Last Updated on November 16, 2020
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About Jeff Roscher
I am the Co-Founder and CEO of Information Professionals, Inc. (eWorkOrders), providing state-of-the-art Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software. eWorkOrders offers a cost-effective groundbreaking reliable web-based CMMS software platform to help increase uptime with a seamless integration of maintenance devices, data and systems. After getting my MBA at Rutgers University, I started out my career with one of the largest Pharmaceutical companies in NJ as a Programmer/Analyst. I enjoyed my time at the Pharmaceutical company, especially with my love for technology. But as with any large company, the ability to be creative was restricted. Through my research and interaction with others, I saw that many businesses were struggling with management of maintenance operations and equipment tracking, but they didn’t have the knowledge or the budget to keep up with technology.
This opportunity coupled with my entrepreneurship led me to a new venture in life. The development of a software solution that would help businesses easily manage their maintenance operations at a very affordable price. I discussed the idea with my tech-savvy brother, Brian. Together we formed a new company and began creating software. We both left our high-tech jobs and to follow our passion and eWorkOrders Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) was born.
About eWorkOrders.com
The idea of starting my own company and concentrating on the development of maintenance management software came to me through my previous experience, love for technology, and my partnership with my brother. We were developing and selling an on-premise computerized maintenance management system to fortune 100 clients and everything about the projects were very challenging. Due to the diversity of customer specifications, it was very difficult to roll out each new customer. Each company demanded different database brands and versions to meet their internal standards. They also were running different versions of their server operating systems. This became tedious, time consuming and costly.
That is when the idea hit me! We invested in the development of the back-end infrastructure to put it on the web. Through a lot of research and speaking with potential customers, we came up with a plan that would work in any industry for any size company. We would then lease it to customers instead of installing it locally.
This was during the infancy of the application service provider movement which would later become what is known today as software as a service (SAAS). This enabled us to control the versions and brands of the operating system, the web-server, and the database servers. This saved a tremendous amount of time with each implementation following our own standards.
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How Did You Get Your First Several Customers Or Users? How Many Users Or Customers Do You Have Now?
Working on a locally installed maintenance management system with pharmaceutical clients already, we became very knowledgeable about their specifications and requirements for their industry. As consultants, we had limitations on what we could do and were restricted to adhere to their guidelines. Brian and I continued to refine our software, adding new features and making it web-based. One existing pharmaceutical client liked our improved web-based version even better and became our first client. The next 2 customers found us through word of mouth based upon recommendations from the first customer. From there we continued to add new features and improvements to the software and expanded to other industries. Today, after 25 years, we continue to grow our customer base and support any size company in any industry.
How Does Your Company Grow And Acquire New Customers?
I feel that one of the most important things to focus on is customer retention. With a high customer retention, customers stay with us and don’t want to leave, continue to buy and share their experiences with others. We do standard touch points with our customers, marketing and social media, but still potential customers look on the Internet to see what customers are saying before they buy. We have always maintained a 5 Star Rating on various software research sites like Capterra, Software Advice and others. We were just named #1 Maintenance Management Software Leader for 2020.
What Actionable Tips And Tricks Do You Have For New Founders Who Are Looking To Get Their First Thousand Users Or Dollars?
- Invest your time and energy into a product that you love and are passionate about.
- A successful business is built on the passion, patience, persistence and the support of your family.
- Customer satisfaction is the key to long term relationships and the foundation of a successful business.
- With the changing technology and the world around us, stay engaged and never stop learning.
What Is Something You’ve Learned That Would Not Be Obvious To Somebody Who Hasn’t Worked In Your Space Before?
Owning a business can be very demanding and stressful. On your journey to build a successful business, you need to carve out “me” time and spending quality time with family and friends to recharge. To be productive you need to take a break and step away from all of the activities going on throughout the day. It is important to spend time with your family and friends who continue to support you in your venture. Taking care of yourself, have proper nutrition, exercise, read and spend time relaxing.
What’s The Craziest Thing That’s Happened To You (Good Or Bad) On Your Founder Journey?
The craziest thing that has happened is running into customers and prospective customers that were asking for kickbacks. I never imagined that people would be so forward and unethical and basically tell me that we needed to give kickbacks in order to land them as a customer. Of course, we pride ourselves on acting ethically and have nothing to do with anything like that.
What Are Your Favorite Books?
Good to Great by Jim Collins: The book focuses on eleven companies that were just okay, and made the leap into greatness. Greatness is defined over a period of time where the stock dramatically outperformed the market and its competitors. They not only made the transition from good to great, but they sustained a long-term performance that continued them toward success “built to last”.
Only the Paranoid Survive, by Andrew S. Grove: Andy Grove, founder and former CEO of Intel shares his strategy for success as he takes the reader through the moments when he had to admit his company was failing to keep up with the competition. He writes about what it is like to lead a company out of this change and into safer, more secure markets. He introduces tools and ideas that will help the next corporate generation stay ahead in times of rapid change.
Anything You’d Like To Plug?
eWorkOrders is an easy to use, affordable and powerful, web-based CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) solution that helps organizations easily manage & report on daily operations and plan for future requirements. Manage: Work Orders, Preventive Maintenance PMs, Assets, Inventory, Employees, Documentation, Meter Readings, GIS Tracking, Scheduling & Service Requests. No software to install, no hardware to purchase, access eWorkOrders anytime, anywhere. Upgrades & technical support are included. Be up and running in a day! Find out why we are consistently one of the highest rated! Request a Live Demo Now! Visit us on our website: http://www.eworkorders.com 1-888-333-4617
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