The 3 Obstacles to Streamlining Your Equipment Operations

[00:00:00] Hey guys, I wanted to record this, to share the three main obstacles that I see a lot of you guys face trying to transform the efficiency of your equipment operations to the next level. I hope you get tons of value out of this video. I'm going to try to jump right in and make it as brief as possible.

So first, if you were listening to this, you're probably an equipment manager or a fleet owner. You're great at servicing your organization, putting out fires when needed, getting the job done, and you know you're great at what you do. But you feel like despite having systems, processes, data, there's just still something in the way stopping you from driving efficiencies and streamlining your work.

If you don't already know me, my name is Oded, and I went from running software businesses for the last 20 years at startups, at large organizations like Microsoft, to starting our own construction software business called Clue. And we took Clue for managing just a dozen assets a month, to over 10,000 [00:01:00] assets a month in under a year, and 200,000 assets per month.

These numbers aren't an ego thing, it's just a sense of gratitude that we feel, because of the amount of people we're getting to serve and work with every single month.

So a lot of you guys ask me, how are clients able to double even triple the efficiency of their equipment operations? How do they do it?

And what I found is that you guys are really good at what you do, but by not having three things, your way forward is hugely limited. The first thing is having a single system, a *single pane of glass* to manage every aspect of your operation. You probably already have tons of systems in place, telematics, GPS systems; probably a maintenance system like E360 or B2W and an ERP system, Viewpoint, Spectrum, JDE, what not.

It's not that you're lacking data, or lacking systems, it's that you have too much data, and too many systems, [00:02:00] and they're not truly connected yet. You still end up pulling data from VisionLink and JDLink and downloading it into a spreadsheet. You've got 5 or 10 system logins and because of that you can't give everyone access to every system.

So mechanics, field crews, they still end up calling you to ask "where is that dozer?" or "when was the last oil change?". They still fill pen-and-paper timecards, inspections, work orders. You have telematics, but you still have breakdowns because of low oil level and DEF; foremen are maybe using HeavyJob, but it's still days or weeks until they realize (and you realize) you really didn't need that extra backhoe rental.

So it's fantastic that you have systems in place. Now imagine what it would be like if they were all working together without having to replace anything. If you had a single screen to see all that data in one place. So that everyone that has a question can get an answer instantly [00:03:00] and actions can be taken swiftly.

Think about a low oil alert. It could go to the field tech at the right time or maybe the operator that's using it. Mechanics could see the entire service history without having to call anyone. Fewer things would fall between the cracks. So first, if you need to truly optimize and your desire is to improve your operations and reduce headaches, then integrating everything you've got, all the systems in a single pane of glass is an obvious solution. It's about making the data work for you. So that's the first thing, a single pane of glass.

The second thing is, even when you have that, getting your* operators and your field crew* to be part of the effort is a must. Operators are the backbone of the operation. They're the ones using the equipment daily.

You need to have them play a part in transforming the efficiency of your operation. If they're still using pen and paper for inspections, that'll be limiting any ability to improve the operation. You're flying blind until the [00:04:00] machine is turned in and then you find out the condition of the units.

That's why you're putting out fires every day, right? Because you only know the correct status of the equipment once it's returned. So the reason most operators don't use tools is because the tool isn't usable enough and they don't have any incentive to use it either. So the second thing is having a system where the operators get real value from using the tool.

For example, telling them what's happening with the inspection issue they just reported yesterday. And also that it's a tool they would love using. They have to be part of the solution, so there is no gap between operations and the equipment team. It's bridged, and you work together on the same goal of operational efficiency.

The third thing is that a lot of you guys are still trying to implement systems on a DIY basis, do it yourself. I know you're amazing in what you do, but there's just so much time in the day. Almost everyone I speak with tells me they've got some system, but maybe they're using 20 percent [00:05:00] of the capabilities.

You probably think, "if I only have a couple of weeks of quiet time, I'd be able to finally set up these spreadsheets or PM plans I've been filling manually for the last decade." But the honest truth is that if you've been operating the same way for years and your business is growing, like why do you think it'll be any different in the future?

Your job is already complex and demanding enough. So setting up systems, cleaning data is just not what you're here to do. So the third thing is being able to work together with a partner with a solution where you're not the one expected to actually do it all yourself, where someone is going to take care of putting all the equipment data in the system, loading the spreadsheets, cleaning, scrubbing it, setting up the users, and so on.

Something that's *done for you, not done by you*.

If you don't have these three things, your ability to improve the efficiency of your operations to the next level will be incredibly limited. Without a single pane of glass; a system that [00:06:00] the operators also love using; and a partner that does things for you, instead of basically expecting you to do it all - the potential of improving the equipment operation will just be severely limited.

If everything I'm covering here does strike a chord with you, if you see a need for these solutions, then that's exactly what we specialize in. We'll take the exact same programs and systems that we use to optimize the operations of dozens of contractors, and then we set them up and customize them for your unique needs.

Our whole team is dedicated for servicing contractors and transforming operations. And if our program doesn't significantly improve your operational efficiency within the first year, you don't pay. That's our guarantee. We're committed to achieving goals. And if you don't see results, we continue to work with you at no extra cost.

Now, obviously to make this happen, we only take on a limited number of new clients every month because we really [00:07:00] have to ensure that we give everyone the full attention and the perfect service they deserve. So if we are starting a discussion with you, we're going to be very upfront about whether we're the right fit or not, about your priorities, your goals. We don't want to waste your time or ours by promising something we cannot absolutely deliver.

The systems I'm describing here haven't just worked for one company. We successfully implemented them in numerous companies from smaller contractors all the way to top ENR companies.

I'll give a few examples. *Palmetto *is a large contractor in South Carolina. They've seen their number of field services go up from two services a day to six - literally tripled - and saving a million dollar in the first year using Clue. *Igel *is a 100 year-old family owned business in Ohio. They more than halved the time they spend on pulling data into systems, because we integrated for them almost 20 different logins into one.

*Silver Star* is another contractor in, Oklahoma. They increased their compliance [00:08:00] of their inspections from under 10% to over 70%. And we also work with large organizations like *Vinci *in Florida, *Graham *in Canada. These guys reported over 25% improvement in utilization of assets, reduced idling, and increased productivity.

We are not here to pressure you. The results with our clients speak for themselves, and you can definitely keep your credit card in the office or the safe wherever you want.

What I do invite you to do is talk with our team. They're going to show you exactly all the methodologies and programs that we use and how they can potentially work for you and discuss with you whether there is a fit or not to where you would like to take your business.

Because I'm just like urging you:

If you're not doing all three of these, you'll face obstacles in the amount of improvement you're able to drive, in the amount of ease you're able to have running your business, and just in the amount of [00:09:00] financial improvement you're able to generate.

So if this resonates with you, please do reach out.

And if not, I hope it was still helpful, and I hope you have a blast of a season, and take care.

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