Meet Cynthia Evenhouse! Cynthia has been in the portable restroom industry since 2011 when she joined her husband and owner, Derek. Together they own and operate a total of four portable restroom operations all across the state of Michigan, Jons To Go Portable Restrooms, Caribou Services, Inc., All Seasons Porta-Jons and C&W Portables.

Over the years, Cynthia and Derek have had their fair share of trying new systems to run their operations. Most of which used a lot of paper and a lot of time (sound familiar?). In their earlier days, everything was run on pen and paper from their billing to their routing. This method only got more time-consuming and messy as they acquired more businesses. They then switched to their first software system to run their accounting, order entry, and routing. Although they finally had a software in place to ease their days, it wasn’t an all in one solution and still took long hours to work out of..

Here were their biggest challenges:

• Inefficient Routing: Planning routes for drivers was disjointed, with drivers relying on paper maps and handwritten notes. Additionally, there was no system in place to track driver locations or optimize routes.
• Disruptive Manual Order Entries: Employees had to fill out order forms by hand and manually enter the information into the computer, where they had to go back and forth if any job updates were necessary. The order entry was redundant, costly, and wasn’t without human error. “One, my handwriting is horrible, and two, I can’t read it. I ended up losing a lot of paperwork” admits Cadie.
• Paperwork Overload: Filing and managing paperwork was a significant burden. Important documents were often misplaced, causing delays and frustration. Cynthia explained, “We used to have stacks and stacks of paper. You felt like you were getting a lot done when you got to the stack, but it was always just hanging over your head.”
• Painful Billing Processes: As the business was growing, they felt limited and held back by their billing and invoicing processes. “It took our credit card staff almost a month to run all the credit cards because we didn’t have any way of making them recurring”, said Cynthia.

After first looking at ServiceCore in 2018, like most operators, Cynthia and Derek were nervous about the cost and change that getting a new system would involve. They decided to hold off.

A couple years and acquisitions later, they knew it was time to change their process. Cynthia met with the ServiceCore team in person at the annual PSAI Tradeshow and decided it was the right time to make the switch for their growing operation.

Enhancing Operations with ServiceCore

Once Cynthia and Derek switched to ServiceCore, they were able to immediately address their operation inefficiencies and revolutionize their operations, starting with on-site software training from ServiceCore’s implementation team who immediately felt like family.

Cynthia shared, “One of my favorite things about ServiceCore is just how organized it is and how easy it is at the beginning when you’re first learning. It seems like a mountain you can’t climb up, but once you get the hang of it and you know where all the pieces fall, you just whip through it.”

Here’s the benefits they’ve seen since the switch:

Better Customer Communication

With ServiceCore, Cynthia and Derek’s portable restroom operations significantly improved their customer service by streamlining time-sensitive information to and from drivers in real time. They now share the progress, notes and photos of their services through the app. She stated, “The pictures have increased my driver accountability because they know I’m going to be looking. And when mama’s looking at those pictures, they know what she wants to see.” These job status images ensure the safety and accountability of her drivers, protect the business, and provide customers with proof of service for peace of mind.

Optimized Order Entries

Before ServiceCore, it was challenging to keep up with phone calls and emails through their handwritten, manual processes. Now, with immediate ways for staff to input customers and update information all in one program, what used to take a notable amount of time now can be done in two to three minutes. Office staff can update drivers on jobs that need urgent additional units, last-minute pickups, and any information needed to service a unit.

“ServiceCore makes us a lot more efficient and it’s
not as time-consuming as our other process was.”
– Cynthia

Improved Scheduling and Routing

With ServiceCore, routing and scheduling became much more accurate and manageable for real-time updates and better tracking of driver locations. One of their office staff, Cass, added, “Seeing where the drivers are is super helpful. We can check if they can handle extra jobs in their day like an off-route service or pick ups and how far they are from the stops.” Cynthia added, “Our missed service calls have gone down to about 2% of what they were.”

Skyrocketing Efficiency and Growth

Cynthia and her husband initially decided to try ServiceCore for a year but said, “Within the first 3 or 4 weeks, we realized this is a self-dispatching kind of program for the most part. With the time savings, we didn’t need our dispatcher position,”. Utilizing the right software showed that more work could be done in less time. This demonstrates that by eliminating unnecessary positions thanks to ServiceCore’s automated tools, Cynthia saved more in wages than the cost of ServiceCore use over five years.

“The efficiency and what our drivers are doing has allowed us
to cut down on overtime. Our cost on wages of revenue went down,
and our revenue was way more because of the efficiency
that it just saved so much time.” – Cynthia

Comparing performance before and after ServiceCore integration shows incredible results with Jons to Go being way ahead of their projections, even after acquiring new businesses. Cynthia noted, “And as we’re growing – because we are with every acquisition – it doesn’t feel like we’re growing, which can be scary but great all at the same time.”

The Results

ServiceCore has been monumental in driving growth and efficiency operations at Cynthia and Derek’s portable restroom operations. Their success story serves as a testament to ServiceCore’s ability to help portable sanitation companies overcome industry challenges and inefficiencies to improve operations, customer service, and growth. Cynthia notes,

“I’m grateful just because we jumped into ServiceCore,
but I’m also disappointed because now that I’m in ServiceCore,
I wish I could have been in it earlier.”

For businesses seeking to elevate their operations and drive growth, ServiceCore offers a transformative solution to help overcome industry challenges. Book a demo today to experience firsthand how ServiceCore can revolutionize your business, streamline operations, and propel you toward unmatched efficiency and growth.