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The second annual ServiceTrade customer retreat on the Outer Banks of North Carolina was another huge success.  Twenty-six customers representing 21 states and two countries (thanks Rick for traveling from Calgary) joined us to plan a future where service contractors build a premium brand through technology-enabled customer service.  We also sent five boats offshore for a fishing tournament, and the winning boat laid 635 pounds of bigeye tuna on the dock.  Congratulations to Dan Dibeler of K&D Factory Service of Allentown, PA for being named the most valuable angler after he landed a whopping 215 pound bigeye tuna for the winning boat.  Check out the photos of the offshore activities:

The theme for the meeting was the Digital Wrap, a concept for how service contractors use technology to create a premium brand in a connected world.  The two big insights that were reinforced throughout the meeting were:

1. Customer equipment records and data are critical as the foundation for better communication and better decisions.  ServiceTrade should make it easy for the service contractor to plan and manage all aspects of maintenance while also keeping the customer in the loop on the critical budget and failure risks that lead to painful expense surprises or business disruptions.
2. Using the Internet to project service capabilities and collaborate with customers on decisions and service activities that drive better outcomes is important.  Having the data is half the story, and communicating in a scalable manner the capabilities and recommendations of the service vendor based upon that data is the other half.  Customers generally make good decisions when presented with thoughtful evidence of the need for service.

The Internet is going to drive a new level of customer expectations and service contractor capabilities.  We are excited to be joining some great companies as both customers and technology partners to show the market what is possible when low-cost, non-proprietary technology is applied to deliver amazing customer service.  We believe we can get to a place where labor rates are irrelevant because decisions will be driven by business outcomes, risk management, budget planning, and peace of mind.  If you are interested in building a premium service contractor brand based on amazing customer service (or if you just want to make plans for next year’s event because you love offshore fishing), get in touch with us and see what all of the excitement is about.