In fact, the speed at which technology changes our lives is kind of overwhelming. It’s hard to keep up. What is the cloud or SAAS? What technology is a worthy investment and which is just a trendy scam? If you do decide to try a new software, how do you even begin implementing it and training yourself and your employees?  

The waste industry has a reputation of falling behind in its adoption of new technologies. Perhaps because stepping into unknown territory is scary and means leaving the security of what you know behind, leaving behind how you’ve always done it. 

Taking the time to learn and use new technology is now a non-negotiable. Refusing to embrace it not only makes it harder to compete, but means losing efficiency in your business and missing crucial opportunities. If you are not careful, you will continue to fall behind and ultimately end up in a “tech slump”.

While the path out of such slump can take some time and will take care, here are some simple tips and tools to improve your interaction with technology as a hauler and avoid a tech slump: 

Route optimization 

Making your routes as efficient as possible is a huge way to cut costs. You’ll be saving on fuel, truck maintenance and time. Investing in the technology that gives you this added efficiency is a game changer.   

Update your website  

Your website should be easy to navigate and give customers a clear idea about who you are and what you do. The process of signing up for services should be seamless. If your website is outdated, you should consider cleaning it up and making it look more presentable. Here’s 5 ways to make it look more professional. 

Invest in online bill pay 

56% of bills in the U.S. are paid online. Yeah. It’s definitely time to start investigating into setting that up for your hauling business. Online billing significantly reduces the time your staff will be on the phone and saves all the money you’re dumping into paper, ink and postage. The money adds up. Check out our vendor My Online Bill to find out more and ditch the billing hassle.  

Move away from the printer

This kind of touches on the previous topic. As a hauler, you shouldn’t be printing out every document under the sun. It’s not only time consuming to print out each route list or work order and…it’s expensive. Find ways to send PDF’s and check out Alpine’s Visual On Route which saves you loads of headache by syncing route lists and work orders straight from the office to the trucks.   

Get on the cloud 

What the heck is this cloud everyone talks about? Contrary to popular belief the cloud is not a fluffy cotton ball in the sky. Cloud computing means instead of having all the computer hardware and software on site (I.e. servers, tech manager,) these services are hosted and provided by another company and accessed via the Internet. *Cough, cough* Alpine Live is our hosting solution, which again keeps your migraines at bay. 

These 5 helpful tips are a great start, if you’re looking to stay up to date with current software and technology. Taking the time to set up a strategy to keep your company culture on track with technology and in line with your vision, will leave you ahead of the curve.  

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Many waste management companies have a host of applications, including their line-of business software, but very little IT infrastructure to support them.  They spend inordinate amounts of money on server repair, network professionals and desktop upgrades in hopes of keeping the ship afloat.  When the system finally goes down, it then becomes obvious that the downtime not only disrupted their operation but eroded the faith their customers have in their business.  This is not the scenario mentioned above where technology saves you money.  The “head in the cloud” mindset now will cost them time, money, resources and their loyal customer base. Can you afford this to happen to your hauling operation?

Business owners need to get their heads out of the clouds and embrace an affordable solution: the cloud.  It is estimated that over a period of 13 years you could save over 66% off your technology budget if you leverage a cloud environment over traditional premise-based server systems. Allow technologists to take care of technology and you attend to your waste operation.  Protect your data from inclement weather, theft, or novice technicians.  Particularly with line-of-business software,  it can be cost prohibitive to purchase the software outright without seeking financing.  However, with typical cloud solutions, you can affordably lease applications with the assurance your data is still yours, but it is safer than you could ever make it!

Get your head out of the cloud and your business in the cloud.

Alpine Technology Corporation has been servicing the Waste Industry for over 35 years with powerful and comprehensive solutions for both their office and their trucks.  Their premier applications, AlpineLive, Visual RAMS Pro and Visual On-Route have saved companies hundreds of thousands of dollars.  You can purchase Alpine’s software or allow them to host it in their secure hosting facility in Denver, Colorado.  Call (888) 852-7267 or email info@rams-pro.com with questions.

The post “Head in the cloud” verses “business in the cloud”…a critical choice for Waste Haulers! appeared first on Alpine Technology Corp..