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Doug Feller & Drew Martin
About a year ago Priority Towing seriously began to look for a new software management system. This time with time on our side, we did our research properly. Along with Drew Martin, I visited trade shows and spoke at length to users and representatives of the most prominent software venders. After narrowing the field, we visited with existing users and spent days learning what they knew. “They knew a lot” However, we did not get that warm feeling from all of the software companies; some gave us half answers, and others, a maybe promise. As a developer, when I tell a client something, I have to deliver; “I’m used too straight talk.”
We where nearing a hesitant decision, but our, ongoing research brought us into contact with Collision Management, a Texas based software Development Company, and VTS Classic, a software product of more than six year in the offering. “Just a change in their advertising strategy brought them to our attention, it was that simple. Things happened fast, phone calls, e-mails, CD ROMs, we called them, and they called us. More e-mails followed, with in depth web site reading sessions, more questions, more answers, and finally, someone with solutions. We immediately liked what we saw, well organized, simple, easy to use and excellent management reporting tools, and a clear technology roadmap to new features and the next generation of product technology,” In addition, VTS Classic does not use paper manuals; CM gave us short training videos to look at... Our guy’s loved them! Moreover, they gave us direct access to MODOT for MVR data. The more we talked, the more we liked their total solution approach, VTS Classic, NetworkFLEET, VTSView and bar code readers, all integrated, along with extended remote network management and ongoing support.” “In reality, we would have our own network person on call 24/7 at a fraction of the cost of a full-time in-house person. Collision Management’s approach did not give us a disk, take our money, and run,” CM provided for our future IT growth, managed and taken care of.”
“Within a week we had made a buying decision, and two weeks later they were with us.” Andrew Pestell, CM’s network person came from Canada, and Nigel Pestell and Roy Southerland from Texas. “For us it was easy business as usual, for them three long days and the CM team had VTS Classic installed on our network sever and seven workstations, they cleaned up and loaded our customer database ready to go and trained our staff. Andrew, obviously an experienced “Big Company” network person, teamed up with the local PC provider Ken Ballard and together they solved all of our previous network issues, leaving us with a clean operating network. The hand holding did not end there, Collision Management suggested we give ourselves a burn in period for the staff to get comfortable, really comfortable, stand alone panic comfortable with VTS Classic, and make all or at least most, of the training errors before going live. However, after three days, the staff felt they were ready... eager in fact, to go live. With Collision Management’s network person Andrew, remotely watching over their shoulder, and removing all of the training tow tickets, we went live.
We are now four or more weeks into using VTS Classic and past our first all-important month end closing. “It has been a smooth transition, but not without its moments of confusion and compounded errors, but Andrew and Chris Hulsey, Collision Management’s software wizard, have been there to support us when called upon or from their remote network eye in the sky, they have quickly sorted out our learning curve errors.”
“Are we happy with the system, was it a good buying decision, have they supported us? Yes, to all of the above, we feel we are a team. Next week we install NetworkFLEET in our 10 wreckers and begin reducing our fuel usage, by identifying the closet wrecker to the incident, plus all of the fleet maintenance and management tools that they bring.
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