Cargas Energy Helps Wendt’s Propane & Oil…

CHALLENGES

Outdated Software and Lackluster Support

According to Rachel Wendt (office manager) and Trevor Wendt (vice president), Wendt’s Propane & Oil strives to grow and stay at the forefront of the fuel delivery industry. Unfortunately, the company’s former energy solution hindered rather than helped those efforts.

Rachel said the software lacked the reporting capabilities the company needed. “When we opened a second location, a bulk plant in Leroy, we needed to know how we were progressing out there,” she shared. “Were we making money, were we losing money, how many accounts were we getting? The ability to run reports and get that data was nonexistent.”

Because the solution lived on an on-premise server that synced with other systems (e.g., accounting) once per day at midnight, the leadership team didn’t have access to real-time data for quick decision-making. Trevor explained that because the software wasn’t cloud-based, the company’s remote bulk plant had to connect to the system via a VPN. The latency issues they experienced with that arrangement impeded productivity.

Also, Wendt’s Propane & Oil’s delivery drivers had to come to the office at the start and end of each workday to connect to the Wi-Fi network to transfer data between their Panasonic tablets and the server. Drivers didn’t have connectivity to the system while making deliveries, so dispatchers had to call drivers with any changes, and the drivers would have to manually update their routes.

Moreover, the former solution was known to incorrectly map customer locations, causing drivers to miss deliveries. “Sometimes there was a malfunction in the GPS function, and it would place a customer out in Alaska or Hawaii or some other crazy location,” Trevor described. “If the customer’s icon doesn’t pop up on the map, there’s no way to dispatch them.”

The former solution’s lack of user-friendliness was another pain point. Rachel said the old system’s cumbersome keyboard controls for accomplishing tasks made training staff challenging. Also, it didn’t provide the option of having an online portal for customers to see and pay their bills.

“We were behind the eight-ball. Everything in the world is on the web now, and we were not at that level with the old software,” Rachel said.

The solution provider’s unreliable, unresponsive service and support made the issues Wendt’s Propane & Oil experienced all the more frustrating.

SOLUTIONS

Cargas Energy for Growing and Moving Forward

Rachel and Trevor knew that to achieve their growth aspirations, they needed software that could grow with their company. So they began exploring their options. They invited Cargas Energy to provide a demo after several industry colleagues at other fuel companies spoke highly of Cargas.

“If you’re going to change a major process in a company, you need to get buy-in from your team. After the presentation by Saul [Cohen] and Adam [Harrison], our team was on board with Cargas Energy,” Trevor explained. “Cargas being an employee-owned company was a huge factor for my peace of mind.”

The Cargas Energy solution went live in late September/early October 2022. Some of the features and modules that Wendt’s Propane & Oil uses to streamline its operations and administration include:

• Remote Access – Allows users to access customer accounts, delivery details, and service call information 24/7 from anywhere.
• Mobile Delivery – Empowered by the Cargas RouteBuilder integration with ALK Technologies’ suite of mapping and navigation applications, dispatchers push tickets and routes directly to drivers’ mobile devices and update routes in real time.
• Tank Monitoring – The integration with Otodata tank monitoring software enables Wendt’s team to view monitored tank data from within the Cargas Energy interface and automatically create tickets when deliveries are needed.
• Web Portal Integration – The integration with MyFuelPortal by Silverline Solutions enables customers to view and manage their accounts (e.g., place orders, pay their bills, view payment history, etc.) without calling the office.
• Automated Payment Processing – Cargas Energy’s integration with Tiger Payment Solutions ensures credit card and debit card payments are seamlessly, accurately, and instantly reflected on customer accounts.

BENEFITS

Data for Quick Decision-Making, Amped-Up Customer Service and Delivery Efficiency, Person-to-Person Support

With Cargas Energy, Wendt’s Propane & Oil is no longer held back by lack of accurate data.

“We can track data, set up KPIs for each division, and run a year-over-year analysis,” said Trevor. “We know how we’re doing, which is integral for growth. With the data, we know what levers we need to pull to keep numbers going in the right direction.”

According to Rachel, the integrations with Silverline Solutions’ online customer portal and Tiger Payment Solutions’ automated payment processing software have enhanced customer service and improved cash flow.

“Customers love the customer portal. They can look at their account, make payments, see delivery history… It’s such a friendly portal. We make fewer collection calls because people can easily see what they owe and pay online.”

– Rachel Wendt, Office Manager, Wendt’s Propane & Oil

Cargas Energy has also made it easier for dispatchers to make drivers’ routes and simpler for drivers to follow them. Previously, drivers had to use their own separate GPS-enabled device (either their phone or a separate unit) because they couldn’t rely on the GPS functionality in the software on their tablets.

“Now everything is integrated into Cargas Energy,” Trevor explained. “And it’s much easier to change routes in live-time.”

He said that Cargas Energy’s integration with the tank monitoring software by Otodata has also improved route-building and delivery efficiency. Dispatchers can see tank levels within Cargas Energy whereas with the former energy solution, they had to log into the tank monitoring software separately.

Ultimately, Cargas Energy’s web-based architecture and ease of use have been central to all the business-boosting improvements Wendt’s Propane & Oil has gained.

“We can access our accounts and data from anywhere at any time to check in and make sure things are going smoothly,” shared Rachel.

Trevor added that the web-based software’s always-on data accessibility is helpful for team members who rotate on-call responsibilities. And it’s helping the company keep high-performing employees. “We need to do whatever we can to retain talent. Drivers love the Cargas Energy system’s simple driver interface,” he said.

In addition, because the software app is compatible with a variety of mobile devices, it has saved the company thousands of dollars per driver. With their previous solution, they had to buy costly tablets programmed to sync with the vendor’s software.

Trevor said working with Cargas Energy has been a great experience. He and Rachel especially enjoy the people and their commitment to helping Wendt’s Propane & Oil achieve its goals.

“We liked the face-to-face interaction,” Rachel shared. She said that having that personal touch during the sales process and through implementation with Cargas Energy consultants Holly Frantz and Jen Crothers made them feel confident about the transition.

She added, “And Brian [Rishell], our account rep, is amazing. He’s our kind of people.”

Trevor and Rachel believe that the partnership with Cargas was the right choice. The power of Cargas Energy and the relationships forged between Wendt’s Propane & Oil and Cargas have proven invaluable.

“We’re aggressively trying to grow, and we wanted not just a software solution — but a software partner — that would grow with us.”

– Trevor Wendt, Vice President, Wendt’s Propane & Oil