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iPhone…Have You Jumped on the Bandwagon Yet?

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You can try to avoid it, ignore it, and procrastinate.  But why fight it?  You know you are going to eventually jump on the iPhone bandwagon.

We at Include Software are 100% on board.  And we can convince you, too, if for just one simple reason…the iPhone App that is revolutionizing the Outdoor Services Industry…iCREWtek.

iCREWtek is our most recently launched product.   It is an iPhone App that synchronizes real-time with Asset to record crew data including hours, materials, pictures, notes, weather conditions, GPS tracking, signatures, and so much more.

Oh, but for those nay-sayers that are hesitant to trust their crew leaders with an iPhone, here are a few reasons why you should not hesitate to convert:

Durability.  Yes, the iPhone is just as durable, if not more so, than any other phone out there.  It’s the stuff that helicopters are made of…need I say more.  Add on military grade case options and reasonable insurance plans for additional piece of mind and protection.

Battery life.  Exceptional.  More than a full work day of talk time and data usage.

Choice of carriers.  You have options:  AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

Solid design.  Substantial and solid.  Operational in temperatures 32 to 95 F and non-operating temperatures of -4 to 113 F.

Retina Display.  Easy to read.  Finger print resistant.  Comfortable.

Availability of Apps.   Now including iCREWtek…

iOS updates.  Free and frequent. 

Affordable.  All of the above and state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology at the same price or less than any other smartphone option.

Still not convinced?  Contact us for more information and feedback from clients who already have their crews functioning on iPhones.

Filed Under: Client Care, Musings, Products, Technology

GIE to Snow

November 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It is hard to believe that just last month all of my energy and attention was focused on Include’s User Conference, the launch of iCREWtek, GIE and all the facets that go along with it. Now just a few weeks later, I am at my computer and thinking about Thanksgiving, Christmas, and finishing the November Newsletter which deals with SNOW and I am behind the eight ball! It already snowed here in Maryland, and New England. REALLY? REALLY!

SNOW!

One of those other four letter words. A word that I believe you either LOVE or HATE. Children LOVE snow, adults, not so much, well that is if you are not in the “White” industry. Those known as Snow Contractors, well they are a different story. They LOVE LOVE LOVE snow. Truly a different breed.

I watched our snow contractor clients in the midst of GIE as they scurried to prepare remotely, change flights to get back to the office and instruct those at the “shop” to change over the fleet from doing leaf removals to snow removal. The 2011/2012 Snow Season was thrusting itself upon them unexpectantly, pansies in most areas were not even in the ground and here they were scrambling to be ready for the first snow event with smiles on their faces of what was to come. SNOW! Preparing for the season poses certain challenges; most just dug in and got it done. Amazing to sit back and watch with a new appreciation all that goes into the “White” business.

This past spring I challenged myself and our team with understanding more about the snow & ice industry. This was an industry that we (Include) needed to look at and understand closer. What are the needs that drive this industry? What are the challenges that they face? After all, understanding clients’ needs and providing a solution is the premise on which Asset was built. And I really didn’t think that we had a GREAT handle on their needs.

We set about talking with several Include clients and snow industry experts, snow publication editors, and countless others. This communication has allowed us to understand more about this aspect of the industry. Terms like equipment optimization, per push, per inch, per contract, per event, are all common terminology now. What are the criteria for managing slip and fall, how does this need to be documented, tracked and much more.

We incorporated all of this knowledge into iCREWtek, the next version of our hand held application, to make it even better than it was before and to incorporate features into the “app” so that we would be able to address the needs of the “snow” contractor. Based on the feedback we received from our users at GIE and the “snow” experts, this is exactly what we did – iCREWtek hit a homerun! In fact, one client emailed me and said:

“We didn’t get home until Sunday to over 12” of snow!!! (snow bound in Louisville….) – unbelievable – was wishing I had the iCREWtek setup and my snow scheduling done!! It would have saved me HOURS!”

We’re really excited about iCREWtek here at Include. If you want to learn more about it, please give me a call!

Filed Under: Client Care, Communication, Efficiency, Landscape Industry, Team Include, Technology

Newest Member of the Include Team

November 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hello from the newest member of Include Software! My name is Heather Zauner and I have a background in business, Mandarin Chinese, and customer service. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2009 and am a recent import to the Annapolis, Maryland area. This is going to be my first winter in a while, since I am originally from Hawaii. Not too much snow down there, so I am thin skinned, improperly attired and fearful of the upcoming winter.

