Rhino Cable Services needed to replace their pen and paper methods with a digital solution that minimized change to their pre-existing processes, streamlined approvals, enhanced internal communication, and improved client-facing documentation.
Rhino Cable Services transformed their existing paper forms into identical, digital versions. Utilizing Image fields and automated email routing, the Rhino Cable Services team improved their data collection in the field, streamlined approval processes, and expedited internal processes – allowing Rhino Cable Services to accomplish more work with fewer people.
Daily Form
Job Estimates
Founded in 2005 and recently purchased in 2021 by Mastec, Rhino Cable Services is a telecommunications and maintenance company that provides services including, aerial and underground cable installation, inside plant/MDU, splicing, project management, and emergency response to outages. Headquartered just outside Philadelphia, they also have warehouses in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, Sicklerville, New Jersey, and another office in Millbourne, Pennsylvania.
Prior to GoFormz, Rhino Cable Services struggled with inefficiencies. “In 2016, we were all paper! We had 30 employees and it seemed like the rest of the world was going digital. We were still scanning from one location, faxing to another location, getting it off the printer, and entering it into our backend system,” explained Jesse Ordonio, Operations Director for Rhino Cable Services. “It felt like it wasn’t the right thing to be doing and there had to be a better way to go about business.” John Rein, Former Owner of Rhino Cable Services, added, “I can remember carrying invoices out to customers every single week!” Recognizing their business operations were outdated, Rhino Cable Services began their search for a digital solution to help digitally transform their business.
“We started looking at solutions, and everything we found had too many bells and whistles. It was either too construction centric and the data capture was too complicated or it was too expensive,” explained Ordonio. The Rhino Cable Services team needed a solution that was easy to use, simple to adopt, and would take their data capture to the next level, all within a reasonable price. “We stumbled upon GoFormz and saw it was just a digital version of our paper form. It fit exactly what we needed,” recalled Ordonio.
“We stumbled upon GoFormz and saw it was just a digital version of our paper form. It fit exactly what we needed!”
– Jesse Ordonio, Operations Director, Rhino Cable Services
At the time, Rhino Cable Services only had one form to digitize. “The first form we digitized was what we call a Daily, which is the foundation of what we do. It’s what the technicians still use out in the field. They report what they've done and how many units of each billable item they've performed that day,” explained Ordonio.
Thanks to the user-friendly nature of GoFormz, it was easy to digitize and use their digital form. “It was actually very easy to learn how to use GoFormz just by looking at it compared to looking at some programs, like Adobe, which is less user-friendly. It was all laid out very plainly, very easy to digest, and easily understand,” explained Billy Doyle, GoFormz Champion for Rhino Cable Services.
Digital transformation was effortless because the digital form was identical to the original paper version, making it easy to facilitate user adoption. “There were a couple of people that were anti-technology in any form and GoFormz really hindered their ability to argue about it,” explained Ordonio. “We said it's the same thing, you're just using your finger instead of a pen.”
After GoFormz was launched, it became an integral part of Rhino Cable Services’ operation. “Success isn’t measured by how awesome a new program is, it’s from the lack of pushback, which was a really big victory for us,” explained Ordonio.
“There were a couple of people that were anti-technology in any form and GoFormz really hindered their ability to argue about it. We said it's the same thing, you're just using your finger instead of a pen.”
– Jesse Ordonio, Operations Director, Rhino Cable Services
While the Rhino Cable Services team originally digitized their Daily Form to create an identical, digital version, it has evolved over time with new data capture fields that can’t be replicated using traditional pen and paper methods. “Now we use images in our forms and that ended up being one of the more effective use cases for us. The value add is that it gave the guys the ability to do their paperwork in the field and take pictures to support the items they claim they’re doing,” explained Ordonio.
The Image field has helped the Rhino Cable Services team in three ways. “It allows our internal managers to approve more easily because the images are like a pre-quality control check,” noted Ordonio. “It also allows our customers to approve invoices more easily with a higher level of comfort because they see it, and it potentially prevents a QC visit,” added Ordonio. “And third, the guys have all of a sudden become really creative. They want to show off their work and how well this loop looks or how tight this wire is. The guys, in a way, have become really proud of the work they are doing. It’s their calling card!”
