FORD LAUNCHES VIIZR, A TECHNOLOGY BUILT ON SALESFORCE TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES AND TRADESPEOPLE THRIVE

• VIIZR is a new Software as a Service tool that brings together Ford Pro, Ford’s commercial vehicle and service business, and Salesforce Field Service, to provide small businesses with a powerful digital tool to maximize productivity and better serve their customers
• Built on Salesforce Field Service, VIIZR is a custom solution to help tradespeople schedule field appointments, send invoices and manage customer relationships from one integrated, cloud-based platform
• Ford Pro delivers solutions to commercial customers of all sizes to increase fleet productivity, improve uptime, and lower operating costs through connected services and work-ready internal combustion and battery electric vehicles
• A recent study found that only 10% of small businesses believed today’s business productivity software tools are designed for businesses of their size; most contend such solutions are tailored to much larger companies¹

Ford announced the launch of VIIZR, a new field service tool built on Salesforce and designed to meet the needs of the small business owners that keep America running – such as plumbers, electricians, and heating and ventilation technicians. VIIZR will help small businesses simplify key commercial activities such as invoicing, scheduling, and managing requests, so they can focus on serving their customers from anywhere.

“For more than 100 years, Ford has been the backbone of commercial business,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said. “Salesforce is the global leader in CRM and together, Ford is excited to bring advanced digital tools to the trades to help drive the productivity of their business.”

The market for field service management is estimated at $3 billion annually in the U.S and is expected to double in the next six years as changes to consumer behavior brought on by COVID will drive high demand for trades².

VIIZR is built on Salesforce Field Service, a complete solution for managing mobile workforces and providing onsite support, and was developed specifically for trade businesses by Ford, America’s #1 in commercial vehicles for 36 consecutive years. There is currently 675,000 small and medium business in service & maintenance and construction vocations in the U.S.

“Small business owners are the foundation of our communities, and every day across America plumbers, electricians, and landscapers step into their Ford vehicles to build our economy,” said Marc Benioff, chair and co-CEO of Salesforce. “We’re thrilled that our incredible new partnership with Ford will help energize millions of entrepreneurs in the trades with the power of Salesforce so they can deliver for their customers and take their businesses to the next level.”

Modernizing and Simplifying

A recent study found that only one in five small business owners are satisfied with the way their businesses managed customer and employee relationships. Only 10% believe today’s business productivity software tools are designed for businesses of their size, with most believing that such solutions are built for much larger companies. Salesforce Field Service already helps companies around the world realize significant productivity gains, with customers reporting 36% improvement in scheduler and dispatcher productivity and a 28% decrease in work order scheduling time.

“Ford Pro helps commercial customers maximize productivity,” Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis said. “We know the back office is a major pain point for tradespeople, who are often writing up paperwork from the cabin of their truck or van. VIIZR gives that time back, providing greater returns to these businesses and better service to their customers.”

“Effective field service requires companies to match the expertise of their workforce with their customers’ requirements, and manage the complexities of scheduling – and for many small business trades today, managing customer interactions and mobile workers involves time-consuming, manual processes done on paper,” Paul Whitelam, SVP & GM, Field Service Management at Salesforce said. “VIIZR is helping tradespeople digitize their businesses, empowering them to focus less on back-end processes and more on their craft.”

For businesses with less than 20 employees, VIIZR could reduce back-office work by more than 40% or about 25 hours a week3.

VIIZR provides affordable, advanced field service tools with subscriptions starting from $39 a month per user, which enables trades to:

• Stay on Track: Digitize everything – quotes, work orders, invoicing, and job management.
• Connect with Customers: Manage customer relationships and jobs through an all-in-one customer profile, making it easy to communicate with them and improve the overall experience.
• Streamline Operations: Scheduling, dispatching, and coordination of field technicians for greater efficiency and a more profitable business.

Technology-Led, Sustainable, Built for the Commercial Customer

Ford is committed to supporting American businesses’ move toward more efficient and sustainable practices, from shifting to fully electric vehicles such as the F-150 Lightning Pro and E-Transit full-size van to adopting digital tools for managing their vehicle fleets and customer interactions. VIIZR helps the trades eliminate waste from their business by boosting productivity – real-time job scheduling can save time and fuel; digital invoicing saves paper and ink; and a more efficiently run business ultimately saves money.

As part of Ford Pro’s ongoing efforts to evolve with the requirements of their customers, VIIZR is looking for trade businesses to pilot the platform on a complimentary basis ahead of its official launch in the first half of 2022. To learn more about the Early Access Program and to be considered for inclusion, visit VIIZR.com.

Source: Ford