As a somewhat recent grad, I am excited to be back in a classroom environment again, learning an outstanding piece of software and how it functions to support and enhance the landscaping business. Being part of an intimate and energetic team has taken over my days while watching “How -To” webinars has taken over my nights. I look forward to getting to know the business and each and every one of our clients.

Filed Under: People, Team Include

Never Stop Learning

October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I will start by admitting that I myself was never the best student. Routinely I would try to find shortcuts in my school work and I would do what was necessary to get through. Most of my attention was put towards what I enjoyed; and for the most part that was growing my own landscape business. Little did I know that while I was running my business as a teenager and growing this small little endeavor into a fully fledged business, I was really learning in the field, though I never respected what I was truly learning.

Today is a different story. We all say we wish we could go back in time, but know what we know now. I am constantly learning these days. I have picked up the love of reading and attending seminars where I can learn something new. Even if the topic is something that I have heard a few times before, I seem to always find something new because it was presented differently or the timing of the topic was more relevant. These days the tools are unlimited to help someone learn. The internet has provided a resource that allows you to instantly get access to millions of resources on almost any topic you can think of.

I watch my son, who is almost 5 years old, and it seems that everything he is doing, a sport he is playing, a book that he is reading, a toy he is building or a game that he is playing, is all providing him an outlet to learn. As I admire him having fun while he is learning, I can’t help but realize that I am learning from him. This admiration has helped to reinforce that every day we can learn something new and that we can even learn new ways to do something we already know.

Many of us are guilty of getting in to a routine and that we have our ways of doing what we do. It is important with the speed at which things change to always be learning if there is something new. One important area that this is true is with software. As technology is ever improving you surely are seeing notifications of systems that you use being upgraded. Software developers are consistently increasing the functions of the software and the big question is, are you utilizing these tools?

Here at Include Software we respect that there are people that have been using Asset for years. They have their way that they run reports or the way that they setup a job. As the system has evolved over the 22 years, we have continually added to it. There are also people that are new to Asset and still have a lot of learning ahead of them. Take a few minutes and look at the ways we have developed to help you learn more about Asset and how it can be used within your business or how it could be used at the next level.

Include Software provides many tools to help with this learning. Along with our talented staff of trainers and support personnel, we have created an archive of webinars on specific topics and some generic overview webinars. We provide those at no additional charge to our clients to help them continually learn something new about Asset. We also have our upcoming Asset Users Conference. We want our clients to learn not just about Asset as a valuable tool within their business, but to look at industry-best practices and how some of the best in the country are doing things. We bring in outside consultants who speak on specific topics such as company culture, sales, and financial reporting. Our clients get a chance to talk to each other and learn from peers.

We also never stop learning. We are constantly attending seminars, looking at issues that are affecting the industry and our clients, and how these issues might change how they have to run their businesses. Our developers are constantly attending conferences to learn about new technologies to provide tools that our clients may never have even known were possible.

Wherever learning takes place, it is a great thing. As I stated earlier, I wish I could go back and know what I know now. Going forward though, I will tell you that I know I will never stop learning.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Working Smarter Not Harder

October 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With this month’s theme of Execution, I’m reminded daily of the need to work smarter. We all need to reassess our priorities on a regular basis, to be sure we are focusing on the things that are important. Often the things that present themselves as the most urgent aren’t really the most important ones. Managing several client implementations gives me ample opportunity to balance our long-term process improvement initiatives with the daily demands of our newest clients.
It’s the same during this seasonal transition for landscape contractors. You need to meet your current clients’ obligations while gearing up for snow season, and/or preparing next year’s proposals and renewals. It’s all about working smarter, making progress on the “big rocks” as Stephen Covey says, as well as the day-to-day tasks. This is especially true for the companies that are also preparing to implement Asset in the near-term.
Include Software is an ambitious company with innovative ideas and significant growth plans. So much so that we are hiring a Software Trainer to help meet our growth needs. That’s gives me the best possible problem to have – hiring and training another skilled professional to accommodate our growth.

Filed Under: Execution, Team Include

Are You Planning?

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Labor Day has passed and now the planning should begin. Why is planning so important anyway? I will try to explain in this short article.

Let’s look at your business. If you do landscaping, you are in the heat of the battle right now. Depending on where you are in the country, you are gearing up for leaves, getting ready for snow, continuing your regularly-scheduled maintenance and maybe, just maybe, starting to think about next year. In the northern parts of the United States, the transition from the warm summer months to the cooler fall days is beginning to happen. Leaves are turning those wonderful colors. The days are getting shorter. You might be getting ready for the cold winter days that will bring parking lots filled with snow. This is the time to start the planning for that snow season, if you haven’t already done so.

