A good product is so very often only part of any given success story. Other factors influence it, too. Indeed, “success” means different things to different people. In the case of Shepherd, the definition is simple: a product that consistently delivers increased efficiency to its customers, evolves with those customers, and represents a good investment for them. This blog looks at that dynamic a bit more closely.
Customer-Led Development for Real Needs
Some will have functioned with home-grown tracking solutions before moving to NetSuite and its native EAM, Shepherd. They discover the Shepherd solution, choose it, implement it, and very soon realise that the nature of Shepherd and NetSuite offers them the potential for further evolution in their processes. They now have a choice. They can raise the potential development with Shepherd, leave it with the team, and wait till the next release to gain access to this new functionality.
Alternatively, they can commission the development themselves. The new functionality will eventually make it to a subsequent release, but the customer will not have to wait and will have the benefit of this development work being modelled on their exact needs.
Yes, this incurs a development fee, but, as mentioned earlier, dealing with Shepherd is an investment: companies spend the money because they know that it will generate greater value further down the line. Other companies might get the solution in the next release, but the instigator-customer will have been reaping all the benefits in the interim.
Being part of an eventual release, this also means that all subsequent support, fixes, or improvements are on Shepherd’s buck. Some examples of this cooperation between customer and service provider are evident in features like the machine ID check that technicians must perform to ensure the unit they are servicing is the right one.
Redundant machines are often in place to allow a plant to keep operating even when part of the production line is down. The main line goes quiet for maintenance, and the redundant machine takes over. Those redundant machines also need maintenance. Now imagine a scenario where the technician sent to service one such unit ends up shutting down the main line by mistake. That can mean thousands in lost revenue.
Putting a Serial number check as a block on the whole service order ensures that can’t happen anymore, and only the right machine will be serviced, whilst its counterpart continues to work unhindered.
Further examples of Features Born from Collaboration
Another feature is the ability to offer alternative parts for a job. As with the automobile or motorcycle industry, machinery can have OEM parts at a given price point, and aftermarket parts, often sold more cheaply. Specs and materials are the same, and only the cost and perhaps availability differ. This client-led feature allows the parts used and costs logged to be updated in the service order and billing, irrespective of what has been preconfigured. These updates can be confirmed and edited in the Shepherd’s PTM page for Service Managers.
A further example accommodates team members whose role sits between the inventory manager and the technician in the parts allocation process. Such positions are particularly useful in larger operations as they help ensure the technician loses as little time as possible in gathering the parts needed for the job, and can get to the site as soon as possible to complete the work that later feeds the all-important invoices.
Shepherd’s Rotating Assets functionality also first materialised as a specific customer concern that Shepherd felt able to address. It ensures that a company’s equipment lifetime value history remains uninterrupted, even when assets are temporarily retired, undergoing refurbishment, or returning to active duty. For clients managing large fleets of valuable assets, maintaining visibility across every stage of the asset lifecycle is critical and not only for compliance and reporting, but also for maximizing return on investment.
A winning formula
Possibly one of the most rewarding aspects of the Shepherd story, certainly from its own perspective, is that it is the product of several components that only occur under the right conditions: a drive to satisfy customer needs, the skills to make those needs a reality, and being largely fed by a willing customer base that feels encouraged to bring ideas or wants to the fore. That willingness will not manifest unless the customers trust that their needs will be taken seriously, and the outcomes will be based on what they want, not necessarily what is easy to deliver.
Not all customer requests have the broad appeal or usefulness to make it to the next product-wide release. That does not mean Shepherd will dismiss the notion, but it will encourage the customer to think carefully before moving forward. Such work can, with mutual agreement, see development, but it will remain an isolated feature of that customer’s Shepherd system. That then means not only the development but also all of its ongoing maintenance will be the customer’s financial responsibility, rather than Shepherd’s.
Whatever the route to a given functionality is, ultimately, the result is a feature that is NetSuite native and negates the need for factoring third-party solutions in the mix, which may not have the same update schedule—or discipline—as Shepherd’s. This makes for more predictable, smoother running. To see what others are already reaping the benefits of, simply book a demo today and discover Shepherd for yourself.
