Spike Stories: YESCO Reduces Surveying Costs With Spike

For Ryan Cain, YESCO branch manager of the St. George, Utah office, conducting site surveys for signage work was traditionally an expensive process, he says. Ryan would have to pull his team from other jobs to take a pricey boom truck to a client’s site to take a few measurements for a job Ryan hadn’t even won yet. Looking for a more cost-effective solution, Ryan began researching new measuring devices on the market.

“I was familiar with the laser measuring tools that you can buy at a hardware store, but I was looking for one that had more in-depth capabilities,” Ryan says. “With the growth of mobile and apps, I was specifically looking for a tool that integrates that technology.”

Ryan found just what he needed after discovering Spike, a smart laser measuring solution for site surveys and estimates. To use Spike, Ryan simply attaches the device to his iPhone and takes a photo of the signage space using the Spike app. The measurements are all saved within the Spike photo. Ryan can then either take real-time measurements in the field or send the files to the Spike Cloud. From the Spike Cloud, Ryan can measure on his office desktop, which makes the process even easier and quicker, he says.

“With the Spike Cloud, I take my picture, get back in the car and head back to the office,” Ryan says. “Once I’m back at my desk, I send the photo to the Spike Cloud. I have multiple large screens to work with, making it easier to take measurements, and it reduces the amount of time I spend in the field. Plus, everything is filed in one place.”

While Ryan typically measures using the Spike Cloud, he also finds real-time measurements can be helpful when working with clients in the field, he says. Sometimes clients aren’t clear on what they want in a sign. To help clients define their vision, Ryan will take a photo of a nearby existing sign or the blank installation space. Ryan will then draw the dimensions on the sign or space to give the client a real-world view of how the sign will look.

Delivering on-demand measurements has also allowed Ryan’s YESCO branch to beat competitors in the field. In one case, Ryan recalls meeting with a prospect facing a tight deadline. The prospect already talked to another sign shop that said it would have to schedule another time to bring a boom truck by the site. However, Ryan told the prospect that wasn’t necessary. Ryan pulled out his Spike and gave the prospect the measurements right on the spot.

After purchasing his first Spike, Ryan has had such success with the device that he bought three more for his sales team, he says. Spike has helped YESCO St. George cut time in the field, limit the need for expensive boom trucks and improve surveying capabilities. With the large volume of signage projects in the YESCO pipeline, Ryan says Spike would be a valuable addition to every branch.

“Since using Spike, we’ve increased our speed in the field and can turn over surveys much faster,” Ryan says. “We don’t have to wait for a boom truck or take our guys off profitable jobs to conduct a site survey. I would say in the past six months that Spike has saved us hundreds of hours and paid for itself many times over.”