Veri-Shred critical to AmeriTex success
What is the value of Veri-Shred shredding software to your business? That’s the question we put to AmeriTex EVP/COO David Culbertson. With his industry involvement, 25 years of industry experience and with a two successful shred operations under his belt prior to launching AmeriTex, we knew he’d have a good handle on the impact software (or lack thereof) can have on a shred operation’s success.
“Anyone who’s been in this business knows, without software, you’re leaving money on the table,” says Culbertson. “When someone calls a shredding company they’re typically ready to do business TODAY. This is different from the records storage industry with its 12-18 month sales cycle. You need to be able to be as responsive as possible to your prospects and existing customers. Veri-Shred allows us to make a great first impression right out of the gate. As soon as we’ve agreed on a service date, the customer’s data is immediately entered into the Veri-Shred system where we can manage and track their service. We don’t have to call back for contact or address info and it’s not going to not pop up on our schedule. Software alone doesn’t make this happen but it certainly facilitates our ability to track that customer and to be as responsive as possible.”
When Culbertson started his first company, Texas Shredding in 1986, there was no shredding software. He relied on a DOS database system. According to Culbertson, he was probably one of the first small shredding businesses even running software to track customers. When he sold the business in 2002, ASI and others had started developing their shredding software. A few years later he launched his second shredding company, Texas Security Shredding. At this time, Veri-Shred was already helping leading destruction companies service their customers more effectively and operate more profitably.
Veri-Shred best met Culbertson’s three key criteria:
1. Solid platform that my business can grow into.
Culbertson says that ASI software provides a strong foundation for corporate growth. Additionally, Veri-Shred utilizes SQL server technology, which is the server technology his IT team required.
2. Software that doesn’t sacrifice sophisticated functionality for a simplified interface.
Culbertson says it took no longer than 3-4 weeks to familiarize himself with Veri-Shred’s capabilities. He was also impressed with the software’s powerful functionality accessed from a user-friendly interface.
3. Vendor partner with in-depth industry knowledge.
Most of ASI’s employees have been with the company a minimum of 10 years, many 15 years or more. Additionally, a significant number of team members got started in the industry working for Andrews Records Center and continue to be actively engaged and involved in all aspects of the RIM services Industry.
“I had confidence in ASI,” says Culbertson. “Veri-Shred has performed as promised. On those occasions when a question or an issue arises, I’ve always found ASI to be extremely responsive.”
Fast forward to AmeriTex…
“We started two and half years ago and today earn approximately $600k in annual revenue with two trucks running 30 stops daily on average,” says Culberston. “Veri-Shred is a critical piece of the infrastructure that AmeriTex needs and has been from day one.”
Though the bulk of their clients are onsite commercial, he says they also service quite a bit of residential clients, which are typically serviced once. Veri-Shred is great for these clients, since it offers the one-time customer feature. There’s no need to create separate accounts; rather, customers are captured under one customer code.
Powerful calendar and scheduling
Another Veri-Shred feature used by Culbertson and his staff daily is the calendar and scheduling system. It helps staff make changes on the fly when a customer calls to modify their service details. An example would be a customer requiring a different service date. Service is easily moved to a new date and the changes reflect immediately on the calendar and service schedule. Culbertson also commented on the advantages offered by Veri-Shred’s scanning capabilities with its internal tracking and minimized data.
“It’s one thing for me to say that I’ve got two executive consoles and another for the barcodes of those consoles to be captured and tracked by the software. As we grow, that automation that is available through Veri-Shred is critical to help keep labor costs down and track assets.”
Culbertson also notes that, even though scanning is available with Veri-Shred, it’s not a requirement.
“You can use Veri-Shred quite effectively without this and add it later,” he says. “This is probably a great approach for most small businesses getting started. As the company grows, they can add the technology component.”
“If you’re going to cut corners in the shredding industry, there are two areas you want to avoid: the first is the equipment to service the customer and the other is back-office operations like shredding software or accounting software that help you track and respond to customers. If you’re going to get customers and keep those customers, these are two areas that you need to have a good handle on.”