Your contracts should be signed so you know which customers are requesting your snow work. Look at where these properties are located and start to create routes that are efficient and will allow you to best serve your clients. Think about the equipment requirements, manpower requirements and the priorities placed on each site by the client (i.e. hospitals, schools, driveways, etc…). You want to know that even though you can’t predict when snow is going to happen and can’t schedule the days, that when the event does happen, you have a plan to attack it. This is one of those areas that software can help you with your planning. With software that can track all services that have been purchased and the requirements for each service, you can create your snow plan and be ready to execute it when the snow events happen. You will make sure that you have all materials, manpower, and equipment ready ahead of time so that you are providing the service your clients have come to expect.

This fall season is also an important time to start planning for next year. Now that 2011 is almost over, you should have lots of historical data for what happened this year. You should be continuously monitoring the job costing on your contracts and starting to see how they performed through the year. As an executive team for your company, have you sat down and created goals for next year? Do you want to grow the business, stay the same, or maybe downsize? In making those decisions think about what effects those will have on the finances, labor requirements, and equipment requirements? Budgets can be a dirty word to many people, but budgeting is such an integral part of the planning process and you need something that will be a roadmap for you to follow during the course of the year.

Many software programs offer some basic accounting functionality, such as invoicing and payables, but you should look for something that will offer you tools to help with planning. Budgets are a mission-critical aspect of your business and you need to know what you are planning on accomplishing this next year. Break these numbers out, not just for the business as a whole, but consider how each business line or profit center of will relate and affect this budget/plan. You need to consider all aspects of your costs, such as payroll burden, overhead expenses, equipment costs, estimated direct labor and direct material costs, and how those line items will be budgeted for.

Remember that once this budget is created, it should not be stuffed away somewhere only to be looked at next year when you are ready to do the budget for 2013. Any strong accounting software should allow you to easily track all of this information on a regular basis. Quick access to these key performance indicators is what will allow you to make those educated decisions and ultimately have better control over your business.

If you are curious as to how Asset can help you plan for the 2012 season and provide you the tools you need to truly manage your business, then feel free to contact our team at Include Software. Also remember, although I focused on business planning in this article, it is important to do similar planning in your personal life as well. If you are not confident and comfortable with your plan at home, you won’t be able to be comfortable at work either.

Filed Under: Asset Planning, Landscape Industry

The ISC Book Club

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Include Software team recently formed a book club. Participation is voluntary, with the book selection pertaining to business or professional development.

This was the brain child of our Vice President, Nanette, who started the ball rolling at the beginning of a recent staff meeting. She posed the question, “What is the best book you’ve ever read?” Such an intriguing question and the way in which one responds is equally intriguing.

First, the answer to that question speaks volumes (pun intended) about a person and can provide insight into someone’s personality and background. But, it’s also amazing how internally thought-provoking it is, as well. For me, initially, it was hard to get past my most recent favorites. However, once given the time to really ponder the question, it is almost like your life story. You think about your favorite bedtime story as a child, the Judy Blume books you read no less than four times each in middle school, and then as you grow all of the books you loved so much you were sad when they ended, the mediocre books that you felt obligated to finish, simply because you started them, and the books you forced your way through for school assignments.

The response to the question is also fraught with pressure since it does say so much about you. Do you really want to admit that anything less than deep or cerebral is you all-time fave? So our round-table answers were as interesting, diverse, and varied as each of the members of our motley crew.

So, with that one question, the ISC Book Club was established.

For our first selection we were each tasked to bring one suggestion, preferably, something none had previously read. We decided on the “one” in the most democratic of ways…pulling it from a hat. Our inaugural title: Little Bets, by Peter Sims. The premise: taking small steps and little challenges, without fear of failure or imperfection, to achieve great things.

We agreed to take baby steps. We convene after reading a certain number of chapters, not necessarily the entire book. Our first meeting was held with great success. It was enjoyable and productive. Not only is it a great excuse for all of us to take the time to sit down and have lunch together, but our discussion produced some great ideas that we can apply to life at Include Software.

So, why don’t you join us? We encourage you to ask yourself and those around you the question “What is the best book you’ve ever read?” and maybe even form your own book club, too. Or, at least, read along with us, and let us know what you think of Little Bets.

Filed Under: Musings, People, Team Include

Change: Not Necessarily a Four-Letter Word

August 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Change is defined by Dictionary.com as “to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone”. Some people fear change while others embrace it. In today’s economy and business climate change is something that I personally feel will help companies to stand out and show their clients that they are able to succeed and prosper. Why would I say this? Let’s look further into some thoughts behind my thinking.

