"Before Odoo, our mobile technicians were working blind – they'd arrive at customer sites without knowing equipment history or having the right parts. Now they have everything they need at their fingertips, and our customers love the proactive service approach." Service Manager
Background
Client/Company: Regional welding equipment distributor serving Atlantic Canada
Industry: Welding equipment sales, service, and supplies distribution
Size: 25 employees with mobile service fleet covering three provinces
Challenge/Problem: The company was struggling to coordinate their mobile service operations across a large geographic territory. Key issues included:
- Service technicians inefficiently routed across three provinces without real-time visibility into customer equipment service history
- Manual inventory management across warehouse and mobile service vehicles leading to frequent stockouts
- Disconnected warranty tracking and parts ordering systems
- Customer consumables programs managed through cumbersome spreadsheets with poor communication between sales, service, and mobile teams
Solution
Approach: Implemented comprehensive Odoo ERP with specialised modules for equipment distribution and mobile service operations
Tools/Methods: The implementation centred around comprehensive Odoo ERP with specialised modules for equipment distribution and mobile service operations. This included field service management with mobile-enabled service ticketing and GPS routing optimisation, real-time inventory management across warehouse and mobile vehicles, and a customer portal for self-service equipment registration. The solution integrated fleet management for vehicle scheduling, sales CRM with service history integration, and helpdesk functionality for warranty claims. A custom mobile app provided offline-capable technician interface with equipment manuals and parts catalogues.
Results
Quantifiable Outcomes:
| Metric | Before Odoo | After Odoo | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service call efficiency | 4 calls/day | 6.5 calls/day | 65% increase |
| First-time fix rate | 68% | 89% | 21% improvement |
| Parts availability on trucks | 45% | 82% | 37% improvement |
| Customer response time | 24-48 hours | 4-6 hours | 83% reduction |
| Warranty processing time | 5-7 days | 1-2 days | 75% reduction |
Additional improvements:
- $125,000 annual savings through optimised routing and reduced fuel costs
- 45% reduction in emergency parts shipments
- 90% improvement in inventory turnover rates
- 35% increase in consumables program customer retention
Qualitative Benefits: Customer satisfaction improved significantly through proactive maintenance alerts and enhanced technician productivity with mobile access to equipment manuals and service history. Warranty claims processing became streamlined with automatic manufacturer notifications, whilst better coordination between sales and service teams enabled more effective equipment upgrade conversations. The implementation provided real-time visibility into service performance metrics across the entire region.
Key Takeaway
Mobile service businesses can achieve dramatic efficiency gains by implementing integrated ERP systems that connect field operations with back-office processes, enabling proactive customer service and optimised resource allocation.