Challenge

Cotton Patch Cafe tracked facilities invoices, repairs and contracted services “the old-fashioned way”, by phone calls and spreadsheets. The restaurants called the vendors directly and had a spending limit that required corporate approval above a $500 threshold. Excel spreadsheets were used for repeat repairs. A time consuming and slow process, Cotton Patch researched potential facilities and asset management technology partners.

Strategy

Cotton Patch’s goal was to streamline their facilities operations more efficiently and effectively with a CMMS. Cotton Patch needed a system for locations to quickly place service requests. The leadership team wanted to capture, organize and access each locations’ equipment data in one place.

Solution

Cotton Patch Cafe considered Corrigo, Fexa and Service Channel before selecting Ecotrak. “Ecotrak was created by facility managers for restaurants. They had already anticipated all of our needs. I partnered with Service Channel eight years ago, and I had to create everything myself. Ecotrak offered a lot of guidance and advice. The Service Channel team who helped with the rollout didn’t know anything about the restaurant industry. Having facility professionals as part of your team is so valuable,” Maria Johnson, Vice President of Development, explained.

Results

Cotton Patch Cafe increased operational efficiency, saved time and received actionable data and insights through Ecotrak’s:

1. Robust reporting to see repair and maintenance spend across locations

2. Easy to use mobile app. Many of Cotton Patch’s vendors never used a CMMS before. The training was simple and the vendor was not charged a fee.

3. Accrural reporting for work orders that were completed, but not invoiced

4. A list of approved Cotton Patch service providers in the system