INTRODUCING HYDRO X USA
Hydro X USA is a trusted provider of commercial and industrial hydro-excavation services across New York state. Founded four years earlier with a single, well-used hydrovac truck, the company has now grown to a fleet of five state-of-the-art trucks.
With offices in Buffalo and Syracuse, and a yard in Albany, Hydro X USA is committed to expanding both their fleet and their team of top-notch operators, delivering reliable and efficient solutions for excavation and underground utility work across the region.
Vice President
See how Hydro X USA improved their efficiency and effectiveness with RapidWorks. We’ll hear from key members of their team, including President Tim O’Keefe and Vice President Hal Piger.
How Mismatched Software Solutions Challenged Hydro X USA’s Growth Initiatives
At Hydro X USA, their company credo is simple: "We're here to help." The company believes in building strong, lasting relationships with their customers and offering reliable, efficient services.
"Our ability to offer reliable, economical, and easy-to-work-with hydro excavation services is really where our advantage lies," O'Keefe explained. "We can quickly mobilize teams and trucks to different areas and give our customers the ability to work with one subcontractor across the region, rather than having to juggle multiple MSAs or subcontracts with different companies."
As a hydrovac excavation service provider, Hydro X USA typically responds to emergency calls – these are same or next-day services.
“We are in the reaction business where usually people forget about or have some sort of emergency that requires our service.” O’Keefe shared.
Environmental conditions and storm work can also cause disruptions to their work schedules. “The hydrovac business, it's a lot more fluid,” said Piger. “You can have a whole week scheduled with one customer and all of a sudden, they get called out on storm work and they're gone. So now you're juggling to try to fill those voids.”
“We need to be able to react [to scheduling shifts] and figure out other ways to keep our guys busy.” O’Keefe added.
As Hydro X USA grew, so did the complexity of managing the business. While they succeeded at delivering top-notch service in the field, they began to face challenges managing their back office. The company’s job management, scheduling, and invoicing systems were pieced together with a combination of outdated software that barely met their needs. It was a "Frankenstein" solution, according to O’Keefe.
When asked what they looked for in a new software solution, Piger explained "I needed something that was more agile, that I could communicate with operators in minutes, not days."
The Search for a New Solution & Discovering RapidWorks
Scheduling mishaps and inefficiencies started to create friction, and it became clear that they needed to change to continue growing and scaling effectively. Hydro X USA was ready for an all-in-one solution that could streamline operations, improve communication, and give them the tools to manage their expanding fleet and team more efficiently.
“[The old system] was just very cumbersome. Scheduling assignments was honestly painful, adjusting schedules was painful. So, we knew that as we grew, we were going to need something that was a lot more user-friendly, [with] real time adjustability on the fly,” Piger explained.
The Hydro X USA team evaluated a few software options, but ultimately, their decision came down to what would make their lives easier and more efficient. Timeliness was key. They knew they needed a way to access any information they needed quickly, especially since they couldn’t be confined to working in the office, as both O’Keefe and Piger must often be in the field.
“Seeing what we have on my phone when I’m out in the field, I needed to know what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with, and to be able to generate invoices on the go. Those types of things were paramount to my decision-making process,” O’Keefe shared.
O’Keefe recalled being reached out to by the RapidWorks team. He had heard from his friend and mentor about his own success with RapidWorks, which opened him up to the opportunity. O’Keefe and Piger were ready to jump in and give it a try.
“We got the system sent to us, then had a very involved onboarding process where RapidWorks employees came, sat with us, walked us through a presentation, answered questions.”
After a detailed, yet important, onboarding process, the Hydro X USA team felt ready and capable of utilizing their new tools. They were excited by how great the RapidWorks team was to work with, with Piger noting “the training was great, and the support was phenomenal.”
RapidWorks Hydrovac Software Streamlines Hydro X USA's Operations
With RapidWorks, Hydro X USA has transformed the way they manage their operations for the better. What once required juggling outdated systems, clunky processes, and manual interventions is now streamlined, giving them more control in key areas like scheduling, invoicing, and reporting. "The primary ways we use it are obviously scheduling, tracking, utilization of the trucks, tracking hours, and invoicing,” Piger noted.
Scheduling: Adjusting on the Fly
Scheduling has been one of the biggest wins for Hydro X USA with RapidWorks. In the past, managing last-minute cancellations and rescheduling jobs was a major headache. Now, with the flexibility and real-time updates provided by RapidWorks, they can adjust schedules seamlessly. O’Keefe shared, "We [now] have a reliable system for scheduling. There's no downtime."
