Global Job Solutions (GJS) is an Australian company with over three decades of experience developing specialist solutions to enable businesses become more profitable by providing their customers with an even better service, and ensuring they keep coming back.
GJS Managing Director John Rees has been at the helm throughout, and he and GJS’ software engineers have worked directly with businesses to be sure that their Job Commander solutions have been formed with the input of customers, answering the special needs of the engineering industry.
Job Commander is a simple-to-use job costing system that produces quotes, schedules, purchase orders, job cards, delivery dockets and invoices, all personalised for the client. The quoting software allows faster, more accurate quotes by drawing on data from previous jobs and enabling storage of job-specific electronic documentation that is easily retrieved. Job Commander’s integration with MYOB, XERO and QuickBooks avoids double handling of data and reduces accounting costs.
Job Commander has taken over a decade to develop with extensive industry research, testing and substantial investment by the company. Rees says: “This has resulted in a powerful, easy to use, and innovative suite of software tools that a client can install one day, and start using the next.”
Tom Waller from Vale Steel has experienced this first-hand, as he describes how he found Job Commander to be the solution he was looking for: “Originally, we were using manual handwritten sheets and a calculator. Job Commander has given us accuracy and confidence in our calculations. We started with the quoting module and soon found it so easy to use for generating purchase orders for materials, through to invoicing and delivery dockets – it follows the whole job from start to finish.”
It was the 2015 manufacturing downturn that saw an increase in Job Commander enquiries received from businesses which were looking to improve their profit.
Steven Delfos, Managing Director of Avtech Engineering, explains: “With the implementation of Job Commander, we were able to reduce our office staff, and have real-time planning for job completion, all in the one system. Now, via my laptop, I can show my clients the progress of their job whilst in their office – impressive!”
Vicki Strickland, Administration Manager at Bosnar Engineering, says: “After running our engineering machining workshop manually for over 30 years, we were on the lookout for software that would allow us to have one system that took us from quoting all the way through to invoicing our clients. Job Commander does that. Not only does it have a simple, easy approach to learning the software, it makes the daily process within our office run smoothly and professionally. After spending time on researching the right system, we found Job Commander.”
Critical business reporting
“Our focus has been on solutions for companies that need to quote, track and invoice for jobs of any kind,” says Rees. “When researching the market, we discovered there were a lot of spreadsheets and off-the-shelf accounting systems. Our ambition was to develop a product that removed any duplication and provided an end-to-end solution in one product so that everyone sings from the same song sheet. And, they could start using it straight away, without needing to customise it – so there’s no lengthy implementation phase. That’s when Job Commander was born.”
What has proved infinitely valuable to our clients and their bottom line, is the ability to automatically collect valuable business data such as machine time and labour costs to produce meaningful job profit reports. Rees says GJS has received many testimonials from clients who have seen Job Commander bring greater profitability and efficiencies to their business.
With precise information about staff and equipment, job progress can be viewed at any time. Capacity planning and timeline displays give exposure to potential work centre bottlenecks. The advanced but simple-to-use tools of the Job Commander job costing system assist managers in making informed decisions on organising and managing workloads.
Rees notes that the fear of change is common, especially in the shift from manual to computerised systems: “We find, sometimes, businesses which explore solutions are nervous to take the leap of faith, either to move to a computerised system from manual processes, or to change to a system they aren’t familiar with.”
First-class support
“One of the first questions I’m asked is, ‘How do I get started?’” says Rees. “This is where GJS makes the process as smooth as possible; we spend time to understand how the business operates, and work in partnership to deliver a reliable, time-saving system with great results. We offer free training for the first three months, but we find our clients begin using the system almost straight away, and that’s the beauty of the Job Commander turnkey solution.”
As with any system that a business comes to depend upon, having reliable support and assistance when it’s needed is a must. Vicky describes the experience for Bosnar Engineering: “The staff, software and service support even two years on is still first-class.”
Rees attributes this success largely to his locally-based team: “With a dedicated software development and support team locally based in Australia, our ability to service our clients is exceptional. Unlike some of our competitors, we do not outsource software development or technical support, so we have complete control over our product and customer service.”
It’s no surprise the software performs so well for the engineering industry. As Rees explains: “Every facet of all our software is examined and tested at every stage of development, and beta-tested or trialled in the businesses of clients. Where necessary, we designed and refined the software until each module satisfied and exceeded the expectations of our clients.”
Rees sees a future filled with opportunities, with GJS collaborating closely with clients: “We aim to enhance our clients’ capacity to grow their business and remain a trusted long-term solutions partner. The days of being able to support and increase profitability with manual spreadsheets or off-the-shelf products is past. With the way we have packaged the products, increased profitability is within the budget of even the smallest engineering company to the medium-sized organisation.”