Joe Pasqualetta
For snow and ice businesses, effective software can save time, increase leads, and unlock new revenue potential.
Joe Pascaretta, COO of WorkWave and former landscaping business owner, explains how the right business software can take your snow and ice business to the next level.
Communication is key
For Pasqualetta, the biggest benefit the software can offer snow and ice contractors is the ability to communicate not only with employees but also with customers.
“The ability to send reminders and notifications and communicate with customers is critical for seasonal events,” he says. “Customers want to know, ‘Where are the snowplows? What’s going on?’ The ability to communicate with customers is what makes the software so valuable.”
The software can also send warnings and notifications directly to drivers about potential hazards along their driving route. Pasqualetta remembers the days when he would print out MapQuest to plan snowplow routes.
Now, with the help of AI algorithms built into the software, it does it automatically to maximize efficiency.
“If there was a huge traffic jam on I-75 with 80 cars in it, the only way we knew was if we were listening to AM news radio in our truck,” he recalled. “Now, if something happens, (the software) can optimize the route based on dynamic conditions and say, ‘Hey snowplow driver, go to this lot first, and then go to that lot.'”
artificial intelligence
Pasqualetta speaks excitedly about the potential for artificial intelligence to expand what business software can offer snow and ice contractors.
“The biggest benefit right now is automation — the ability to automate tasks that humans do and automate them within the tool,” he says. “We’re shifting into more advanced AI machine learning within all of these capabilities. That’s where we can get creative and ultimately our customers benefit from that.”
One area he would like to expand the use of AI is in predictive applications: His goal, he says, is to partner with an Internet of Things (IoT) vendor to put sensors on snowplows to predict areas that could hurt contractors’ bottom lines.
“If a hydraulic line breaks while a truck is driving through a parking lot, that truck is out of service,” he says. “We’re moving toward using smart IoT sensors to predict that and other areas that will make a snowplow less profitable.”
Expanded finances
Pasqualetta said using business software for financial matters has become more widely accepted since the pandemic began in 2020.
“What I started to notice was that more contractors started accepting Venmo or Cash App or providing financial tools for financing projects in their portfolios,” he says. “We noticed a clear difference in terms of financial acceptability.”
In addition to expanding its payment collection and customer financing services, Pasqualetta said he expects the software company to expand its financial capabilities in the future.
“This is about helping our clients do more with their customers,” Pasqualetta said. “We can act as a lender, but in some cases we’ll go beyond that and explore solutions where we can help our clients build credit in their own name.”
