Monson Septic and Portable Restrooms is a family-owned business based in Wisconsin. At the heart of this business is Jeff Monson, the founder and owner, his wife Laurie, who manages the billing and bookkeeping, and their son Aaron, who oversees daily operations and customer interactions. Starting in 2006 with just one septic truck and twelve portable restrooms, they have grown to manage hundreds of units. The company has come a long way from its modest beginnings but they faced challenges as they grew.

“Work became family time and family time became work”

Managing Monson Septic was an uphill battle with paper and spreadsheets. As they expanded, the inefficiencies began to undermine their growth and customer satisfaction.

• Lengthy Route Planning: Aaron handled the route planning manually, which was time-consuming. He explained, “I was spending so much time making the routes by hand every single week, it probably took 4 hours.”
• Difficult Billing: Invoicing was also a struggle that cost Monson Septic hours of their busy days, Jeff recalled, “I used to hand-write the invoices, all of them.”
• Short-Term Solutions: As Monson Septic looked for ways to better manage their expanding inventory, Aaron experimented with a spreadsheet from a less-known source on the internet. He joked, “I was a little worried that it was gonna download a virus on the computer but I was like, I’ll take my chances.”
• No Free Time: Running the business took so much time, the family found themselves working constantly, “At 9:30-10:00 at night, we’re still doing paperwork and that was not working well because we were doing that six days a week, sometimes seven.”

Each of these challenges pointed to a need for a change that could support their business growth and reduce the daily stress of operations. The Monsons knew they needed a better solution.

“There’s gotta be a better way to do it”

The decision to switch to ServiceCore was huge for Monson Septic. It transformed their daily operations and made it easier to grow.

The Turning Point 

Jeff would write notes for the day on anything he could find. One day, he wrote notes all over a cardboard box and when he finished the routes for the day he recalled telling the family, “Whatever makes it easier, I am all onboard with getting a software program.”

Finding ServiceCore

When they decided they needed a change, Aaron described the process, “We started the research and I saw the ServiceCore name in the Facebook groups. And so we started looking at them.”

Decision Factors

The Monsons were drawn to ServiceCore’s all-inclusive features, as Aaron emphasized, “I think the biggest thing for us was having one place to put all of our information in. And saving time.” Laurie also said she wanted the ease to do 28-day billing in ServiceCore.

Demo and Selection

After a series of demos and comparisons with other software options, the Monsons chose ServiceCore for its user-friendly interface and the fact that it was specifically designed for the industry.

“ServiceCore has been a huge help”

The adoption of ServiceCore has fundamentally transformed how Monson Septic operates. It has streamlined their day-to-day activities and enhanced their customer service.

“I used to spend over 4 hours on a Sunday

during busy season making the routes,

now I can spend that time with my son instead.”

– Aaron Monson

• Easier Billing Processes: ServiceCore’s automated billing system has revolutionized how Monson Septic handles their finances. Laurie notes the significant improvement, “Now I see I have 14 invoices in here and I’ll be done in two seconds.”
• Efficient Route Management: The GPS and route optimization features have saved hours that were spent making routes by hand. Aaron reflects on how fast it is now, “This week I put together all six routes in five minutes at most. I hit the optimize route button and it put everything in there.”
• Improved Customer Management: Before, the Monsons would enter customer information in 4 different systems. That has changed according to Jeff, “Somebody calls, Aaron’s on the phone, he can enter it in ServiceCore. Now we have all their information in one place.”
• Time Saved: The hours spent billing, routing, and entering orders have now been cut to minutes.

With ServiceCore, they have found a partner that supports their business goals and improves their ability to serve their community more effectively.

“I would recommend ServiceCore to any company”

With ServiceCore, Monson Septic and Portable Restrooms is a new business. Laurie and Aaron Monson now enjoy streamlined billing, efficient routes, and better customer management, significantly reducing manual errors and labor.

Their transition to ServiceCore shows how the right tool can turn challenges into opportunities for a family-run business. Since switching to ServiceCore, Aaron shared his relief, “It kind of hit me when I left at the end of the day and there wasn’t a checklist still in my head of things I needed to do that night when I got home and I was mentally free.”