Software Helps Integrator Define Company

When you are new to any industry, differentiating yourself and working efficiently can sometimes be big challenges. J. Becher & Assoc. in Minneapolis/St. Paul needed to do just that.

While not a new company, J. Becher & Assoc. was relatively new to A/V custom installation. Over the years, the company has wired more than 10,000 homes and businesses, becoming one of the area's premier electrical and low-voltage contractors.

Since its inception in 1987, the mission of J. Becher & Assoc. has been to provide quality workmanship, innovative design and thoughtful customer service throughout all phases of a client's project whether it is a small home electrical wiring project or a multi-story office building's complex electrical, security and data communication systems.

Defining Image, Speeding Proposals
The company's biggest challenges were that its proposal generation was too time consuming, and its proposals lacked the desired professional image. It also needed a solution that streamlined the business as a whole.

Brady Elsenpeter, a manager in the low-voltage division, recognized those needs. Having graduated with an electrical construction degree, he found that the electrical field was not challenging enough for his interests, so he soon morphed into low-voltage system integration and earned a position in J. Becher's low-voltage division.

Photos: Software Helps Integrator Define Company

Elsenpeter was soon faced with the task of making an impact and creating efficiency in the new division. After an ad for D-Tools software in an industry magazine caught his eye, he researched the software online and the proposal examples sparked an interest. He instantly knew D-Tools was the missing piece of the puzzle to acquire the professional image J. Becher had been seeking.

“I decided to take a chance and jump in with both feet even though I didn’t know a lot about the software. The different reports that D-Tools can generate looked super helpful right from the get go. The combination of check lists, proposals with graphics, and purchase orders was something we needed at the time. I wear seven to 10 hats at any given time and I don’t have an assistant. D-Tools allows me to do a lot of different tasks simultaneously which helps me out drastically," he says.

Soon, the software was helping the company attain the professional image it needed to take them to the next level in the A/V world.

“D-Tools has been phenomenal. It’s allowed us to be more professional while streamlining the bidding process, start to finish. It’s awesome," says Elsenpeter.

J Becher has also experienced an increase in efficiency in its business. D-Tools has provided the necessary documentation for the designers and installers to design and carry out projects seamlessly.

The efficiencies and quality proposals were instrumental is getting J. Becher the contract to work with The After Midnight Group, a well-known business in the Minneapolis area that started a creative chain of bars/restaurants that are all cowboy themed. There are many locations in the area and J. Becher was elected to design and build all of these unique projects. When they started working with The After Midnight Group, the company had the chance to use all of the features that D-Tools provided (proposal, Visio, pick lists, wire lists, scheduling and much more).

“D-Tools has made us more efficient not only out in the field but also in the office. That’s what’s going to make us the money. It has made it a lot easier for everyone to stay on the same page to complete a project satisfactory to the client and within our allocated budget. If you set up D-Tools correctly, it takes care of everything!”