On a regular basis, I talk to companies that are contemplating change. Whether the economy has forced them to think differently or there has been a dramatic shift in the business structure, the status quo won’t work for them anymore. They must look at alternative methods to run their business. Some examples of this shift might include a company that was strong in design/build during the housing boom making the transition into maintenance. There are companies that were focused more heavily on residential that have added commercial work to their portfolios. It could even be that a company has added a new service line to the mix to help diversify and increase or maintain revenues.

While some companies are making internal changes to help stabilize or find a way to grow their businesses others have made the decision to close up shop or be purchased or absorbed. This too is a change. The business owner would generally have to make a transition from being in charge to now working for someone else. They might even start a new business, but that too is a significant change.

During a time when words like “lean management” and “efficiency” are being thrown around daily, companies are also looking at ways they can change how they get their work done. This might include a change to their internal processes. It might include a change to software. Software is constantly changing as the technology continues to get better and more people invest in technology. Companies such as Include Software must always be looking at what is new and what might our clients benefit from. Those business owners that embrace that change can see benefits that allow them to change how they make decisions, how they manage their business, and how they live their lives.

It is important that anyone considering any kind of change in their lives or their business think about the impact that change will have. Do your research into what you are dealing with now that is causing you to want to change. Look at the end result you would like to accomplish and then look at the options you have to help you get there. Change can create opportunities for everyone. Just because something might require you to change how you do something or who is involved, it does not have to be a negative thing. The old cliché is that “things happen for a reason” and change can help those things happen. Take some time and think about small changes that you could make today to start feeling comfortable with change. I know have and I am excited to see the results.

Filed Under: Communication, Efficiency, People

Perseverance Pays

July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We are officially in the Dog Days of Summer here in Maryland. It’s been a busy time at Include Software as we assist with several client implementations. Some of those clients are persevering under challenging circumstances, but making good headway in the process. They inspired me to write about how much I admire what they’re doing, and how their success is truly our success.

A few clients have experienced unexpected turnover among key employees. This is always disruptive, especially in the middle of the season and your business management software transition. A couple clients have tackled organzational changes at the same time as implementing Asset. As noted in our newsletter and my posting last month, we appreciate how hard change can be under the best of circumstances. One client has persevered through break-ins, flooding, computer crashes and the like and is still very much committed to their Asset implementation. Seeing their focused effort makes me want to redouble mine.

It’s not unlike the weeds I pull out of my mulch beds. I know I’m making room for the periwinkle to take over when I weed out the more hardy but less welcome species. A couple more seasons and I’m sure to see the fruits of my labors, so to speak. I hope every client implementing Asset this summer feels the same way!

Filed Under: Client Care, Training

Challenging Change

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

How do we CHANGE our culture from being couch potatoes, and inspire and energize ourselves and our neighbors to get off the couch and use the outdoor environments that contractors throughout the country have created?  How can we get better use out of the spaces that:

  • families have paid for but are relatively unused because they are too busy with work or “playing” on their Wii and not on their turf?
  • municipalities have mandated to be constructed to preserve “green spaces” and help combat global warming?
  • builders have constructed to appeal to their tenants who want to “go-to” their office, sit in their cubicle at their desk, and work?

How do we change the mindset?  How do we inspire our culture to use the outdoors for learning, health, happiness, and quality of life?

We have to start with the first step: to look within ourselves.   Ask yourself if you want to make this change?  Do you want to be healthier?  Happier?  Do you want the same for your children and grandchildren?  Do you want to help preserve our natural resources?  Our planet?  If so, then take the first step.  Make a goal.  It could be as simple as taking a walk at lunch around the business park, or taking your child to the park to ride a swing.  Whatever it is you decide as your goal, be inspired and find it within yourself to take action.

I want to leave you with this conversation I recently had with a client and friend.  This person owns one of the most prestigious landscaping companies in the United States.  Their average residential landscape project costs more than most of the homes we live in.  They work for some of the wealthiest and most famous people in the country.  They’ve won countless awards, employ hundreds of people, and make outdoor living spaces that should inspire everyone to get outside.  But given all this success, when I asked him what is the one project that they did that he is most proud, his answer was “the work we did at Millennium Park”.  Curious, I asked why that singular project was so important.  He said it’s because it’s “lasting”.  He talked about his children and grandchildren being able to play there, as well as the countless other children and adults who benefit from the park.

Think about what a tragedy it is to underutilize such a great place as Millennium Park or the countless other outside venues near each of you.  Visit your local fishing hole one extra time this year.  Take your kids ice skating this winter.  But most of all, enjoy getting outside!  I challenge you to “Come Alive Outside”.

Filed Under: Communication, People
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