How Controlled Fire Services Automated Inspections Using ZentFire
Listen to Danny and Kesha Pedersen discuss their business challenges and how ZenFire emerged to become the saviour they sought.
|
Company Overview
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Business :
|
Controlled Fire Services
|
Years in Business :
|
8+ years
|
|
Industry :
|
Fire Safety Business
|
Team Size :
|
18 field technicians, 5 office/admin
staff |
|
Location :
|
Kimberley, Canada
|
Modules Used :
|
Invoices, proposals and estimates,
project management, scheduling & dispatching, timecards, custom workflows, field app, analytics, and reporting |
01
Early Business Story
Controlled Fire Services, when started, didn’t have grand plans of being the best in the fire safety world. Danny and Kesha Pederson, the owners, just wanted to ensure that all local businesses in Kimberly, Canada, were safe and sound. With every inspection they conducted, they just had one goal: to make sure the business owners and organizations in their area had peace of mind with respect to sudden and unwanted fire mishaps.
We had a strong reputation in the field, but internally, it was a mess. We were constantly putting out fires, not because of the work, but because of the process around it.
Sarah Thompson
Operations Manager
02
Challenges & Pain Points
Soon, the word spread about their business. The small hands-on company that prioritized every customer started to feel drowned in paperwork and time-consuming manual processes. Be it any document, you name it — reports, quotes, and invoices — everything kept piling up. It started becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the more important things, like taking up more jobs, upskilling their technicians, or even building relationships with the customers.
Danny and Kesha were stuck behind computer screens all day long, glued to their desks to finish off last day’s batch of paperwork, just barely keeping up with things so they don’t spiral out of control.
Their business wasn’t just busy. It was visibly chaotic.
Their business wasn’t just busy. It was visibly chaotic.
Danny & Kesha
Owners
Pain Points
- Reports and invoices took too long to complete
- Growth became a burden as more clients meant more paperwork
- Instead of leading and bettering themselves, the team was buried behind computers.
03
The Hunt For A Solution
Danny and Kesha, even though they were trying to juggle everything as much as possible, knew that they couldn’t go on like this forever. They needed an efficient and time-saving answer to their problem. They needed something that would help them get their time back and get back on the right track.
They looked for software solutions and even previewed a few demos. However, the functionality and benefits they sought were tough to find in a software solution within their budget. Moreover, software solutions with generic workflows didn’t really cater to the problems these local businesses, like Controlled Fire Services, face daily.
During a late-night scroll looking for solutions to their issues, Danny stumbled upon a testimonial of ZenFire. He showed it to Kesha. They felt like the guy in the video talking was somehow reading their minds — the same headaches, the stress, the chaos, and the never-ending burden of paperwork. They contacted ZenFire, and a demo later, they felt like the software was built for them. Considering how it solves their business problems in a swift swipe, the end played out well, with the software being within their budget, too.
Danny and Kesha were stuck behind computer screens all day long, glued to their desks to finish off last day’s batch of paperwork, just barely keeping up with things so they don’t spiral out of control.
Danny & Kesha
Owners
04
Getting Onboarded
For Controlled Fire Services, switching to ZenFire didn’t exactly feel like a walk in the park. For so long, they were used to doing things the hard way — the long and laborious way with zero fancy systems. Just plain grit and exceptionally long hours of slogging in front of their screens.
However, once they started using ZenFire and getting the hang of the software and the valuable features that automated their redundant work, they started seeing the payoffs roll in.
✓ Reports from the field? Check
✓ More time training and getting new clients? Check
✓ Quotes and invoices sent out in days, and not weeks? Big Check
Yes, sure, the technicians had to get adjusted, too. They might have grumbled about a few extra steps, but seeing the benefits didn’t take long. They saw that there was less forgotten info, fewer mistakes, and way faster turnaround. The onboarding team at ZenFire ensured that they were assisted at every step and explained each feature and workflow to their entire team. Soon, as visible as their chaos was, the benefits of implementing ZenFire were loudly and significantly visible in their processes. Time started freeing up to attend to the customers and lead their technicians better. All redundant and manual processes were automated, and report creation jobs didn’t take more than a minute, helping techs tick it off in the field.
“The support received from the onboarding team? It was something on another level. Be it a small tweak in the report or a login fix, they handled it within the hour — or faster.”
Danny & Kesha
CFS, Owners
05
The Payoff
More time in the field,
Employees, staff, and business owners spent more time overseeing essential business processes, which meant less time spent behind computer screens.
Before
Quotes took 3–5 days
After
Standard quotes sent in under 1 hour
Quick report generation
Report creation — a tedious, redundant process that used to eat up a chunk of time when done manually- was now done in a few seconds in the field itself.
Before
Admins spent 2–3 hours per job coordinating updates, sending files, and chasing photos.
After
Automated workflows and centralized information
Instant invoices to clients
Invoices that used to take weeks to be sent to the clients were now done in just a few days, enabling speedy payments.
Before
Admins spent 2–3 hours per job coordinating updates, sending files, and chasing photos.
After
Automated workflows and centralized information
Efficient technician and staff
Technicians with all the resources needed to finish their jobs quickly are at their fingertips.
Before
Admins spent 2–3 hours per job coordinating updates, sending files, and chasing photos.
After
Automated workflows and centralized information
Customer support even at 3 AM
Reliable software support was available, and it solved their problems almost instantaneously.
We’re making decisions based on data now, not gut feeling. It’s transforming how we price jobs and allocate resources.
Ben Miller
Owner
06
Where They Stand Now
Controlled Fire Services is no longer focused on running its business productively. They have now expanded as a fully fledged automated company with double the clients and monthly revenue. They are back in control — and now with more time for training and managing technicians, and not to forget, building customer relationships.
ZenFire didn’t just streamline the process for Danny and Kesha; it gave them control of their time back.
Do you think you're in the same boat?
Book a demo today to see how ZenFire can get you out of the office and back in the field. Join hundreds of satisfied customers who’ve improved efficiency, increased customer satisfaction, and grown their business with ZenFire.
- 14-day free trial
- Dedicated support
- No credit card required
- Custom implementation
Modular Features
Verticals we Serve
Free Resources
About ZenTrades
Recognized and Praised by Field Service Businesses Nationwide
- 299 Fremont St APT TH313, San Francisco, CA 94105
- 236 W 27th st Floor 12, New York, NY 10001, United States
- A-302, Nyati Tech Park, New Kalyani Nagar, Wadgaon Sheri, Pune-411014
- (206) 456-8988