Technology has played a big factor and has likely impacted more areas of our businesses than anything else.
However one change that has been slower, but is starting to happen more, is the reduction or elimination of paper.
The paper process is slow, prone to error, information could easily be misplaced and finally, it often creates duplicate work entry.
It’s no secret that a paperless workplace is a much better and greener option than using paper. Going paperless ends up reducing our carbon footprint and saves some trees too. Not to mention, going paperless can save businesses up to $80 per employee.
By automating your information entry, marina management (and management of any business for that matter) is far more efficient.
Communication is Faster
The technology in smartphones and tablet devices has changed communication. Most people have immediate communication through a multitude of apps and different software programs. This instant communication can also be applied with automation tools in software, like DockMaster’s Service Management (Work Order Processing).
This can be used to:
- Manage estimates and convert them into work orders in just a few steps
- Templates can be defined to eliminate double data entry
- Decrease physical storage costs (reduce or eliminate paper documents that need storage)
- Coordinate work will all field technicians, shop mechanics, yard personnel & service managers
Estimates and work orders created or modified are then are synced with DockMaster. Finally, your technicians can log labor hours with the DockMaster Mobile App‘s mobile time clock, take photos and add comments to work orders from a smartphone or tablet.
All this information is immediately made available in DockMaster. Suddenly, managing your marina doesn’t seem do daunting.
With Inventory (parts) Management, it can provide all the necessary tools for efficient inventory tracking, including purchasing, integration to point of sale and integration with the service management (work order) and eliminate paper.
Even basic scanning of documents, receipts and invoices makes for a faster process of sorting, filing and organization for quick retrieval when required.
Peace of Mind with Automatic Backups & Data Security
When we were all reliant on paper, moving away from the process exposed how truly vulnerable we were, or still are in many circumstances.
When critical business information is on those papers, and they’re misplaced, misfiled or accidentally thrown out, that information is gone. With the automated electronic process as part of the software solutions available today, practices like Financial Management helps all areas of your business that generate accounting entries that feed into the General Ledger, with a full audit-trail capability and all data is backed up, secure and the paper is gone.
Today there is always concern about privacy and data protection. In many ways the push away from paper has forced proper data security procedures and put the days of locked file cabinets and paper shredders behind us.
Credit card data and other personal information about your customers should not be stored on paper files. Printing out a list of your customers credit card numbers and locking them in a desk drawer does not meet the Payment Card Industry Security Standards (PCI).
Furthermore, payment information needs to be stored in a PCI compliant software system. DockMaster connects with various payment gateways that store payment information in a secure cloud environment that meets these rigorous standards,
Financial Benefits That Can’t be Ignored
The savings of going paperless extends beyond the cost of the paper elimination.
The capital expenses associated with office supplies like ink cartridges can be dramatically decreased, and those little cartridges are very expensive as you likely know. Additional upgrades or replacements to expensive office equipment such as copiers and fax machines may also decrease. According to NCMM the cost savings although an initial investment is needed, eventually will see that money returned.
An average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year, according to data cited in Entrepreneur. On average, a four drawer filing cabinet costs $25,000 to fill and $2,000 to maintain just for one year. This doesn’t even take into account the costs of making sure all your papers are properly shredded before you throw them away.
Let’s have a talk about how a technology and software driven solution can help reduce or even eliminate paper use at your Marina, Boatyard or Dealership.
Are you ready to go paperless? If you want to find out more about DockMaster and its suite of marine software products, just get in touch with us here.
–
DockMaster Software is an industry leading management system for marinas, boatyards, and boat dealerships. DockMaster includes Unit Sales, Prospecting and F&I with fully integrated financial management and numerous integrations with CRM applications, dealer websites and text/messaging services. The Service module includes estimating, labor tracking, and complete parts management with ordering/receiving, subcontractor fulfillment and invoicing. DockMaster Mobile allows technicians to clock on/off jobs from any mobile device. Visual Marina™ management includes storage & billing, occupancy tracking, reservations and dry stack management, including integrations to leading consumer applications for boat rentals, online reservations, concierge/launch scheduling and our new Fuel Integration with FuelCloud. DockMaster also includes Point of Sale, Order Entry with eCommerce and a complete accounting system. Learn more at www.DockMaster.com and follow DockMaster on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Or email info@dockmaster.com
