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From Missing Parts to Same-Day Billing: The Alberni Electric Story

About Alberni Electric

Alberni Electric is a respected electrical contractor based in the beautiful Alberni Valley on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. Since 2012, they have provided exceptional residential and commercial electrical services, including 24/7 emergency response, to Port Alberni, Tofino, Ucluelet, and surrounding areas.

Committed to safety, quality, and superior customer service, Alberni Electric employs a team of licensed Red Seal journeymen and apprentices, focusing on professional service with minimal disruption to their clients’ daily lives.

The Challenge

Before implementing Ply, Alberni Electric faced constant headaches stemming from inaccurate inventory visibility, which was based on estimation rather than real-time data. This lack of control wasted significant time and money.

Sometimes we'd think an item was on the shelf only to find out it had already been taken for another job or ended up in somebody's van. Other times materials would just go missing without ever being accounted for. Without a proper system, it was hard to know what we actually had, what we needed, and where things were going.
Stacey Smith
Co-Owner at Alberni Electric

This challenging environment meant staff spent hours chasing parts, verifying stock, and often reordering items they already possessed. It also created bottlenecks in the crucial billing process, impacting cash flow.

The Solution

Alberni Electric needed a solution that would deliver organization without complicating their day-to-day workflow. They chose Ply for its ease of use and powerful integration capabilities.

We decided to try Ply because we needed a better way to stay organized without adding more work to our day. Also how well it integrates with Jobber and how easy it is to use. We didn't want another system built around spreadsheets or complicated setups.
Stacey Smith
Co-Owner at Alberni Electric

Key features like the ability to print barcodes, digitally map their vans and warehouse, and instantly visualize inventory were huge draws, giving them control over their stock.

Another bonus? Ply’s customer support, which Stacey describes as invaluable, especially for getting the system up and running quickly:

It's just such a beautiful system and so easy to implement even for somebody like me who is completely without skills when it comes to spreadsheets.
Stacey Smith
Co-Owner at Alberni Electric

The Results

Since implementing Ply, Alberni Electric has achieved dramatic gains in efficiency, cash flow, and cost savings across the business.

  • Faster Billing, Better Cash Flow: Their billing turnaround time went from days, sometimes even a week, down to the same day in most cases.
  • Time Saved on Admin: The time spent tracking down materials and reconciling invoices has been cut at least by half.
  • Thousands in Savings: By ordering smarter and reducing duplicate purchases, they have saved thousands in duplicate purchases and in reduced waste.
  • Field Reliability: They have not had a single call back due to missing material since implementing Ply, ensuring techs always have what they need.
  • Clarity and Organization: Their warehouse is now way more organized, improving efficiency as everyone knows where things go, what’s running low, and what’s already on order.

Stacey summarizes the long-term impact and partnership with Ply as very uncomplicated, while excited for what’s to come:

It’s just going to make our business more efficient and streamline everything in so many areas and take a lot of the aggravation of the day-to-day out.
Stacey Smith
Co-Owner at Alberni Electric

See how easy inventory can be - even for first-timers.

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