Unlimited Service Group is on a fast growth curve based on its formula for changing the way commercial kitchens keep their equipment in top shape and serving diners at locations across the United States and Canada.

Kristen Nowak, president, Field Service, Unlimited Service Group

But its growth hit a hurdle a few years ago, prompting the company to develop a digital platform to provide a more user-friendly efficient way for Unlimited Service Group’s network of independently operated service centers to connect with their customers.

Unlimited Service Group owns a network of over 37 branded service companies — including 3Wire Service,  ACE Service Co. , Atlantic Equipment Services, and FESCO (Food Equipment Co.) — which operate across over 125 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The network also includes more than 1,600 manufacturer-trained technicians.

Unlimited Service Group is a sister company to Parts Town Unlimited, a fast-growing distributor of kitchen equipment parts.

Unlimited Service Group likes its service companies to operate independently, providing localized service to all types of restaurants, including independents and regional and national chains.

A few years ago, however, the company realized it needed a new approach to help its service network better connect with its rapidly growing base of commercial kitchens, including many that were part of national chains, recalls Kristen Nowak, president of Field Service for Unlimited Service Group.

For one thing, she says, managers at nationwide restaurant chains were contacting the company because they noticed it covered many of the markets served by their restaurants. But the restaurant managers complained that having to call service companies from a list of dozens of phone numbers to locate the most appropriate service center was too onerous.

Nowak said Unlimited Service Group then realized that it had “to start thinking radically differently about how we serve our customers.”

“It was like a light bulb moment for me to say, OK, it’s our time to do this. We have to come together to serve our manufacturers and customers better while still keeping that really special local feeling that our service companies have.”

USG Connect streamlines service, improves metrics

Enter USG Connect, an online service management platform that Unlimited Service Group developed in-house to streamline and simplify how commercial kitchen operators manage the maintenance and repair of equipment ranging from ovens and refrigerators to electronic dough mixers and dishwashing machines.

USG Connect provides a one-stop solution that consolidates and manages service requests across multiple locations through a single, user-friendly digital experience,” USG says. Through USG Connect, Unlimited Service Group and and it service centers can also compile and share data on equipment usage and performance with customers.

USG Connect as it appears on laptops and tablets.

“We like our business leaders to think like owners, so that they’re running their own businesses,” Nowak says. She adds that USG Connect is the company’s latest example of how Unlimited Service Group can support its service companies with “resources that you know they otherwise wouldn’t have as a small business.”

Unlimited Service Group also helps its service centers manage records on customer activity, sales transactions and inventory by helping them get set up with GlobalEdge by Davisware, a software system designed for managing service center operations.

USG Connect launched in August and is still in the early days of its operation, but Nowak notes that service centers have begun to see improved metrics. In addition to helping service centers connect more quickly and consistently with restaurants in their service areas, USG Connect lets repair technicians and their back-office personnel manage inventory, purchase orders and invoices.

Among the results are faster billing times and, importantly, an increase in first-time fix rates.

Nowak notes first-time fix rates are a coveted industry metric related to customer service jobs completed in one visit to a job site, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, operating efficiency, and better relationships with parts suppliers.

“We are the authorized service provider for some of the largest manufacturers in the industry, and they certainly hold us accountable to our performance,” Nowak says.

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. paul@digitalcommerce360.com.

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