Gain Competitive Advantage, Save Time and Slash Costs With Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Summary

Since 1991, Handyman Connection has provided homeowners across North America with professional craftsmanship for a variety of home improvement and repair services. These include carpentry, drywall, electrical, fences, maintenance and installations, painting, plumbing, remodeling, storage, tile and flooring, much of which is now coordinated for local franchises through its national 800 call center and website. Each Handyman Connection franchise is locally owned and operated, and supported by the parent company based in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio.

Challenge

Linking homeowners with skilled technicians is the core competency of Handyman Connection. Yet for years, the company made those all-important connections and monitored projects in a tedious, time-consuming manner—involving endless phone calls, faxes and excessive paperwork. Without updating to a more responsive system, the company could risk losing valued customers and its appeal to new franchises.

“We wanted to be a technology leader, but we’d fallen behind,” said Dan Sage, the company’s IT Director. “Our Lotus Notes environment had become too limiting. We needed a modern CRM solution, giving us more automation, mobility and an overall faster service.”

Microsoft and Affiliated Key Solutions

The company evaluated a variety of CRM solutions, including Salesforce.com, but selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM because of its many customizable tools and affordability. To pull together the migration, the company was referred to Affiliated, a Microsoft Gold Partner to implement, customize and host the on-premise CRM solution to maximum benefit.

Affiliated took the time to understand Handyman Connection’s business needs and long-term goals, and implemented the solution gradually across the organization. “The transition to a state-of-the-art CRM dramatically impacted everything from daily operational savings to sales and franchise growth,” Sage said.

“Since the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Handyman Connection has experienced a 10 percent boost in annual customer sales and a 20 percent increase in yearly franchise growth across the U.S. and Canada.”

– Dan Sage, Handyman Director

Saving Time, Resources

In the past, when a customer requested a home improvement service or repair, Handyman Connection would have to place phone calls to find an available technician with the right equipment to do the job. Today, the process is much more streamlined and automated.

Affiliated customized Dynamics CRM to tie into a third-party database that tracks available technicians in a given geography. Once technicians are screened and interviewed by Handyman Connection, profiles — complete with photos, resumes, skill specialties, equipment and availability — are entered into the CRM as part of the company’s stable of skilled workers.

All projects can then be quickly assigned online, based on zip code, equipment, availability, etc. not requiring phone calls or finding available workers. Project assignments can take place literally within minutes, instead of hours, a day or longer, Sage said.

Going Mobile

To make the system work even more effortlessly, Affiliated customized the CRM solution so that Handyman Connection could add a mobile platform. Now a technician on the road can accept a job request and manage project workflow updates and billing — all via an app.  All that information is then automatically saved to the CRM database without re-entry. “A tremendous time-saver,” Sage said.

As technicians convert to this paperless mobile system, Sage expects significant savings in resources, labor and through the automated record-keeping system. “For us, a mobile platform is the ultimate Handyman Connection, from customer service and management perspectives,” he said. “We’re able to do everything better, with greater speed, accuracy and efficiency. We don’t have to think about it—it just gets done.”

Franchise Growth On The Rise

Prospective and existing franchisees have taken notice as well. Business intelligence from Microsoft Dynamics CRM is helping Handyman Connection create marketing campaigns targeting new and repeat customers—and accurately predict sales growth. “Before it was all guesswork, but now CRM data is helping us forecast sales, based on specific messaging to target audiences and best practices,” Sage added. “It’s a huge competitive advantage for us.

Since Affiliated took Microsoft Dynamics CRM live, Handyman Connection has experienced a 10 percent boost in annual customer sales and a 20 percent increase in yearly franchise growth across the U.S. and Canada. “It’s safe to say franchisees see our technology leadership position, business intelligence and predictive sales opportunities as a sustainable competitive advantage for them,” Sage said. “CRM is a winner, thanks to the behind the scenes work of Affiliated.”

About Affiliated

Since 1993, Affiliated has been helping growing and midmarket organizations identify, evaluate and implement technological solutions to improve operational efficiency and increase revenue. As a member of the Microsoft® Partner Network certified in both Microsoft Platform and Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions, as well as a VMware Enterprise Solution Partner, Affiliated specializes in providing complete technology solutions including both software and services to organizations in multiple industries including distribution, manufacturing, health care, professional services, government, and not-for-profits.

Author information

Mike Moran

Mike Moran is the president of Affiliated Resource Group (Affiliated) based in Dublin, Ohio. Moran co-founded Affiliated in 1993 as an ERP implementation and software development firm. Affiliated became a VAR in 1999. As president, he leads Affiliated’s company-wide strategy, marketing, and corporate development activities. The Company has grown into a multi-million dollar technology and business consulting company serving growing and mid-market businesses throughout Ohio. Moran’s passion is helping organizations align their business and technology goals then identify and implement technology-based solutions that increase operational efficiencies, improve customer experience, and drive more profitable revenue. As a member of the Microsoft Partner Network certified in both Platform and Dynamics solutions, Affiliated has won numerous awards including the U.S. Central Region Partner of the Year, and Heartland Area awards for Business Transformation and Customer Satisfaction & Experience. Affiliated is also a VMware Enterprise Solution Partner and has been a successful hardware and software provider utilizing Tech Data for over 10 years. Active within the community, Moran has served on the Dublin City Schools Business Advisory Council, the Technology Advisory Boards for Hocking College and the Marion Technical Institute and the Tech Data Internet Commerce Council. He earned a BBA in Accounting from the University of Iowa.

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