We had the chance to go visit with Pella Windows and Doors here in Lincoln, check out their warehouse, and see how they put CompanyCam to work for them. Vince Boulet, the trade general manager for Omaha and Lincoln, spent some time with us and walked us through how Pella uses CompanyCam to communicate better with the contractors and builders they serve.
Vince works primarily in the B2B area of Pella, selling directly to contractors. While Vince doesn’t interact with homeowners directly, he understands how important documentation and clear communication are when working on someone’s home.
When Pella decided to implement CompanyCam, they were primarily concerned with getting ahead of potential disputes.
“Using CompanyCam for us was twofold,” explained Vince. “We wanted to get ahead of our problems, issues, and challenges to expedite recoveries and take the opportunities that we can get with CompanyCam.”
Being able to show time-stamped proof of successful deliveries and having photo evidence that products arrived undamaged was huge for Pella. Having an organized catalog of all deliveries allows Pella to fix any issues that may arise more quickly and avoid the blame game and the he-said-she-said that often accompanies disputes.
“Having CompanyCam and having our guys be able to go around and say ‘no, I installed all of this, took my pictures, time stamped it, this is when everything was in,’ really allows us a platform to say we did what was needed,” said Boulet. “This just helps us and all of our customers have some accountability.”
In addition to liability protection, Pella has found a great use for CompanyCam as a way to hold their crews more accountable.
“Like a lot of companies, we struggle with accountability,” said Vince. “When you’re in the field, and you’re required to take pictures of your product and your work there’s a lot of pride behind that, and there’s gonna be a lot of accountability behind that.”
Beyond accountability, Pella has found a way to use CompanyCam to give recognition to crew members.
“[CompanyCam] just helps us and all of our customers have some accountability.”
“Our guys in the field want to do better work, they want to do the best of the best, they want to show that and for it to be visual to everybody,” said Vince. “Those are the types of things we share with them on different appreciation nights. They can say, ‘look at the projects I did, the befores and afters,’ so it’s a great sense of pride.”
For Pella, CompanyCam is more than an app.
“It is our way to communicate internally and externally,” said Vince. “It’s a visual piece that’s just as important for us from a communication standpoint as email.”
“It’s how we hold our people accountable, how we show our pride,” continued Boulet. “Ultimately, just communicate in a way that’s cutting edge and above and beyond what everyone in our field and industry is doing.”
Using photos to document deliveries, work, and hold crews, subcontractors, and homeowners accountable has improved Pella’s quality of work and the quality of their interactions with contractors and homeowners alike.
We’re thrilled that CompanyCam is making contractors’ lives a little easier, and even more excited that people like the team at Pella Windows and Doors are finding ways to make CompanyCam work for them!
