– Yvonne Tuttle, Team Management Systems, Inc.

Is your business headed toward total chaos as the millennium approaches? The problem is a result of computers using only two digits, instead of four, to designate a calendar year. (i.e. the Class of ’98) As the year 2000 approaches, date calculations will be off by 100 years... unless your hardware and software are Year 2000 compliant.

For many HVAC contractors however, problems will arise long before January 1st of the year 2000. The problem is beginning to surface with future date calculations now. Since most service agreements are calculated annually, contractors who are not using Year 2000 compliant software, will encounter the problem with the first maintenance agreement entered into the computer in January of 1999. Not only will Maintenance Agreements be affected, but any data that is connected to a date. (i.e. scheduling, dispatching, accounts payable, accounts receivable, job costing, etc.) This will lead to incorrect results whenever software programs perform any type of arithmetic or data sorting operations on years past 1999.

This is an issue which should be taken seriously. Not only must software, but hardware, be Year 2000 compliant. Over the last few years, most hardware manufacturers have adopted a four digit year and an upgradable BIOS on the motherboard. If you have older computers that do not have an upgradable BIOS, they will not be Year 2000 compliant.

You will need to assess all software currently in use to see if it can process dates beyond 1999. Check all off-the-shelf, custom tailored and industry specific software to be certain that they are Year 2000 compliant. Determine if you are able to make updates to software source code or if new software must be purchased. Keep in mind that every application program that stores or references the data must be changed and tested. This will be time consuming and costly to your company. The time and effort may prove futile in comparison to new software that is already Year 2000 compliant.

Contact your software vendors now to determine if you will need to make a change. ACOMARC software, by Team Management Systems, is a fully integrated software system designed especially for contractors and is totally Year 2000 compliant. Think ahead and don’t get caught saying “I wish I had.”

For further information contact Yvonne Tuttle, Team Management Systems, Inc., (800) 299-7351. TMS develops and implements leading edge, industry specific software and web sites for HVAC/R, Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors.