BURNCO relies on mobile technology to get back on their feet
When Calgary experienced a devastating flood during the summer of 2013, the landscaping division of BURNCO was hit hard-resulting in an extended period without power. The site was submerged for almost a week, all the inventory was damaged or destroyed, buildings were condemned and all power and communication was lost. Steven Sample, Landscape Administration Supervisor, recalls what happened next, "We knew about Eagle Tablet POS and had been considering purchasing the solution. When the flood happened, we jumped on ordering it. While we assembled a bunch of trailers to create a sales center, Epicor responded quickly, and we had our tablets ready to go within a few weeks."
The company resumed business with one building running off of a generator and very limited Internet access. "We used the tablets to take care of our customers. Our house-charge customers make up an important part of our daily business, and we were able to process those transactions easily. They simply signed the order with their finger directly on the tablet, and we emailed them the invoice," said Sample.
Providing better customer service with no waiting in line
Immediately after the flood, BURNCO had practically operated business as usual using the Epicor Tablet POS. "Without the tablets, we would have been in a lot more trouble," said Sample. Integrating tablets into the checkout experience has been well received. "Our seasons are short for landscaping-only four to five months, so time is money for our contractor customers," said Sample. "The more time they wait in the line, the less time they are working on projects. Our contractors love the new tablets. They used to have to go into a building, wait in line, and get the receipt.
We were able to set up tablet stations at our gates. The contractors drive straight to the gate, and we complete the checkout transactions there and get them on the road. This process is a big improvement for both of us." Future with tablets will further engage customers BURNCO uses seven tablets, and the managers are considering using the tablets in all locations in new ways. "We have large product displays, and we would like to give our staff the ability to build an order directly on the tablet as they are talking to a customer, instead of having to come back inside the building to complete the order," said Sample. "It will be a great way to serve our customers better."
BURNCO's vision for how they will use Tablet POS includes the possibility of removing the cash tills completely. "We are hoping the tablets will streamline our process even further," said Sample. "We will have a bigger team of service employees and cashiers out in the yard with the customers instead of housing permanent, immovable PCs."
BURNCO is also considering using the POS tablets for outside sales personnel. "We have a sales team on the road visiting contractors and customers on their job sites. We would like them to use the tablets to build orders instead of their laptops. They could take orders, arrange delivery and take the payment from the customer all in a single visit," said Sample.
Tablet POS is part of backup plan
BURNCO has a backup plan in place to ensure that they won't be down even if backup generators fail in the future. "Some of our locations are on the outskirts of cities so power and Internet outages happen from time to time," said Sample. "Having Tablet POS will allow us to work with our live data even if we don't have power."
BURNCO has certainly embraced the new technology. "Tablet POS is the way to go," said Sample. "It works today and as we deploy it further and the solution evolves, we will interact with our customers in new ways and continue to serve our customers even better."
About Epicor
Epicor Software Corporation is a global leader delivering business software solutions to the manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industries. With more than 40 years of experience, Epicor has more than 20,000 customers in over 150 countries. Epicor solutions enable companies to drive increased efficiency and improve profitability. With a history of innovation, industry expertise, and passion for excellence, Epicor inspires customers to build lasting competitive advantage. Epicor provides the single point of accountability that local, regional, and global businesses demand. For more information, visit www.epicor.com.