Get A Load Of This
Get A Load Of This
6: Is "The Cloud" The Next Wave of Construction Tech?
Clay Bowman, the Sales and Marketing Director of TAC Insight & Fast-Weigh, has built his career on helping construction professionals understand and leverage technology.
Technology has come a long way in the last few years. Clay joins us today to talk about how legacy software is transitioning more and more to "the cloud" and the impact that has on users.
Tune in to find out how the cloud is changing the way tech is evolving for the construction industry.
Welcome of this. This is your host Elizabeth Scholz. And today we are joined by clay Bowman, director of sales and marketing with tack insight and fast way. Clay has been in the industry for years and has made it his mission to help guide people through the process of buying and evaluating technology fast way as a cloud-based truck ticketing and dispatching platform that is shaking things up in the industry. Their cloud-based approach is changing the way that people think about software in construction without any further delay. Let's jump right into our conversation with clay. All right, perfect. So we are joined today by clay Bowman, clay. I'd love for you to give a little bit of an introduction about who you are and what you do.
Speaker 2:Sure. Elizabeth, I, uh, my name is clay Bowman. Um, I live up in the Missouri Ozark, Missouri Ozarks. I've been, uh, working in the technology field here in the construction materials business since, uh, well, honestly, 1998. So I've been around awhile. Um, I I've really seen technology, uh, not only be birthed in this industry, but I've seen it evolve. So, um, I actually started, uh, with a company, uh, in 1998 called command data. And I ended up working for that company, which eventually became command down con uh, all the way up to 2014. And I've actually always been in construction materials software. I actually was so motivated to stay in that industry. I've worked for a couple of other technology companies, uh, specifically in construction materials. Uh, and today I'm the director of sales and marketing for a company called fast way the products fast way, but the company is called tech insight and that stands for, uh, tr uh, trucking, aggregate and construction. So tack insight. I love it.
Speaker 1:Um, you mentioned that you've really seen, you know, an evolution over the course of time that you've been in the industry. I'd be interested to see what your thoughts are on some of the differences that you see between some of the legacy software that's out there and then some more of the cloud-based platforms, similar to what you're doing with fast way.
Speaker 2:Yes. So really what you have to realize that that's a good question and it brings it, it invokes a lot of thought, uh, actually, because we owe where we are today to these pioneering legacy platforms, right? Yeah. I mean, these platforms changed the way people did business and, and some of them obviously are still operational and in existence today, they're very powerful. You know, they have a lot of, uh, um, they have, uh, they have the ability to automate across multiple lines of business. Um, but as we move the needle forward, it's coming at a price, you know? So when, when I look at legacy technology today, and I think about what we're doing over here at fast way, it's really, it's hard to believe that in 2021, that there's only a handful of cloud platforms that are truly automating businesses today. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, uh, it's, I think as an industry, we kind of paint ourselves into a corner. I mean, technically speaking, um, I'm really happy to be here at fast way in this cloud platform, this delivery that we've been able to do, it's a, it's a Microsoft as your platform. So it's completely modern. It's, it's been built from the ground up. So the owners of fast way had an old legacy system, but they love the industry so much and they wanted to be a part of it, but they wanted to make a mark at the same time. They wanted to say, Hey, look, we can stay developing this, you know, older technology, or we can move this thing forward. And that's what they did. They started with a, you know, a single line of code and we've built it from there over five years.
Speaker 1:Awesome. What impact do you really think that that has for your end users that kind of switched to the cloud-based? How are you seeing that translate into the day-to-day lives of your customers?
Speaker 2:I think it's transformational. I think the hard part though, is actually, is actually helping customers understand what that transformation means to them. I can't tell you how many times I'm engaged with folks that have really been trapped in these legacy methods and they, they can't seem to find their way out.
Speaker 1:Well, they don't, they may not even know that there's, there is another way, right? Like it was so kind of groundbreaking for them to get into the software, to begin with that. They may not even know that there's another way of doing it.
