Company: Founded in 1972, Smith Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. is a successful full-service mechanical contractor specializing in the design, sales, installation, and service of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and refrigeration systems. The company also operates a manufacturing facility that fabricates custom sheet metal products including stainless steel kitchen equipment. Commercial, residential, and industrial customers appreciate the high level of service, fair pricing, and quality workmanship provided and have perennially voted Smith Heating and Air Conditioning a winner in The Record’s Best Of San Joaquin annual survey.

Embracing Sage 100 Contractor

When Matthew Smith joined the family business in 1985, one goal he had for the organization was to embrace technology. “Back then, that goal took the form of computerizing some of our accounting tasks,” he recalls. “As a result, we became early adopters of Sage 100 Contractor, which gave us a software toolset specifically designed for contractors.”

Smith says the software continually evolves to meet the more advanced requirements of the company. “I have seen a tremendous evolution in the product, and its capabilities go far beyond accounting and financial reporting. We use it in our contracts, project management, engineering, and estimating departments too.”

For years, Smith Heating and Air Conditioning has trusted one solution to help keep its operations humming—Sage 100 Contractor (formerly Sage Master Builder).

Streamlined Estimating

Integration between Sage 100 Contractor and Sage Estimating has vastly simplified the company’s procedure for creating new project estimates, takeoffs, and templates. “We can pull equipment as well as items and their costs in from inventory,” explains Smith. He continues, “It allows us to create formal proposals, presentations, and bids that are precise, professional, and complete.”

Once a bid is won, the proposal is seamlessly converted into a job, bringing all cost estimates with it. “From there we are able to accurately track actual costs, comparing them to our budgets,” adds Smith. “This helps us head off any over-budget situations.”

Efficient Service Operation

The service department at Smith Heating and Air Conditioning also uses Sage 100 Contractor. The Service Management component of the solution is integrated with the accounting and operations components, eliminating the need to reenter data between systems. “Service Management keeps us well organized,” says Smith.

He adds: “Sage 100 Contractor helps us run as efficiently as possible, maximizing the hours in each day. We’re able to complete more service calls and help more customers due to the efficiencies afforded by the software.”

Hands-on Tools

Smith is a hands-on manager who appreciates the tools in Sage 100 Contractor that enable him to easily view key metrics and operational data from a single dashboard screen. “It’s a very useful tool,” he says. “It gives me a snapshot of the data I care about, and allows me to dig deeper into the data to uncover the details I need.”

Promoting Internal Communication

Sage 100 Contractor also promotes and facilitates communication across departments. Because everyone has access to the same data set, staff from the accounting, purchasing, estimating, and service departments can efficiently communicate information about job statuses, technician schedules, billing details, and inventory levels.

“We are a professional service-oriented organization, and our customers have come to expect a high level of professionalism and thoroughness from us,” says Smith. “Sage 100 Contractor helps us meet our customers’ expectations by enabling us to closely monitor projects and respond immediately to customer concerns and questions.”

Positive Impact on the Bottom Line

“Smith Heating and Air Conditioning has stayed with Sage 100 Contractor throughout the years as the company grew for one simple reason: It works,” says Smith. “In my opinion, it is the perfect mix between accounting and construction software. I have actually compared the Sage 100 Contractor functionality to many other software packages available and have found none that match the capabilities of Sage 100 Contractor.”

He concludes: “Sage 100 Contractor has had a significant impact on our bottom line. It helps us to be more productive, more efficient, and more responsive to our customers. It has helped us grow our business.”