Piger explained how RapidWorks has improved their ability to adapt quickly: "The scheduling is huge—being able to adjust on the fly, have my operators get notifications that, ‘Hey at 6:00 yesterday, so-and-so canceled.’ We have another customer looking for a truck.” Before, that job might have been lost because they had a prior commitment. Now, with RapidWorks system, Piger can immediately notify his operators about the new assignment.
The ability to respond quickly to changes has been a game-changer for Hydro X USA. Being able to use RapidWorks on the go and in the field has been a key player in their success. "Hal has worked to build a system that we can adjust in real-time using the app—something we’ve never been able to achieve before,” O’Keefe added.
Invoicing: Faster, More Accurate Billing
Invoicing is another area where RapidWorks has made a major impact. The old invoicing process was slow and cumbersome. Now, Piger can generate invoices in minutes, dramatically speeding up his previous processes.
"The invoicing is phenomenal," he said. "It's so much quicker than before we switched to RapidWorks. If I get the right data in, I can generate an invoice in less than five minutes—literally. The hours come in automatically. I can adjust hours very quickly."
RapidWorks allows operators to add notes to jobs and time sheets, which ensures that Hydro X USA only bills customers for the time spent on actual work, not for fleet maintenance or other non-billable tasks. “My operator puts a note in it says, you know, I was on site from 7:00 AM until 3:30, went to the dump site, went back to the shop and oh, by the way, I worked on the truck for an hour afterwards. I automatically see that when the invoice comes up and I can say, okay, well I'm not going to charge my customer for that hour,” Piger explained.
RapidWorks even helps them find discrepancies in timesheets. Even without operator maintenance notes, perhaps they forgot to add them after a long and busy day, RapidWorks GPS integration keeps the crew accountable.
“The integration of the GPS system in RapidWorks is phenomenal. Because if the operator for some reason forgets to put a note in to say, hey, I worked on the truck, I get an alert that says, well, he was back at the shop at 5:00, but he clocked out at 6:30. The GPS doesn't lie,” Piger shared.
It’s that level of detail and accuracy that helps maintain a level of trust with their customers.
Tracking Utilization: Maximizing Fleet Efficiency
Tracking fleet utilization is essential for any hydrovac business, and with RapidWorks, Hydro X USA can keep a close eye on how effectively their fleet is being used. "As you know, these trucks are pretty expensive," Piger pointed out. " Having them utilized [properly] and understanding what your utilization is at so that you can make projections [and] having that information to make decisions for going forward is huge.”
With real-time data on truck usage, Piger can make informed decisions about scheduling, fleet expansion, and profitability.
"I am 10 times more efficient and effective with scheduling, billing, and reporting," Piger added. "We've got investors we need to report to, and the information I can pull out of RapidWorks is huge."
Working Together and Providing Exceptional Services
Since implementing RapidWorks, Hydro X USA has seen significant growth and improvement across all areas of their business.
According to O’Keefe, "We’ve matured as a company. We’ve taken on more customers and become more reliable as a service provider as a result of the reliability that RapidWorks provides us."
Piger agreed, highlighting how the software has boosted their overall efficiency and effectiveness in their day-to-day operations. "Efficiency and effectiveness are key, and RapidWorks helps me do that."
But it’s not just the software itself that’s made a difference—it’s also the support Hydro X USA has received from the RapidWorks team. Piger was quick to praise the customer service: "The support team that RapidWorks has is world-class. I’ve never had a support team that’s as responsive and as helpful as theirs."
O’Keefe echoed this sentiment, sharing how the RapidWorks team has gone above and beyond to meet their needs. "That attitude of camaraderie—where we said, hey, listen, this is something we need, and their ability to react and say, okay, we don't have that, but we'll build it for you—that was next-level customer service in my opinion.
For Hydro X USA, the partnership with RapidWorks has instilled confidence in their continued growth.
"I think it’s good for morale because our drivers see that we’re willing to invest in the future of the company and provide them with the right tools to get it done right the first time," said O’Keefe. "That brings everyone, including me, a lot of peace of mind and excitement for where we're going."
If you're ready to grow faster, take on more work, and provide your customers with exceptional service like Hydro X USA, schedule a demo of RapidWorks today to see how your team can operate more efficiently and effectively.