Speaker 2:Right. They don't, I think, I think it's education. So I'm big on education. I'm big on consulting. I don't, I don't really like the whole, um, you know, sales, uh, sales perspective. Like I just got to sell this product, right. Because we're in an era of technology where consultated, or counseling sales is so important because people have to be educated and they have to be ready to have that conversation. Right. But really what I believe we're on the precipice here, you know, we're on the precipice of a true technological revolution in the construction materials industry. Because when you look out on the horizon and you see some of these players in the marketplace that are automating systems with cloud technologies, we're talking, we're talking very pervasive, uh, systems that have incredible, uh, throughput that really are in a position to replace these legacy systems, but it's not happening yet. Uh, you know, it will, we're we're, we're in Tommy, that wave is building we're we're, we're, we're, we're marching towards that. So to speak. Yeah,
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I think one of the things that, you know, helps drive some of that change is, is people have, you know, evolved from thinking about pen and paper to all right, we're going to put it all into an Excel spreadsheet now, and then, okay. Software comes into the mix and then, okay, there's a whole nother way that we can keep track of this. And it's, it's more mobile and it's, it's more accessible to a wide variety of people and can help connect different parts of our business. Um, it's this, it's this like slowly peeling back the layers of like possibility for what's what's out there. Um, what do you think is one of the things that like, when people come to you and they're like, Hey, you know, we're having, we're having this problem, or we're seeing ourselves get bogged down in this area of the business. How are you seeing that kind of like coming to the moment where they're ready to have that conversation, how does that go?
Speaker 2:There was a lot in there, but the first thing that came to mind was a customer of mine that I had back in Texas. And the gentleman's name was John Gladwell. And every time I'd visit John, he said, he would say, now this is a large trucking company down in Texas. He would, he would say, you know, clay, all we know how to use as the big chief tablet and a crayon. So that was his mantra. You know, we're tired of using the big chief tablet and the cran, but when you walk into operations today that are automated with legacy platforms, it's amazing to see how much paper is still around. So the evolution of digitizing the process has been very interesting. That same company was averaging 2000 daily transactions back in 2015. That's a lot of transactions and they had terminals all over the state of Texas, but, uh, they were still bundling all of these tickets, right? Bundles of tickets, the terminal, uh, managers would, would then verify from the dispatch system that everything was correct. They would get all the tickets aligned, then they would send them back in these mailboxes. And there would be an army of people, you know, in the office hand, keying these tickets in to their, to their system, to, to, to record date the transaction and the dispatch system. So, so much waste, so much time wasted. You know, what's amazing is using the cloud back then, we were able to streamline that entire process. We were able to actually digitize the entire dispatch and, and using a mobile application in 2015. We basically squeeze the, the average days of billing on that, on that 2000 daily transaction to 2000 daily transactions from 10 to one. So we digitize the whole process. We were able to take pictures of these tickets and instead of bundling them up and re-keying them and what was so cool about it, it was so easy really at the end of the day, what we were doing, but it, it, it's amazing what technology, how it can truly impact a business if it's, if it's, if it's thought in a vertical way, you know, uh, not in a horizontal way. Cause horizontal is kind of, you know, w I'm getting horizontal, you know, as I get older, but, you know, we, we, we get, we get horizontal and it's, and it's harder to move, but as we go vertical, it's easy to move that information around. So that's, that's always been my philosophy and approach and here at Fastway, that's exactly what we've done. You know, we've built all of these accoutrements to the software platform. Um, you know, for instance, you've had to go outside to do something else, well, I need to dispatch, or I need to track a truck, or I need to do this, or I need to digitize my marketplace. So that's what we've done here is we've thought that through, you know, from the beginning and built a platform that we can automate this industry on through one single platform doesn't mean that we do everything the best, but what it means is, is it is we do it vertical. And what I think is important about the digitization of the industry is the ability to integrate Elizabeth. Like for instance, you know, if I have a great scale and ticketing solution, but you have a great dispatching solution and the customer has made an investment in that I don't want to force the customer's hand to change that I want to do is I want to take my vertical solution and integrate to your vertical solution so that they can both work hand in hand and give the customer what they want in the most economical way. Yep. I love that.
