ServiceChannel works and it works well.
Pros
- ServiceChannel just works, they are no breakdowns or glitches in the system to speak of. When a service request is put in the system it can be tracked at any time, you can check on the status and notes can be inserted by the manager or the vendor so there is always a live and historical account on every service request. The proposals and invoices system is simple to use and works perfectly.
- Emergency Requests - If you have an emergency facilities request then a vendor is required to respond with 4 hours but if ServiceChannel don't see a vendor responding within an hour or so they then call the vendor to get a status update and if they can't get a hold of the vendor then they call the facilities manager at our company and notify them of the emergency. With this system, emergencies don't just go unnoticed.
- Analytics - ServiceChannel has an amazing analytics program that analyzes all your data which you can access at any time, there are standard reports and you can also customize reports. The reports can show you what store or region has the most calls, what are the most common problems in the stores, what is the average cost of the work, which vendor charges more than average, which vendor has the best response time and the list goes on and on. You can get the data on spreadsheets or graphs. The program gives you the ability to slice and dice all your data any way you want.
- ServiceChannel is very intuitive and so it is easy to use and very easy to learn. A new store manager only needs 10 or 15 mins of training and they are ready to use the system.
Cons
- Each vendor you use has to be added to your vendor list, although there are already a lot of vendors that use ServiceChannel there are also a lot that don't use it so getting vendors set up and using the system correctly can be very frustrating
- The program is not cheap although you only pay for the features you use. There are so many features that it can be confusing for the average facility manager, sometimes I think we are paying for stuff we never use.
- ServiceChannel is always adding new features which is good but you need to take the time the stay updated.
Return on Investment
- At anytime you can see the running total of the invoices so it gives you an idea as to where you are with the facility budget.
- The program allows you to analyze the vendors' performance as far as response times, time to complete a job, average cost of a job and also their fee compared other vendors doing the same type of work. This type of info allows you to better negotiate with your vendors and let them know you are monitoring the performance, overall it leads to greater transparency and reduced costs.
- The system works well so the ratio of stores each facility manager can manage is very high which ultimately saves having extra personal managing the facility process.
