RB recently interviewed Jennifer from the accounting department of Johnson Pools and Spas to find out how RB has been helping them improve their business. Check out our Q&A with Jennifer below.

How did you hear about RB’s swimming pool business software?

“We needed a better solution that our retail, service, and maintenance departments could all use together. While at a trade show, some of our employees talked to several other pool companies to see what they were using, and RB was definitely the most popular swimming pool business software, so we started looking into it ourselves.”

What problem did you want to solve using RB’s swimming pool business software?

“At that point, we were using one system for retail and to keep track of Accounts Receivable (AR), but we had to invoice service and maintenance customers in a separate system. That system then dumped the information into the AR system, but it didn’t work well. It was very convoluted and clunky. It didn’t do everything we needed it to do as far as tracking serial numbers, and it wasn’t an even, steady process flow like it should have been.”

What made RB stand out as the ideal solution?

“When we were looking at RB swimming pool business software, one thing that was very attractive to the whole team was that it created a step-by-step flow for every customer interaction. When the customer comes into the store, they can buy a part, or schedule service, or set up maintenance, and we can do all that in one system while also working AR. Each department can talk to each other within the RB system. Retail can look and see if service has anything scheduled for the customer that’s standing right in front of them without having to contact service department personnel and ask. Service can look into the system and see what chemicals the customer bought or what chemicals they need based on the water last water test maintenance performed. The fact that each department can look into the system to get the information they need, including information from other departments — we really like that.

And, of course, it’s super easy to work the AR, emailing the invoice to customers, and being able to have that button where they can go online at 3AM in their pajamas and pay their invoice. They don’t have to take time out of their day to call us during business hours. It’s more convenient for them and more user-friendly for us.”

What was your initial experience like with RB when you first launched the software? Did you have the resources you needed?

“Yes, absolutely. Because our systems didn’t work well together and weren’t doing what we needed, we didn’t try to rush it — we took the time to do it right. We made sure it was integrated with QuickBooks in exactly the way it needed to be, and that everything was mapped perfectly. We did the same with inventory, doing an inventory count and making sure that each item was in the correct category in the right department so that it would map correctly to QuickBooks.

As far as RB was concerned, it was very user-friendly. The hardest thing about it was figuring out what button we needed to push to put in the information we needed, and that’s true for any software. All we had to do was call or send an email, it wasn’t difficult to get the answers we needed to the questions we had.

We did our training with Ryan — and I can’t say enough good things about Ryan, he is amazing and awesome and we love him to death — he took the time with us and was patient and answered all of our questions. He knew exactly how to explain the process to us so we could work our way through step-by-step. He didn’t throw a ton of information over the fence and let us figure out how to work through it all on our own. He took us through it part by part so we wouldn’t be lost. It was perfect.”

Has RB allowed you to improve the customer experience offered?

“As we’re replacing our old system piece by piece and learning everything that RB has to offer, the customer experience will definitely get better as we start working more features into our flow. They’ll get a one-stop-shop — they can talk to service, and service will know what maintenance has done or retail has sold them because it’s all in the system. At the click of a button, you can see everything, so yes, it definitely will improve our customer experience.”

How has RB benefited your business so far?

“In the accounting department, reporting is my favorite thing about RB. The fact that I can go in and pull out just about any information that I want is very helpful. If I want to know what products sold on a particular day, there’s a report for that. If I want to know the profit of a department in any particular month, there’s a report for that. I can pull reports that tell me how much income we did in cash, in checks, and in credit cards in any given time period. I love that.

For the rest of the building, I think the way the service calls are scheduled, from the time the phone call comes in to the time the call takes place, every step in the process is logged in the system so everyone can see the information and it’s all tracked. That’s great for the business as a whole.

I’m also very excited about RB Mobile. In the field, if the guys are cleaning the pool, they can pull that customer up and see the water test from when the customer brought in a sample of water a few days before. So the guys in the field can see the results and know what chemicals to add without stopping to make a phone call. If a customer calls in later and wants to know what chemicals were added to their pool, anyone can pull up that report and tell them. There’s no need for separate phone calls or trying to contact the service person who went out last. I’m most excited to work that into our flow. Having that information at our fingertips so we don’t have to tell the customer, “Let us look for that information and call you back,” saves everyone time and gives the customer a better experience.”

Any closing thoughts on your experience with RB swimming pool business software?

“I am 100% satisfied with it, and I think the general consensus around the office is that everyone else at Johnson Pools and Spas is also very satisfied with it!”

Interested in driving growth and efficiency for your business using RB’s swimming pool business software?

The right swimming pool business software will improve efficiency in several ways. With more streamlined communications between customers and employees, customers enjoy a better experience and employees uncover new opportunities to drive revenue. Schedule a demo today to see how you can begin reaping the benefits of RB’s pool and spa business software.