DQ
Technology Customer Story
Select the
following link to learn more about a few of
our customer success stories.
J.E. Higgins, CA
I don’t
need no stinkin’ dispatch software!
The
headline is not really a quote, but it
probably reflects the initial reaction of
many dispatchers.
Just ask Monica Butch with J.E. Higgins in
Livermore, CA, who has been installing the
DQ Technologies OrderDelivery tracking
system throughout the various J.E. Higgins’
locations.
“I don’t think any of our locations have
ever been quite that adamant.” Monica says
“But they have certainly been skeptical
about how it will affect what they need to
get done on a day to day basis. I
understand their concerns. Our dispatchers
are hard working, dedicated people with a
lot of deliveries to get ready and shipped
every day. The last thing they need is
something that will slow them down.
Fortunately, I’ve been through enough
installs and seen the positive impact so
that I keep gently pushing to get them over
the initial doubt. My most recent install
in our Fresno operation is an excellent
example of the initial misgivings and
subsequent delight”
Chris Cogan from J.E. Higgins’ Fresno
operation responds. “I think it’s fair to
say I was skeptical. We have a very
effective shipping operation here and I
didn’t want to risk that by making
unnecessary changes. If it’s not broke
don’t fix it. We started the install and
training on Monday and by Wednesday it was
apparent how much easier this would make my
job.” “There are two things in particular I
like about the software. It organizes
things the same way I use to do them
manually. So, it’s just a lot easier to
keep things organized with the computer. If
I want to know who out in the warehouse has
a particular ticket I just look in the
computer. The other thing I like is the GPS
tracking of the trucks. DQ Technologies
delivery tracking automatically places the
truck’s stops on the map so I can see how
far away a truck is from its next delivery
and get a good idea of when the truck will
be back in the yard.”
Chris likes knowing when an order has been
delivered and so do the sales people. One
of the primary reasons for getting the
delivery dispatch system is to provide
better customer service. When a customer
calls to find out about his order anyone in
sales can readily see the current status of
the order. They know if it has been picked
and ready to go or if it is on the truck and
on the way. Perhaps most importantly, the
system provides management with activity
based costing and productivity comparisons.
You can see what it cost to deliver to a
particular customer compared to the GM you
are making selling to that customer. You
can do a variety of reports by truck,
driver, customer and salesman..
In that regard the system is a win-win for
everyone. It helps the dispatcher in a
variety of ways, it helps sales provide
better customer service and it provides the
kind of information management needs to make
good decisions.
Mid-Cape Home Centers, MA
You
build homes, we build relationships.
Jay Folge, the Contractor Sales
Manager for Mid-Cape Home Centers says this
slogan pretty much sums up their approach to
the market. One of the main services they
provide to their customers is material
takeoffs. To improve their efficiency, they
turned to computerized estimating systems.
Using computerized estimating systems is
often a frustrating situation. That was the
situation Mike Santos, an estimator, at
Mid-Cape Lumber faced before switching to
DQ2000.
We have another computerized estimating
system that works fine as long as the house
is simple and straight forward; but if
anything is a little out of the ordinary
such as varying wall heights it simply won’t
work.
In our market we get everything from nice
summer homes to large, magnificent homes
that make you stop and wonder. DQ2000 is a
system that can handle both.
Of course the real challenge comes in
dealing with the complex rafter systems that
accompany these houses. I’ve done houses
with over 100 different rafter bays, varying
in size, length and pitch.
The DQ2000 handles them regardless.
One of the things I like best is the DQ2000
let’s me do each takeoff the way I want.
This let’s me quickly adjust my takeoff
approach from doing a simple straight
forward house takeoff to doing a more
complex takeoff for the large custom homes,
with unique details that we get.
Mike’s comments are high praise to us at DQ
Technologies, but then we have always
listened carefully when estimators talk.
We’re not inventors, everything you’ll find
in the DQ2000 comes from ideas, comments,
and suggestions we have gotten from
estimators over the years. The result, we
hope, is a system that is just right for
you.
