In the dynamic world of business, efficiency and streamlined operations are paramount. Recently on "Business Beat," a segment of Houston City Beat, Lisbet Newton spoke with Gene Gattis, the Director of Operations for Ambassador USA, a nationwide building services provider. Gattis shared a compelling story about how implementing the uSource technology solution has revolutionized their business.
Ambassador USA, established in 2007, offers a comprehensive suite of services, including janitorial, office personnel, facility maintenance, and groundskeeping. For years, their operations relied heavily on manual processes. "The old adage of death by Excel," Gattis chuckled, describing their previous environment of numerous spreadsheets and disparate software systems for payroll, work order generation, overtime tracking, labor expense allocation, and even equipment management. "We didn't know what we had until we started implementation with uSource and tracking our assets." This lack of a centralized system presented significant challenges. According to Gattis, the biggest hurdle was managing asset information. "Inputting all your asset information takes a long time to compile," he explained. "And if you don't have a single source for that, you're going by old documents or you're running out and creating a new inventory of the asset list in the field." This made it difficult to track usage and know the actual availability of their equipment across hundreds of locations nationwide.
The implementation of uSource, a technology solution designed to consolidate these processes, began just over two years ago. While Gattis noted that the timeline depends on a company's dedication, the full integration took approximately eight months for Ambassador USA, utilizing multiple internal resources. One of the key benefits of uSource is its user-friendliness. Gattis affirmed that the learning curve for their team was minimal. "It's a pretty simple system to use." He highlighted a particularly valuable feature: inspection reporting. Customized inspection formats based on each client's scope of work are integrated into the system. Field personnel can conduct inspections, flag issues, attach photos of defects, and automatically generate work orders – all through a mobile app. "This is not just a solution that you have on your desktop," Gattis emphasized. "You also have the mobile app as well that you can take on your phone, and it's really easy to use." The mobile app has also simplified crucial tasks for field employees, such as clocking in and out at job sites and documenting completed tasks with photos. Gattis praised the ease of onboarding for field staff, noting that it requires minimal technical expertise. The app even offers language options, like Spanish, to accommodate diverse workforces. Training typically takes just a couple of days for employees to become proficient. Addressing potential concerns about technology reliance in the field, Gattis explained that managing lost or malfunctioning phones is relatively straightforward. "The number is really what's important because then all the information and data ports right back out to the numbers. They just change the devices, redownload the app, and sign in." From an operational standpoint, the impact of U Source has been significant.
When asked about quantifying the financial improvements, Gattis estimated a "three to five percent" savings in the first year alone. This is attributed to better tracking of assets, preventing overbuying, and gaining accurate insights into labor allocation through the system's time-tracking capabilities. "Before, if you're just estimating hours and somebody says that they worked four or five hours, okay, fine," Gattis explained. "But now you've got real tracking on when they were there and when they're not, so we were paying for true labor allocation." He concluded that "the system basically pays for itself, if not more." When asked if he had any final thoughts for other business owners considering uSource, Gattis offered a strong recommendation: "It's a very robust system. If you're thinking about getting in there, I would say sign up and get in there and test the system out. It has a lot of good features that business owners really need." The conversation with Gene Gattis underscores the transformative power of technology in optimizing business operations, leading to increased efficiency and tangible financial benefits. For Houston City Beat readers in the business sector, Ambassador USA's experience with uSource offers valuable insights into the potential of strategic technology adoption.
