– Yvonne Tuttle, Team Management Systems, Inc.

When Gunthers Comfort Air realized they needed to make a software change, they were not about to simply jump at the first product that claimed to be designed for the HVAC industry. Nearly 80 years in business has taught them that making a change of this magnitude requires some heavy- duty research.

The early years of Gunthers

The company was started by a man named Carl Gunther some seventy- to eighty-odd years ago. No one is exactly sure of the date of inception as recordkeeping was a very different issue back in those days. The founder, a.k.a. “Grandfather” Gunther, learned a metal trade as an apprentice back in Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1896. After trying his hand at being a waiter and then a farmer, he began the trade by working with sheet metal. Unfortunately, Carl Gunther met an untimely death on the job, when he fell off scaffolding. His son, Orville, took over the business and continued working in the same arena — until the advent of natural gas. With the introduction of natural gas on the scene came the invention of gas furnaces. Gunthers evolved into a heating business as the community’s needs changed. Then in the early ’60s, when air conditioning became more available and popular, the Gunthers moved into the HVAC business with Carl Gunther’s grandson, Dale, at the helm.

Growth

In 1961, Gunthers Comfort Air became incorporated. They cover the Wasatch Front region in Utah, as well as areas in the surrounding states of Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho. Throughout the years other family members (and non-family members) have joined the business; Dale’s son Russell, brothers Dean and Blaine — along with many others. The business has over 70 employees, 40 service trucks and five stockholders. Gunthers does commercial and residential HVAC business, both new construction and repairs. 

The Accounting

Since the business began so long ago, the accounting was originally done manually — which was how all business was conducted at that time. The next step was using the old Burroughs magnetic card system. Then in the early ’80s, Gunthers purchased their first computer and a general construction software package. At the time, it was a big step forward for them. It was inexpensive and a step toward automation. They adapted the software to work for the HVAC business.

Looking for new software

As Gunthers expanded, more and more computers were added. Eventually they grew to the point of about a dozen computers, with only four or five linked together, and an adapted software package that was not integrated. The first sign that new software was even needed was when they realized how increasingly difficult it was becoming to keep track of the ever-increasing number of service calls.

“When we decide to make a change, we check many references very carefully on the subject to be sure that we are getting the best.” – Blaine Gunther

In 1997, Gunthers began to look seriously at other software packages focusing only on dispatch, at the beginning, since dispatching was not a part of their current system. They looked into hiring someone to design a program to add dispatch into their existing package, but found there must be a better way.

After so many years in the business, Gunthers does not approach something like computer changes hastily. They did some heavy checking into references and one of those references told them that they were crazy to just purchase dispatch alone. That is when they began to investigate the truly integrated complete package from TMS.

“We are very cautious in making a decision like this, so we continued to question TMS. We then took our accounting and accounts payable people to see the TMS system at work at a jobsite in Utah. We left there feeling like we were in a different decade and that we really needed to move ahead and update the whole thing. Yet once we decided to do the whole package upgrade, I still wanted to be certain that we had the best. I went back to industry magazines and even called one and asked for recommendations. We settled on TMS because we were impressed with their references, the visit to the jobsite to see the software in action, and with their professional approach. We knew the software was definitely targeted to our industry and not just a general contractor package.” – Blaine Gunther

The caution pays off

Gunthers accomplished not only the first thing they set out to do, computerize dispatching, but much more with the fully integrated package. By purchasing the ACOMARC™ software from TMS, they were able to get all computers networked and all modules integrated.

“One thing we really like about dispatch is that it looks like a dispatch board on the computer and actually gives us a picture of what’s going on. Another real plus for us is that now with the TMS system, everyone is networked together and able to access information from their desktop. We had been doing manual purchase orders, but now anyone can look up the POs on the system and see which ones have been placed. We love the ability we now have to be able to create a PO in the system and simply fax it to our suppliers — that has been wonderful!” – Blaine Gunther

One part of the service module that is very helpful is that now when Gunthers sends out a service technician they have the complete customer history right in front of them. This really helps the technician be better prepared to serve the customer. He knows — at a glance — what has been done at that jobsite previously. This quick reference at everyone’s fingertips goes a long way when it comes to increased customer satisfaction. No more manual searching of files to find out what was done before.

“We knew that any accounting/computer conversion would be excruciating. When we saw the results that the other contractor was getting using the TMS system, we thought that once we got everything switched over weíd be glad we did it. We forewarned all our employees that the process would not be simple. We held meetings to keep the communication open. As we worked our way through the process, we wondered whether the outcome would be worth it. We got through it in good shape and after a couple of months we asked everyone for feedback. The feedback was all positive. No one wanted to go back to the old system or even think about being on the old system. We are very, very happy we made the change to TMS. It far exceeded what we hoped to get in the first place.” – Blaine Gunther