Electrical contractor achieves efficiency gains with enterprise software

For Queensland electricians Prue and Andrew Aranovitch, the dream of business ownership was turning into a nightmare until they found simPRO Enterprise software.

Their Caboolture-based business, Mr A Electrics, had three vans on the road and was profitable, but they were run ragged because their organisational system was paper based. Andrew, who carried the company diary, was exhausted because he had to take calls all day as well as be on the tools. “He was trying to shuffle the jobs on his paper diary while he was up a ladder, while he was in someone’s ceiling or driving along in the truck. It was inefficient and it was also extremely dangerous. We even had a number of times where Andrew fell asleep at the wheel coming home from work.”

Being small business owners, they also faced a big challenge when taking a break. As they were heavily involved in every aspect of the company, it was difficult for them to switch off. “It would do so much damage to our business that it would take us three weeks to get back to where we were before we had a week off,” Prue said. “So you get to that stage where you just don’t have time off.”

simPRO Enterprise enabled Prue and Andrew to automate the operational processes of estimating, scheduling, project management, purchasing, catalogues and invoicing. simPRO’s electrical software is job centric, instantly providing a snapshot of every quote, every project and every maintenance or service job. Enterprise leverages business owners’ time and provides greater control and direction for the business. By proactively controlling materials and labour costs, business owners can avoid margin erosion and enjoy a more profitable business. 

Because of the software, Prue and Andrew have been able to train an office manager to do the vast majority of the work that used to keep them tied to the office, while mobile technicians use the simPRO Connect add-on to access the system at the worksite using their tablets. 

Since implementing simPRO Enterprise, Mr A Electrics has grown into a bigger and more profitable business with six vans and 20 employees; and instead of being more stressed, Prue and Andrew are more relaxed. They have just returned from a seven-week holiday in Europe with their children. They enjoyed a five-week trip to India two years ago and an extended vacation in Brazil. They have a busy life outside work with Prue being president of the P&F Association at their children’s school and Andrew coaching a local junior soccer team. “To put it in a nutshell, the thing that simPRO has given Andrew and me is the ability to have choices,” Prue said. 

Nowadays, for companies performing ‘do-and-charge’ style work like Mr A Electrics, simPRO has a specialised solution called simPRO Service. Company managers can sign up to a free 14-day trial.