Gas Appliance Specialists (Auckland, New Zealand)

Nick Ray, formerly the Service Manager of Rinnai New Zealand Ltd, saw an opportunity to set up an appliance service business because of the chronic shortage of skilled service technicians. In early 2005, Nick established Gas Appliance Specialists. He had already decided to use SmartTrade together with QuickBooks, having seen a Rinnai service contractor successfully using this combination.

Gas Appliance Specialists has been mobilised from day one. Jobs are dispatched to the mobile device or created in the field, and then completed and dispatched back to the office system. Invoices are printed on site using a battery operated printer, and in most cases, payment is received before leaving. As a result, Gas Appliance Specialists has a healthy cash flow and little risk of bad debts. “It removes the opportunity for people to think of reasons why they shouldn’t pay” explains Nick.

Nick values the professionalism that SmartTrade projects. “I’m dealing with high tech products. It’s very important to project the right image - using dirty bits of paper isn’t on. Lots of customers make favourable comments.” He modified a metal briefcase to hold a mobile device, portable printer and various other items, which adds to the professional image.

It’s still early days for Gas Appliance Specialists, but the business is already a success - a great example of combining good skills and good systems. Nick Ray is looking forward to the release of the SmartTrade maintenance module, as he sees the opportunity to grow that side of the business.