Speaker 1:I think it's, it's interesting too, because I think one of the things that, you know, you kind of see out in the narratives in the media is, you know, construction doesn't have technology. There there's nobody, there's nobody catering to their needs. And I don't think that that's accurate, but I think what's happening is that there's so many solutions out there that are focusing on one portion of the business and what construction companies and what aggregate kind of like civil construction aggregates. The whole industry is having to kind of evaluate a ton of different types of technology to serve different portions of their business. And taking that vertical view of things is a really interesting way to look at it because you're, you're then able to take different parts of their normal to day operations and bring them together under one roof. And whether that's through integration or through this software, that's really powerful.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And, and it comes down to, you know, what poison you choose to run your business, right? So you have all these different bottles to choose from. Well, which one are you going to pick? And the one that you do pick, does it have the ability to, uh, shake hands? Does it so like for instance, and fast way we have a full w we're we're, uh, we're a Microsoft shop. So we're, we're a Microsoft Azure platform. Um, we are, all of our developers are Microsoft certified as your developers, you know, it's, it's, it's where we've made our home. Um, I call it the Coke Pepsi of our world. So Microsoft's kind of the Coke and the Amazon is the Pepsi. Um, but, uh, we've, we've gone with Microsoft and it's paid off for us because, you know, the ability to open up what are called restful API means, you know, having the ability to say, well, what piece of data do you need from fast way? You know, what piece of data like for, even for instance, um, a dispatch system, well, we would love to be able to tell you what's coming to the scale and update that properly and, and shake hands with you. And that's the beauty of fast way because of how it was built in the first place. These restful APIs are powerful. It doesn't matter what piece of data that you're looking for in our system. We can get it to you and we get it. We can get it too fast. We can get it to you effectively, efficiently. I wonder where they
Speaker 1:Got the name fast way then. Right.
Speaker 2:It's been around a while. I love the name. Um, really, I think the name kind of speaks to our ability to get a truck on the scale and off the scale, um, that, that really, uh, isn't the most important thing. The scale and ticketing piece of our software is designed for throughput. So yeah, it, some of these, uh, some of these facilities I've been in recently are, are absolutely amazing. I mean, I saw, uh, 700, 800 loads in less than an hour in one facility I was in. So it really requires, you know, a lot of thought, but it's amazing. What's amazing is the processes that are built around those kinds of places. Do you understand what I'm saying? Like you have a legacy piece of software and there's a lot of manpower that makes that work because there's not pieces or components that are tied together to make it all work seamlessly. And so I was impressed with the, these operations that I was in no doubt, uh, to actually make that happen every day, uh, uh, hats off to those guys, uh, and, and the whole industry that are that busy, but, um, you know, we can do it. Um, we, we can achieve those results in a much more streamlined environment with something. Yeah,
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And I think one of the interesting things, too, that you touched on there is that, you know, it does take manpower to make the technology work in some instances, right. And when you're able to automate portions of that and remove the, the like man hours needed, it doesn't mean then that employee goes away. It doesn't mean that they're not a valuable part of the business, but what you can then do is you can train, or you can reskill that, that individual to make an even more impactful kind of,
Speaker 2:You know, impact
Speaker 1:Really a more, a more, um, a more impactful way of relating their job to the overall goals of the business. They can, they can still be in their role or they can move to a different area, but they can still make a huge difference, even, even if it's not in the same exact way. And I think that's an, a narrative that is often missed, but as really important, you know, technology isn't necessarily automating people out of jobs. It's helping people grow in their career, grow in their knowledge and expertise in the industry and make impacts in different ways.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Do you want to bring, um, do you want to use every ranch in your tool bag or do you just want to use a couple, right. You know, which is easier. Well, I have all these wrenches and I have to turn all these different pieces of this technology to make it work every day. Well, what happens when you free up the use of that? Right. And what happens is what's the cost of efficiency? You know, I think that's the one thing that I have tried to counsel people through my entire career, because even in legacy platforms, it's all about efficiency. If you're not using something, this is going to make you more efficient. Well, you know, how, how more efficient, how much more efficient, right. That's always the question. How do I articulate that in, in, into a dollar, you know, w how much money is that going to say? My company, it's interesting because it's, it's different for everyone. But I think that when you look at the legacy discussion and when you look at what, what it takes, not only to buy it, um, but then