Once the Daily Form was digitized, the Rhino Cable Services team embraced digital transformation from every angle. “As our customers evolved technologically, we had to respond in the same sort of manner,” Ordonio continued, “So the way that we were generating job estimates, we started to use GoFormz for it. And that wasn’t by digitizing an existing form, but by using the tool to create a solution, which I think we have done collectively really well.”
This new process begins at a walkout, where the team conducts a survey on a job. They are then able to generate a detailed estimate through the use of photos that are automatically sent wherever they need to go through powerful automations. “And then we are using the data collected in those estimates to build tables to share across other platforms or back into GoFormz,” explained Ordonio. “Our first form was just to replace paper, now the way we are angling to use GoFormz is like a data collection and transmutation tool. It’s really become a big part of our business.”
“Our first form was just to replace paper, now the way we are angling to use GoFormz is like a data collection and transmutation tool. It’s really become a big part of our business.”
– Jesse Ordonio, Operations Director, Rhino Cable Services
The Rhino Cable Services team leverages Template Events, an easy-to-use GoFormz automation feature, to streamline their approval processes. “Right now, we use Template Events that email completed forms to a centralized shared mailbox where we approve those dailies or worksheets,” explained Ordonio. Previously, this process was carried out by two individuals, but as Rhino Cable Services expanded, the scalable approval process grew alongside them. “Now we have 20 managers across two states, so they come into the centralized mailbox, find, and approve what pertains to them,” explained Ordonio.
Rhino Cable Services is looking to evolve this process further. “What we’re moving to now is automatic form routing. We have data tables in data sources in GoFormz that come out of Salesforce and then into Smartsheet and then into GoFormz. So that process is going to be fully automated inside of GoFormz,” explained Ordonio. “We do this with one group of employees already and it works extremely well for us.”
Rhino Cable Services has experienced many benefits through digital transformation but the most notable aspect has been scalability. “I think ROI is better measured for us in terms of scalability and the ability to grow and do more with fewer people,” explained Ordonio. Rather than reducing costs and headcount, it’s allowed them to grow revenue significantly. “As an example, since we were purchased by Mastec a couple of years ago, we’re now going to double in headcount and revenue next year. Being able to lean on GoFormz to support that scaling, means we won’t have to reinvent our processes,” explained Ordonio. “They can work just like they did with 30 people at 150.”
Additionally, the Rhino Cable Services team has noticed an enhancement in their accuracy and efficiency in the workplace. “I think the fact that we're no longer shuffling papers from desk to desk and the speed and accuracy of information coming in is a huge benefit for us,” explained Rein. “It’s improved a lot of aspects of our business and I often find myself saying, ‘Well, let’s make a form for that’ because I know that it can be on everybody’s phone and it can be filled out easily by an employee and doesn’t take Billy long to put together if we need it. The easiness of GoFormz is a big deal for me.”
“GoFormz has become a central piece of our business model,” explained Ordonio. “We’ve had a really good experience with GoFormz and the simplicity of it is what attracted us and has kept us over time. It’s something simple done really well.”
“GoFormz has become a central piece of our business model. We’ve had a really good experience with GoFormz and the simplicity of it is what attracted us and has kept us over time. It’s something simple done really well.”
– Jesse Ordonio, Operations Director, Rhino Cable Services
Growth is a fundamental part of Rhino Cable Services' upcoming initiatives with GoFormz. “There are integrations and data gathering that we're just getting into that we are going to use to optimize workflows, to do performance analysis, to do financial validations on payroll and invoicing,” explained Ordonio. “So there's really no piece of our business that the quality of the data, the ease of deployment, the scalability, and speed is not going to touch. I think we are just getting started to really understand what the possibilities are with GoFormz.”
Initiating this growth, Doyle and the Professional Service team are in the process of setting up integrations to further streamline their data collection and reporting capabilities. “It's really cool to see what you can actually do and I'm really excited to get into the Smartsheet and OneDrive integrations,” noted Doyle.