I have had with the agent, adjuster or customer regarding that job. It is endless.
For residential, my phone person has to follow a specific script so we get answers to all the questions we find important to know when quoting. No more, I forgot to ask. And we can change these questions to meet our needs. It will automatically price the job for us based on sf or units (our choice). I can automate all residential calls (reminder call, 48 hour recall, 3 month recall, etc.) for all jobs we do. And nobody has an excuse to not have it done. I can pay my tech on % rather that hourly. He makes more money and my jobs revenues are higher, my customers are done complaining. I can automate whatever marketing (calls, mailers, etc) to them I want and the system will do it with ease. No more missing information or forgotten leads.
We are now going on a year with this system and I would never go back. I now feel like I know exactly where my business is financially - for each department, DR , Residential and CS. We can manage our production staff efficiently. Every production hour and dollar must apply to a specific job or task. Period. I just cannot say enough good things about this system. It is finally a system that understands what a business needs. Not a box system for everyone else that we have to tweak to try to make it work for us. John Schwery, the owner of the Ignite system and also a SM franchise owner (you probably already know this) has the most supportive software system and staff set up that I have ever experienced. My problems are answered and fixed. My questions and ideas are taken seriously and good things happen - for everyone. I think I have gone through almost 2 dozen updates to my system since we started and each update is better. I find good ideas (some of them mine) and improvements incorporated each time. Implementing the upgrade is so simple-I have no system problems. It works on all 7 computers plus mine at home (I can access this from home and see what is happening at that time).
I have shared this with many of my local franchise friends and some have converted. I think it is time to share this system with others so they can have the same great experience. I hope you will consider this great opportunity. Please feel free to call or email me if you would like any further discussion on this. Thanks for considering my thoughts.
John, I know that this letter should have been written long ago, I feel very, very confident in recommending the Ignite system to anyone whether it be a start up franchise or a existing business. As me being the first franchise to be on the system I did not want other people to think that I wanted them to get into the Ignite system just because I was on it and people to think I was bragging up the software, the old saying misery loves company, THAT IS NOT TRUE with your company. Working with your company and especially you John has been a real treat and inspiration to my company. I cannot say enough good about this product, it has put a handle on my business that we tried to do before but was unable to, or took us hours or even weeks to get the info. and now I can get the correct info. in less than 30 seconds, it is incredible. I sure wish when I started my business 19 years ago that this would have been around it would have put me in such control of what my costs were and exactly what each job cost was and for each product line such as subcontract cost for not only all the subs but for each sub.cost and percentages, labor costs, rental income, what each fan D.H. or any piece of equipment produces and where it has been or where it is at etc.# of days each piece has been out or when it was purchased, I could go on and on.
What I would really like to say is, thanks to you John, for taking such a stress load off of always wondering, did we make any money on that job, or how many jobs in progress do we have going or how much money do we have in jobs in progress or who is doing what where and when? All of the answers are within a click of a button and are able to help that customer on the phone even when someone is not up to date or current on that particular customer and everything is real time so if someone else is on the network on the same customer doing a schedule change you see it instantly, how much better can that be?
John, keep up the good work, and look forward to more great ideas with every new update,it's been a wonderful tool for my business and look back now and cannot believe how we got along without it before. It would be like trying to suck water out of carpet with a shop vac.......vs. a trucmount. John if you have a franchise that is wavering about buying Ignite have them call me and would be glad to talk to them, but warn them it will not be a short conversation.
Copyright © 2020 IgniteSystem - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by SS Systems LLC