Construction Software Vendor Offers Something Completely Different
June 25, 2009
HOUSTON TX: Hundreds of construction professionals throughout North America have experienced a unique form of customer support from a construction software vendor: free help sessions in or near the customers’ cities. Instead of the customer traveling to the software vendor’s city, the vendor in effect comes to the customer—at no charge to the construction company.
It’s not cheap for Houston-based construction software developer HCSS (www.hcss.com) to offer those sessions—which it calls “Helpinars”—but the company believes it’s worth it. Since launching the program in late 2007, hundreds of executives, estimators, project managers and office personnel have attended more than 25 Helpinars throughout the United States and Canada. By year-end, more than 25 Helpinars—devoted to HCSS’s field management, resource management, estimating and other products—will have taken place in 2009 alone.
HCSS implementation and support specialists—typically five to seven per Helpinar—have traveled from Houston to conduct the sessions in cities from Vancouver BC to Miami and San Diego to Boston. HCSS believes that the free, travel-to-your-customer sessions are unique not only among construction software vendors, but also in the entire software industry. Given the expense and time that HCSS devotes to the Helpinars, the company is often asked: Why?
“Admittedly, it does sound unusual for a software company to travel at its own expense to your city for the sole purpose of helping you,” said Mike Rydin, HCSS president. “But there’s a reason behind it: Helpinars help us illustrate our commitment to customer service and contribute to the HCSS goal to develop high-quality software products that make construction companies more efficient and knowledgeable. The sessions help customers use those products as effectively as possible, and also educate our employees about how our customers use our products.
“HCSS employee travel and preparation for the Helpinars is not inexpensive,” Rydin continued, “but being available to our customers in their local areas—where it’s convenient for them—is priceless.”
Average attendance at an HCSS Helpinar—typically held in a hotel conference room—is 30 people; the largest event has drawn 65. Attendees represent almost all construction-company job titles, including executives, project managers, estimators, office and financial staff and IT personnel. HCSS employees are available to individual companies in pre-arranged 60- to 90-minute time slots to answer questions, address issues, explain new ways to use HCSS products or demonstrates what’s new.
Besides existing customers, Helpinars have also attracted customer prospects. HCSS plans to offer Helpinars indefinitely, and is currently planning 2010 events.
For Information
For information about HCSS Helpinars, contact HCSS at www.helpinar.com, www.hcss.com, info@hcss or 800-683-3196.
About HCSS
Founded in 1986, HCSS develops HeavyBid Estimating Software, HeavyJob Field Management Software, The Dispatcher Resource Management Software, FuelerPlus Fuel Management Software, Equipment360 Equipment Maintenance Software and Illuminate Business Intelligence Software. In addition to high quality software, HCSS provides implementation planning, training and instant 24/7 support. Thousands of contractors rely on HCSS to turn their estimators, foremen, superintendents, dispatchers, project managers and equipment managers into knowledge workers via software, implementation planning and training.
HCSS is located at 6200 Savoy, Suite 1100, Houston, TX 77036. For more information about HCSS and its complete line of estimating, field management and resource management products, visit www.hcss.com, call 800-683-3196 or e-mail info@hcss.
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