after you purchased the software to implement it, so now you have to implement, I think some of the hardest things I ever had to, to struggle with was, um, okay, now we've got the software across the line. Uh we've we've got the contract in place. Everybody's excited and we're happy. And then now they're having to, you have, you have an industry or a company that doesn't have any real skill in technology, right? And so now they have to become either a, they have to become experts in technology, or, you know, hire an entire team that's surrounding this technology so that they can implement it and support and keep it moving forward. They have to outsource that, and both are extremely expensive. There's, there's advantages to both, but the actual cost of implementing, you know, a client server or a legacy platform is, is, is exorbitant, you know? Yeah. And I think with the cloud, what w what is amazing to me with Fastway Elizabeth, is that with what we've been able to do with, with the conversion of some of these situations is I think unprecedented in our industry talking about large operations that are converting over at breakneck speed. Um, and, and, and it comes down to the ability to move information comes back down to that vertical conversation. Can I move information from one platform to the next, did I build a platform from the ground up that can do that? So, because we have, we have some amazing integrations with ERP. Like for instance, we have, uh, we are a top 16 viewpoint partner, and of course, dewpoint is a pervasive piece of software in our industry, but what's amazing about that is that the information and viewpoint live simultaneously in fast way, you know, as soon as you change a price or adjust a project or, or add a customer, it lives in fast way simultaneously the same is true for the other integrations we perform, whether it's Microsoft dynamics or JD Edwards, or, you know, the list goes on and on. And recently, you know, another, another, uh, monumental thing that we were able to achieve was, uh, an integration with a tax compliance software called Avalara. And so it's huge because we spent just a short couple of months developing a very complex and sophisticated integration to this platform that basically frees up, uh, companies from having to chase down taxing authority, you know, where does it, do I have this tax? Correct? Well, it goes up in the cloud and it hits all the tables. And everything's correct. Now, uh, this type of technology is the future, right? It is changing the industry. We just are, like I said earlier, where we're the, the wave is cresting. And, and so I see a lot of software companies out there, like stock fast way. I say a lot, but a few that have, that are building these products very, very excited for the industry's future.
Speaker 1:What do you think is going to be the tipping point? What do you think, when is that like, way of going to crest? What's going to be the thing that pushes it over the edge.
Speaker 2:Um, you know, how do you, how do you describe that? I think it has to, it's like a brush fire, you know, it starts small, and then it spreads very quickly when the wind picks up. Right. So it has to be, companies have to be willing to understand the inefficiencies that they're trapped in first, but they don't look at that on a daily basis. Some folks are just trying to get through a day. Some folks are just trying to look at the numbers and make sure everything's in line. They get the information they want, but they don't understand what that information is costing them. Right. So it's just a D D do you want to, where, um, do you want to wear weights around your feet and walk around all day? Or do you want to free yourself up and take a little of that off and be a little freer? It's, it's all about the technology and what is that? What is the use of that legacy system costing you from an efficiency perspective? Now, here at Fastway, we can walk through that with you, right? So we do a good job of understanding what it is. I'll tell you this, this goes back to what you were talking about earlier, you know, when you have all of these different components, so you have a core system, right? But then you have two, three, maybe four or five other components that you've had to bolt on, maybe even a reporting system, right? So you want a comprehensive reporting system that gives you dashboarding and all this wonderful information, the costs that are involved in that. And then the upkeep to just get that kind of information is pretty amazing how much you can spend to, to create that kind of environment in a legacy platform, uh, you know, with, with Microsoft as your, you know, we're power BI experts. I mean, we charts and graphs and, and, and dynamic information delivered in a dynamic view is something that's, you know, we, that stuff for breakfast. So it's just part of the evolution of the technology. And there is a cost benefit to that. There's a cost benefit to get that information at your fingertips, because it's more economical than bolting it on to another platform.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And the barrier to entry is really different as well. You know, when you think about an integration into something that you're already using and leveraging and tying those together, the barrier to entry of getting all that data connected is fairly low, but when you need to be bolting things on and hiring additional people and spending a lot of dollars to get that capability, the barrier to entry is really high, and it can kind of weed some people out from having the data and insights and the valuable tools that they need to really effectively manage their business, simply because they can't afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on putting this throughout their system.
