We had the opportunity to talk with Brett Rusler, of Rusler Implement to discuss his experience with HBS Systems dealer management software partner and how he was lured away by a competitor but quickly came back to us. We’re pleased that he chose to come back to HBS Systems and plans to utilize our system for the life of their business.
Why more Kubota dealers are choosing HBS Systems as their dealer management software partner
Can you give a brief description of your company?
Rusler Implement is a multi-location Premier Kubota, Case IH, and New Holland Dealer proudly serving the Pueblo and Rocky Ford communities in Colorado since 1960. A multi-generational family-owned business providing excellent service for more than 6 decades, takes pride in the relationships they’ve built for success.
Challenges the team at Rusler Implement was experiencing that made them search for a new Dealership Management Software provider.
Rusler Implement’s former dealership management software didn’t provide instant access to reports or financial statements which limited their ability to see cash flow. Their team was impressed with the innovative features, and real-time access to data and initially implemented HBS Systems dealership management software in 2010. We spoke with Brett Rusler, General Manager at Rusler Implement, who shared with us how HBS Systems has vastly improved the efficiency and workflow of their dealership.
What does a typical day in the service department look like?
Brett: “Consistent communication is critical to our dealership’s success. Staying in constant contact and understanding what priorities are, what the diagnostics conclusions as they relate to the repair, and trying to keep customers informed all along the way, trying to keep their costs in line and do a good job and execute.
Our team is resilient, and they work hard to exceed customer expectations. That’s why HBS System’s Service Connect helps our team streamline tasks. The efficiency and workflow of getting a job or repair order right to them and getting them on the job quickly have been vastly improved.
It’s also helpful to be able to see the work order without multiple pieces of paper – which is how we did it in the past – that was a huge improvement from our previous dealership management software.
Being able to clock in/clock out right from their mobile device is a huge deal because they can be on and off multiple jobs quickly.”
What are some of the biggest challenges of operating a service department?
Brett: “Every job has a story and entering that story is an important part of the process. It’s critical to make sure that good notes have been taken. Again, part of the HBS Systems Service Connect function is being able to capture good notes and the speech-to-text feature saves a lot of time for our team. It’s also helpful if there’s a warranty involved to know what needs to be done after that job is completed, and being able to produce invoices for warranties, customer labor and internal labor all within the same repair order. The integration of OEM communications with Kubota, Case IH, and New Holland save hundreds of hours a week with these features alone.”
What impact do you think this shift to digital processes will have on your dealership and others?
Brett: “We were all paper. Something as simple as printing a work order and then, within the hour, putting more parts on that job. Being able to have the digital function for the repair order right there on your phone or your device is huge.
As always, there is a bit of a learning curve to new technology, but regardless of the technician’s age, they’re catching on easily.
If you think about what a service department does, they sell an inventory of time and you’ve only so many hours in a day, week, or month. If you don’t connect this time to a repair order, that inventory is lost. So, it’s critical that we’re efficient with our time and managing that time. HBS Systems provides reporting so we can see a technician’s time and share that with the entire team. We’ve been able to improve efficiencies and even provide some healthy competition around on-time deliveries of work.”
What is your favorite Service Connect feature?
Brett: “I like the scheduler. I like the calendar feature and how you can drag and drop it onto the calendar and into the queue. It can be very efficient for the technicians to know what their schedule looks like on a day to day basis.
Warranty is a difficult part of what we do. Often, there are questions, especially on large complex repairs. Being able to go back in, look at it, and quickly look it up to answer questions is a huge benefit. It saves time and increases the customer’s confidence that we completed the job right.”
Tell us about your recent experience being lured away from HBS Systems.
Brett: “We had utilized HBS Systems for nearly 15 years but wanted to see what else was in the market to be sure we were with the right partner. We talked with a few other DMS providers and one who made incredible promises to our team if we’d give them a chance. So, we left to go to another system; however, very quickly realized that we had made a huge mistake. Not only were we missing the streamlined processes that required fewer clicks to complete simple tasks but also the exemplary customer support that we had experienced at HBS Systems was missing. As our team became more frustrated with the lost efficiency and functionality in addition to the lack of response from the customer support at our new DMS provider, we knew we had to make a switch back to HBS Systems. We’re happy we did and don’t ever see ourselves being lured away again!”
Do you have any advice for someone looking for a dealership management system?
Brett: “There are several dealership management systems to choose from today, some in the industry and some not in the industry. I’d suggest only looking at those in the industry as they’ll understand your business and the unique workflow of your dealership best; however, I keep coming back to the people at HBS Systems who make such a big difference. It’s what kept us engaged with HBS Systems for nearly 15 years, and we definitely won’t be tempted in the future by other promises. At the end of the day, if we call or email, your team answers.
We also appreciate being able to have access to the executive team, trainers, and customer support team at the HBS Systems dealership management software Learning Zone User Meeting each year for a week to experience exclusive training to improve our knowledge and maximize profitability.”
To learn why more equipment dealers trust HBS Systems construction dealer management software as a partner for the life of their business, contact our experienced team via email at sales@hbssystems.com, call 800-376-6376, and read what other customers say about working with us.