10.10.2007 — A technician gets a call from a repeat customer.

The client complains that his lighting system is acting funny, and he asks the technician to venture out to give it a look. The technician hesitates.

There are too many stops to be made today. The client insists and the technician accommodates. He'll swing by in the evening.

At 6 p.m., the technician pulls into his client's driveway, hoping to make several quick adjustments and be on his way. As he's finishing up the easy fix, however, the client delivers a laundry list of little nuisances he'd like to see addressed.

Initially, the technician thinks, "OK, fine. I'm here. He's a great customer. I'll do it all."

But then he realizes what this means. He'll have to drive back to the shop for all the right parts. His day won't end until 10 p.m. or later.

According to Custom Install Supply (CIS), this is reflective of one of the major problems plaguing CE pros.

Unless an integrator is driving a van stocked to the hilt with every conceivable part or tool, chances are hours of labor hours have been wasted commuting to and from the shop for necessary parts or tools.

The Custom Install Tech System (CITS) is CIS' solution for this and several other problems. The system -- essentially two heavy-duty organizers stuffed with bar-coded, scanable parts -- allows installers to bring the van into the home, as one integrator puts it.

Signature Media Systems is an integration company out of Missoula, Mont. It is currently using a Beta version of the CITS. A complete version of the system has a planned release date of Sept. 15.

"We don't do any homes under 10,000 square feet," says Rick Sant, principal of Signature.

"I would figure that I would lose a half day of guys walking back and forth to the van to get stuff. Basically, this kit allows you to park your van inside the house."

The CITS saves in other ways, too. Because each part inside the organizers sports a bar code and each kit comes complete with a barcode scanner, all an integrator has to do is scan each part as he uses it.

Then, when he returns to the shop, he can dock the scanner and use the recorded information to populate an order form, an inventory list, an invoice and various other spreadsheets in no time at all.

"This is something we've wanted for years," says Sant. "It's a way to know that a guy has used the last F connector out of his supply."

CIS is expecting a finalized of version of its CITS software Sept. 1. The software is what makes reordering and bookkeeping so much easier. It facilitates communication between the handheld barcode scanner, the Internet and the integration companies' QuickBooks files.

Because of this important role, CIS wanted to make sure the software was just right before shipping it to customers. "Until the final version of the software is done -- right now, it's 99 percent done -- we've held off on this thing," says John Bigart of CIS.

Despite being conservative with the release date of its kits, CIS is already receiving many positive inquiries. "I talk to at least 100 companies a day that have heard about the kits," says Bigart.

"I think the majority of our clientele are going to be the medium-sized companies, with 10 to 15 installers," he speculates. One reason, he suggests, is the value of saved time with inventory, re-ordering and invoicing.

For Sant, the CITS has been a great addition to his business. "I would not do business without it again," he says, pointing out that the scanner and the software have been pivotal to his processes.

"You don't realize that when a guy uses three emitters and you don't bill for it, that's $36 in lost revenue."