Speaker 2:But going back to what you were saying, that's the problem we need. These technologies like mean these kinds of reporting systems. We don't need, you know, like the, the, the, the dot matrix reports. We, we don't need the canned reports. We need information at our fingertips. You know, we need information here in our hand, we need, we need, we need to know, you know, how many 50 sevens did I ship out of Cory, number 26 today? You know, what did I, because I'm concerned about that Corey, and I'm keeping my eye on it, you know, do you have to go drill a report at the end of the day, or maybe you have to VPN into a server or whatever that, that goes back to the brush fire. The reason that we're not going anywhere is because number one only a handful of, of, of, of, uh, producers and our, in our industry are actually using those systems on their legacy platforms. And I'm truly say a handful, uh, you know, because it is such a heavy lift to get it in there not only financially, but, you know, to maintain it and, and to become an expert of use. So that's, what's holding us back. The technology itself is holding us back. So once the technology hits that threshold where people say, okay, you know, we need to true. And I think it is happening now is, I mean, I I'm, I'm, I'm a part of it. So we're having these conversations where, you know, people are looking, looking for what's out there, but this is how we get the word out. Right. We do podcasts, we talk about it. Um, we try to help people understand that things are changing on the landscape. Uh, I recently, uh, was engaged with a customer where we sold a cloud application fast way in ACORE, but they were adding ready-mix to their business. So, you know, they come to me for that recommendation. So that's also, you know, I'm not going to recommend a legacy system. So, you know, when you see those types of technical partnerships that we're engaged with on the ready-mix side, it's important that they can work with us in the same respect. There are so many things that can happen with this new technology set with regards to the movement of data, uh, optimization, you know, optimizing the movement of, of the trucks. Also, you know, what about replenishment? What about the ability to know that I have this ready-mix plant, this ready-mix plant and this ready-mix plant, and now these two software are, are, are tied together so that I know over a fast way that I need to fulfill that load by X, you know, 10, 10:00 AM, so that they have enough material to get through the next few hours of their day. These are all the questions that we struggle with because we don't know the answers. We're always making phone calls. We're always texting, and these technologies are going to change the industry. They're going to completely rewrite it.
Speaker 1:I totally agree. And I don't think that it's, I don't think it's that far off. And I think that not only is the technology pushing it forward, the inefficiencies are pushing it forward. The frustration is pushing it forward. And then when you think about things, even from the outside, like the ticketing stuff that's been talked about in the news cycle, it's little things like that that are going to chip away at things, and people are going to be, it's a huge thing. And I think it's
Speaker 2:Right, and
Speaker 1:Nobody knows what to do with it. And nobody knows how. And I think it's things like that that are starting to be talked about in a real way. And people are actually really trying to find solid solutions that can be utilized in a day to day, you know, in a day-to-day life in a real way, not just hypothetical. Those are the things that are going to start pushing this conversation even further.
Speaker 2:It's an evolutionary thing. The sea ticket thing that, to me, it's a two-phase, uh, situation. Uh, the first phase is understanding that eat ticketing, think about it. These systems, these electronic systems have been out since windows 95, right? They, we have an E ticket already, right? Like we already have an electronic ticket, but we print it. Oh, well, but we need to be able to put that into the marketplace and do something with it. Well, why can't we? Well, the reason that you can is because you need another piece of technology to go into the database and grab that electronic ticket and actually make it feasible for use in today's world. See, that's what, that's why Fastway is so different. Because fast way, I actually say this a lot fast way. Was he ticketing passway, was he taking it was cool before he ticketing was cool. And it's like, the ticket's already there. It's already distributed, distributed in the field by the Fastway system to two approaches. The customer needs the ticket. So if I have a relationship with a trucking company or a third-party company, they need to be able to log into my web portal or my system to get that ticket. Why do I need to go chase tickets down and, and, and, and try to scan them and email. And those days are over with our system. You know, the customer simply has access to them. Like our, our client would just give their customer access to our web portal. And now they have access to every ticket they've ever did ever done. So, uh, eat ticketing is, um, that's the first phase. Can we get there? It's already built into fast way. We've been doing it since we released this product five years ago, but then the next phase is, can we actually put that