New technology should make our jobs easier, yet why do we so often ask, “What were they thinking?” while trying to master a new system. Indeed, when you’re pressed for time, as restoration contractors like you always are, implementing new technology can seem like more trouble than it’s worth.

You want to spend your valuable time growing your business, not experimenting with new apps that may or may not make your life easier. That’s why it’s critical to choose apps designed on the basis of restoration field experience, tested by restoration contractors and continuously refined to make them even more useful and easy to implement.

To support your business success, you need to go beyond investing in quality education and equipment — you need a system that makes your company more efficient. You need technology that will serve as a gateway to seamless real-time monitoring and control on restoration projects, with reportable data for insurance providers and customers, and even tracking of equipment job locations and maintenance status.

A New Model for Job Management

The latest technology to streamline restoration management is the Command Center Pro Ecosystem — the first no-cost, remote monitoring platform for restoration contractors.

Because knowing about changes in the environment and how the equipment is performing are critical for making decisions about where and when to send your techs, new technology should integrate fully with key equipment — that’s why Command Hubs are now built into all Dri-Eaz restoration dehumidifiers and new air scrubbers.

What does such an integration do for you? The Command Hub monitors ambient conditions and adjusts dehumidifiers’ operation to maximize moisture removal in all conditions.  Also, Bluetooth- and wifi-enabled dehumidifiers and air scrubbers allow you to connect to the facility’s or home’s internet to provide real-time data on drying trends and equipment performance — 24/7, wherever you are.

As an owner or manager, you need to know what’s happening on every job, but that’s not easy — you can’t physically be everywhere! That’s why Legend Brands created the new Command Center Pro mobile app and dashboard. It’s simple to set up your no-cost company account which enables you to monitor every job and control your team’s access to important job data — from the office or in the field.

Ideal System: Desktop or On-the-Fly Mobile Job Setup

Let’s see how a simplified, yet robust, system can make managing your field projects significantly more efficient. With a desktop dashboard, you can easily define team members’ roles in the main account, then direct users to go to their cellphone’s app store — Apple or Google — and download the Dri-Eaz Command Center Pro app.

Your office team can set up a job in the desktop dashboard to enter important customer and insurance information, and estimate job duration for equipment inventory management. When a job is assigned to a technician, that app user receives an email notifying them they have a new project.

What about setting up after-hours jobs? For maximum flexibility, the app includes a quick-start job function to allow techs in the field to set up and start a job.

Centralized Equipment Management

Adding equipment to a job via the app is as easy as connecting most household IOT devices: Techs first add a room, then start adding devices — just plug the unit in and wait a few seconds and the unit will automatically establish a Bluetooth “handshake.” Users of Next Gear’s MICA app can simply scan the QR code on the Dri-Eaz product label to connect a device to a job.

The next step is to connect the dehumidifier or air scrubber to the cloud via the facility’s or home’s internet to enable real-time remote job data transfer.

Onboard Bluetooth also enables easy updates of dehumidifier and air scrubber Command Hub firmware to ensure the optimum performance.

The Command Center Pro’s maintenance section lets you accurately track the status and availability of your equipment, including which units require repair or are currently being maintained. That’s critical, especially during storm events when every unit possible is being deployed.

Ensuring Data Integrity, Easy Reporting

Data integrity and accurate reporting are hot topics in restoration circles. The Command Center Pro Ecosystem provides you with the data and communication channel you need to be sure the job is proceeding as planned.

When you need to report to the customer or insurance provider, with just a push of a button, the Command Center Pro dashboard can deliver a job detail report that includes graphed dehumidifier readings.

It’s obvious how much a system like Command Center Pro can truly improve efficiencies and data availability in your organization — it’s more than worth the minimal time invested to gain this much capability — and at no cost!

Keeping up with the right technology is always worth the time invested. Watch for further industry technology enhancements that will give you even more seamless job and documentation capabilities, as Legend Brands partners with other industry leaders to provide real-time data to multiple job management platforms.