What is RIDGIDConnect? Tell me!
I have had a few recent "ah ha" moments with customers recently. After walking them through RIDGIDConnect.com and explaining the relevance of some of our new products like the LT1000, they suddenly get it. I always wish I would ask them what they thought RIDGIDConnect.com was before we got on the phone, but I usually run over on time with them trying to touch the high points of what RIDGIDConnect.com can do. So, I decided to solicit some feedback here hoping to catch some readers with a minute to spare. ...C'mon, you must have one if you found this page at the end of the internet!
Please leave me feedback on what you think RIDGIDConnect.com is (right now, don't go research!). I want to get your perspectives based on our ads, what the site tells you, things you read in the press... I will throw in an hour of RIDGIDConnect training for someone on your team in addition to a 60 day free trial for the first few comments that I approve!
The LT1000 Joins the Product Line (aka Digital is Really Here NOW!)
Here is a common conversation I have had over the past few months...
Customer: "Burning DVDs just to upload them doesn't make sense to me. Isn't there a better way?"
Me: "Sure, just connect a microExplorer (microEXPLORER™ Digital Inspection Camera) to virtually any camera system you have via the digital adapter (SeeSnake® Digital Adaptor) and you are good to go."
Customer: "That is a cool add-on at the right price, but it just seems a bit clunky for everyday use."
People recognize this configuration as a stop gap; as they should. Well, the gap is closing now. The LT1000 is here! I have had the chance to use this in the field with some customers, and it is awesome!
The LT1000 is an interface that allows you to connect a laptop to your existing camera reels so that you can create digital reports in the field. When you purchase an LT1000, you will get a free copy of SeeSnake HQ. This software has tight integrations to RIDGIDConnect. This means you can start a report while you are doing the inspection (labeling, associating with a customer, making notes...) . When you are done you can have it upload directly to RIDGIDConnect from within the software.
When I was traveling last week I did a few jobs from outside of the office. I was able to tether my BlackBerry smartphone to the laptop and upload from the work truck. On another location we were able to get free wi-fi access. Later in the day, I was with a customer that had his own AirCard that worked like a charm. All of the videos were fairly short (few minutes) since we knew we were going to be uploading over a lower bandwidth connection. Since we knew that when we started, it wasn't a big deal. If we needed to record and send a longer job from the field like that we could have, it just would have taken a little longer. Uploading like this would still beat driving DVDs back to the office or to the customer. SeeSnake HQ would also let us save the report to upload later on. I just like to push the technology as much as I can from the field to make sure it really works ...and it does.
I hope to keep you better informed of what is going on with RIDGIDConnect and its related products in the future. I just had a very busy few weeks that kept me away. One of them was spent accepting an award on behalf of the development team here (http://www.attendwes.com/wla) .
Will RIDGIDConnect knock your socks off?
Thousands have visited RIDGIDConnect thus far to see how it could possibly help them share, store, and simplify their digital assets. We have heard from some via email and forum posts that they think it is only for bigger companies, or that they can't see the value in it. Let me invite you to look behind the front door and take a free trial. Never hurts to look! http://www.ridgidconnect.com/Home.aspx
Over the last three days I have had the privilege to walk three different contractors through the site via WebEx, or on-line demonstration. Before we started the demonstration I asked about their business, what types of inspection or diagnostic equipment they used, and what their perception was of RIDGIDConnect. All three contractors came from different occupations and scale of business. They had varying degrees of inspection equipment; one was still using VHS on some camera systems. The three had two things in common. 1) They know that their industry and business is going digital via the tools they use in the field to the equipment and tools they use to run their business. 2) They thought that RIDGIDConnect was simply for videos. Boy were they surprised.
In just a short while these three contractors were shown how easy it is to upload any digital file to the system via the browser, the desktop application, or their mobile phone. One contractor immediately got excited and said that all the CD's of owner’s manuals and parts sheets that he has from equipment manufacturers was going to be uploaded so he could keep the information directly with before and after pictures of customer jobs going forward. A quick, easy way to reference back when a service call or question comes in.
Managing their customer lists so they could see their business plotted against a map gave them insights into the viability of purchasing direct mail promotions or where to focus in on growing their business. The ability to load a personal navigation device, like a Garmin, from RIDGIDConnect was seen as a major convenience tool since some have technicians with fingers that just can't navigate and type on those small screens.
The job report functionality was what all three contractors thought was the coolest thing. From the ability to schedule and track the work that is ongoing, to the ability to allow your customer to upload media (pictures, video, documents) to the report and then control the viewing rights was a powerful tool in their minds. Having private note and media sections would allow them to document all the insights and facts that went into a job and make them smarter in the future via having the reference. One contractor was asked just last week to look at another contractor’s inspection video and estimate. He shared that he hoped that didn't happen to him, but he knew it likely does. The ability to restrict job report access by expiration date or total number of views was viewed as being a game changing tool in making sure the contractor stayed aware of possible shopping of bids or sharing of reports.
So that's a brief run down on how a little bit of time with RIDGIDConnect totally impressed three of your peers. They are signed up and using the system as you read this. Will you be next? Is it worth a little time exploring what RIDGIDConnect has to offer you and how it might enhance your productivity and help your business? If you have questions - send us a note via the Contact button at the bottom of our home page. Want to see more, check out the See It In Action tab. http://www.ridgidconnect.com/Public/SeeItInAction.aspx
On The Road
This is a busy month! I am writing this blog while waiting for the Van Nuys, CA RIDGID Roadshow to start (http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Roadshow-2010). Tomorrow, I will be in Garden Grove, CA to work some of the Roadshow there as well. While I am in California, I will be visiting with some large accounts to talk about RIDGIDConnect and how the system can help them grow their business and enhance their capabilities. Later in the month I will be in the Portland, OR area for the Roadshow there; If you haven't yet be sure to register for the show or just come out and visit us. Come see me and I will personally show you how RIDGIDConnect can help you! I will be trying to visit a few customers in the Portland area as well. Let me know if you want me to stop and see you.
The last week of the month I will be in Orlando, FL for the BlackBerry Wireless Enterprise Symposium as a presenter(session WB09). I will also be representing RIDGID as a wireless leadership award finalist! ....stay tuned.
Let Your Customers Report First
This latest release of RIDGIDConnect adds some features that should get most of you pretty excited if we have been listening well. One major thing we added is the ability for you to allow your customers to upload media to any job you permit them to. This opens the doors to a few more things than it sounds like.
Open up any job and check mark the box to allow customers to upload media. Simple enough. "What's that get me?" you ask. A lot of new capabilities! First, let your customers save you a trip to the site by sending you a picture of what they are seeing. A lot of times a simple picture will give you enough information to bring the right parts to a job or send the right worker to the site. Being able to communicate at the speed of the internet might give you a leg up on the competition that needs to send someone onsite to give an estimate for work. After work is done, the customer may find fault in your work, or notice an issue, and want to show you what is happening. Again, they can easily attach an image or video to the report to save the frustration of a customer trying to communicate what is wrong. Best of all, RIDGIDConnect allows you to store this all securely so you have a living file on all the customer interactions.
It doesn't have to be a video or picture from a camera that you ask your customer for. Think about the forms you already exchange. When you create a job for a customer, you could attach a pre-work survey to collect the information you need for the job, and then ask them to upload the form when it is complete. Why not do the same after a job is done with a satisfaction survey? You will automatically have all of the information for a customer in one easy to manage place without needing to put paperwork into a folder and printing emails and faxes out so that your job data is all in one place. Your customers will most likely thank you for saving them trips to the fax machine in the process or the cost of a stamp.