kmG Hauling breaks free from manual processes and streamlines their back-office operations with AMCS’ Enterprise Management Solution.
By Hugo Garcia
kmG Hauling, located in Sterling, VA, is a family-owned waste and recycling company founded in 2002. Since 2002, they have provided commercial, industrial and residential entities with safe, earth-conscious waste removal solutions. They specialize in the collection and disposal of trash, recycling, bulk, construction and demolition (C&D) and other debris from commercial and residential communities in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Their experience includes a variety of commercial and residential accounts including restaurants, hotels, office and apartment buildings, retail stores, government buildings, construction companies and housing communities.
The company has grown to having more than 100 vehicles in their fleet that provide services for recycling collection, trash collection, bulk service and roll-off. Each of their trucks has a flame symbol and are painted in various colors to symbolize a cause they care about. They have more than 100 employees and manage 45 routes that go out each day to service about 5,000 customers. As they have increased their fleet, they have evolved and adapted to a modern, state-of-the-art method for removing waste.
Challenges for a Growing Business
Prior to the implementation of the AMCS Enterprise Management solution, most of kmG Hauling’s office operations were manual processes. Billing was handled through QuickBooks while routing was done using Excel and then manually updated as services changed. When there was a need for a work order to be generated, it was manually done, making it time consuming and a challenge to track and manage efficiently. kmG Hauling needed a way to migrate all of their data and consolidate it into one system to improve their operational efficiency and enhance their customer service. “We were using an accounting application to serve as our CRM (Customer Relationship Management) application to record service requests and account notes, billing information such as service dates and costs, in addition to generating invoices and record/track payments and monitor revenue. Our staff invested a lot of time to manually monitor accounts for past due balances, making it difficult to monitor receivables as it was not always consistent,” says Azelda Peach, kmG Hauling’s Senior Executive Assistant.
Over time, this became very challenging and was not a scalable solution for their growing business. kmG Hauling recognized the need to find a solution that would replace the manual systems, support their efforts and provide better efficiencies. Says Linda Brown, Senior Director, “Our company was built on the principle that customer service would be what separated us from the competition, so we take pride in that. It was important to us to find a technology partner that would help us get to that higher level of service. And we found that with AMCS.”
kmG Hauling originally discovered AMCS and its products at Waste Expo and then visited their facility to further develop an understanding of their software. The company turned to AMCS for many reasons, however, two key things resonated for them. The primary one was that AMCS is focused on the waste management industry and understands the business. Second, AMCS offers a robust solution that allowed kmG Hauling to have everything in one place, which has improved efficiency, prevented revenue leakage and standardized back-office operations.
AMCS is a global leader of integrated software and vehicle technology for the waste, recycling and resource industries. They have helped more than 1,600 customers reduce their operating costs, increase asset use, optimize margins and improve customer service. Their enterprise software and SaaS solutions deliver digital innovation to the emerging circular economy around the world. AMCS’ Enterprise Management solution is a scalable solution that gives a 360-degree view into the business. Designed to meet the unique requirements of the waste and recycling market, it allows waste management companies to quickly and easily manage the full spectrum of business-critical data and processes and provides complete visibility into waste collection activities. With AMCS Enterprise Management, haulers can streamline operations, reduce costs, increase productivity, drive profitability across the organization and turn valuable resources into revenue.
Implementation
As with any new technology, change can be difficult with unexpected glitches. The primary concern was getting the internal staff to grasp the mindset that the processes were going to be a bit different and, as a result, it took quite a bit of upfront work. So kmG Hauling put together an internal team of subject matter experts consisting of kmG Hauling’s IT Consultant, and members of their finance and customer service teams to oversee the implementation and work with the AMCS team. In preparation of the system being implemented, kmG Hauling’s team had to grasp the mindset of outlining processes to be more of a workflow than a transaction. kmG Hauling chose to have AMCS fly out and hands on train onsite, which was extremely helpful and resourceful. The team worked extensively on developing the workflow to map out all of the aspects of each service offered to include type of customer, the equipment used, type of service, frequency of service and any exceptions to their business processes. For example, if kmG Hauling offered a 2-yard container, they had to ensure that the workflow consistently captured this for each day of service, each type of material being collected and the fleet used to collect it (Front Load, Rear Load, Recycling, Roll-Off). The implementation team conducted regular meetings and coordinated trainings with impacted operational staff as well as use a training module to test each workflow for accuracy and to identify any discrepancies or potential issues before going live with the system.
Getting the staff used to seeing information in a different way was the most difficult part of the process. Drivers had to get used to seeing a route sheet differently. For example, a notes section is included for specific accounts that the driver needs to focus on for service time requirement, codes for locks on the containers or points of contacts to call to open a door or gate where the containers are located.
The AMCS Enterprise Management solution has also helped kmG Hauling standardize some of the back-office operations. They have been able to archive customer interactions, as well as have immediate access to information for each customer record in real time. This allows kmG Hauling to provide a higher level of customer service when people call or e-mail. “Our office staff had to get used to entering and finding information in a new system, and our finance team had to understand the different checks and balances for each type of payment transaction to include generating invoices and processing payment information,” says Jessica Hammel, Senior Manager.
Key Benefits
The automation has given kmG Hauling the ability to streamline processes by reducing the number of steps taken to complete one transaction or customer inquiry. This also gives frontline staff more time to complete their daily tasks and respond back to customers more promptly. Says Brown, “The biggest benefit from the implementation of the software was the automation of our internal processes. Whenever there is a manual process in place, you are at risk for inconsistencies, as well as loss of historical information that is needed to make key business decisions. Having this information has improved the overall level of service being provided to our customers. It allowed us to streamline our processes, given us real-time information when customers called in with questions and concerns, track and record their invoice/payment transactions and keep a history of any issues with their service, and allowed us to improve our overall level of customer service we were providing to our customers.”
The key benefits of the AMCS Enterprise Management Solution for kmG Hauling included:
• Automation of internal processes
• Access to real-time customer data
• Migrate and consolidate all data into one system
• Quickly communicate with drivers with detailed information
• Improved overall level of customer service to kmG customers
“I currently work in accounts receivable, so I handle all of the finance aspects for the company. I absolutely love using AMCS solution, because it makes my life so much easier,” comments Peach. “I went from detailed paperwork and excel worksheets to this, it’s been a blessing.”
Hugo Garcia is Founder and President of kmG Hauling (Sterling, VA), founded in 2002. Growing up in the family business, Hugo realized that trash service was more than a family business and set out to learn all aspects of the business. He first started working with his father at the age of 15 learning waste management from the inside out. Now, whether providing education and awareness to schools and community outreach on the importance of recycling during Green Day or bringing awareness and support for several Cancer diseases by designing trucks that serve as billboards on the road, Hugo continues to drive creativity in the trash business. His strategic direction expands our portfolio and ensures kmG remains a nationally recognized waste management company. For more information, visit www.kmghauling.com.
For more information on AMCS, contact Nancy Byrne, Director of Marketing, North America at [email protected]. See the AMCS Solution in action at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y1NJvC2sgI&t=33s.