Beginning in 2015, Toledo Lawns in Toledo, Ohio, streamlined almost all its processes using a collection of Google applications.
“It’s really changed the way we do things,” says Joe Eide, vice president of the $1.3-million company. “It ties a lot of our pieces and parts together using that entire suite of apps.”
The best part, he adds, is it’s free.
Eide says Google Sheets and Google Forms have made the biggest impact on Toledo Lawns, which employs up to 30 people during peak season.
The company uses Sheets to input and share customer lists internally.
Crews use Forms to check in and out of properties and to report on-site details. Toledo Lawns also uses Forms as a time clock and to generate payroll. Time stamps are automatically added to Form submissions, which are then fed into Sheets spreadsheet.
By tracking where crews have been and how long they have been at a site, the company is able to more accurately price its services.
“It keeps us all connected in real time and makes life a lot easier because we can all communicate within one space,” says Eide.
The apps also have helped with customer service, he adds. Using the data in Sheets, managers verify that all accounts were serviced at the end of each week.
“If we miss anything, we can catch it right then and go back and take care of business,” Eide says.
Toledo Lawns uses other Google apps, including Google Photos to share pictures while performing landscape estimates; Google Docs for client presentations and compiling property information; and Google Maps to plan routes and verify the time spent
at properties.
Photo: ©istock.com/PeopleImages