eat ticket in the field? You know, can we actually digitize it and, and, and move completely away from paper? Well, you can, with fast way, I can ask this question almost in every demo. Well, what do you think, do you think it's achievable? Absolutely. I do. Are you willing to make, are you willing to be the change agent that makes that happen within your industry? There's another brush fire, right? So the DLTs are requesting it. Um, we're not seeing a lot of movement there. I believe Washington state was making a requirement of it. Uh, they were the first ones to legislate, uh, to actually make it mandatory. Um, and, and, and we're doing business up there in the ticket market, but it's interesting, it's it kind of, it, it launched and now it's died off. Um, it's going to take, what it's going to take is it's going to take someone regionally, you know, or even a small producer to say, I'm done with paper. This is the way we're going. And I think, I think the big challenge there is the driver at the end of the day. So, you know, the drivers are catching up with technology. They're getting there, you got the guys with the flip phones in the past that said, I'll never use one of those smartphones that are using smartphones today. So it's just a matter of time. We'll, we'll get there.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And I think that the tide is changing there as well. And, you know, I think more and more people are mandating the technology, which is, is forcing the hand. Um, but it's actually having some good benefits, I think for drivers as well. You know, I I've talked with a couple of customers that are basically, you know, we've got our guys they're, they're punching in, they're punching out digitally. They feel good about that. They love it. They're maybe younger. They feel more comfortable with that type of technology. And then some of the people that have been doing this for so long are like, yeah, I'll do that. I will punch in and out digitally, but I'm also going to keep my paper record that I would like for you to take a look at it at the end of the week or at the end of the month. And, and slowly, I think things are starting to shift there and
Speaker 2:You know, where those tickets end up though. They always, it's always a phone call. They end up in the, in the bottom of the cab or in the back of somebody's truck. At the end of the day, they blow out the window. They never have a mall. There's only a few guys that are maybe organized with fast way. So if you didn't know this, we actually have an app that the drivers can use. Yep. Every time they go across the scale, they have a full transactional record of every ticket they've ever done. That's perfect. No coffee
Speaker 1:Stains on it, didn't fly out the window.
Speaker 2:Exactly. And, and some of them, you know, in those fast way environments, they do ditch the paper, right. Because they depend on it. Um, they could go back a year and look at the tickets they did on a particular day, a year ago, if they wanted to. And it creates transparency, which is important. I think that's the way you bridge the gap to the driver, you know, on the electronic ticket side, it really does create layers of transparency and trust.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. And I think when there are disputes that come up or questions that are asked, having that data to refer back to it just, it makes the process so much easier. You know, these people have built relationships over the course of decades and being able to have positive and have data to back up what's going on really, really can help preserve those relationships for years to come too, with that, with a little less confrontation, maybe. Yep. Awesome. Well, I'm so glad that we were able to connect with you. I know we've kind of run over a little bit on time, but there's, there's a couple of questions we're asking all of our guests this season that I'd love to get your 2 cents on. So I'll run through those really quickly with you. And then I'll let you get back to your busy day. Um, is there somebody in the industry that's really been a mentor to you? I know you've said that you've been in the industry for quite a while. Is there someone that's helped you along the way?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I absolutely. Um, my, my first sales mentor was a guy named Don Janney. Uh, Don was a career ready mix, dispatch manager who moved into the software business with al-khan corporation. And, uh, I, I, Don was an amazing guy. I, I think that he really, um, he helped me, he helped me understand the industry. He helped me understand the challenges. And then I had the privilege of blowing him away a few times. So, um, you know, there's another guy though. His name is Tom whence. He's not from our industry, but he is a, uh, he's a sales trainer, so to speak, he has a simulation that he does for salespeople. Um, but it's, he taught me, he taught me, it's not about selling it's about trust. Um, it's about counseling and understanding and asking questions. And so nobody likes to be sold. Right. So it's really about understanding and asking questions and, and, and trying to help. Yeah. I love that.
Speaker 1:Um, what's, what's keeping you in the construction industry. You've been in it for a while. What keeps
Speaker 2:You here? I had, I have a degree in hospital administration, you know, go figure. So I've been in this industry. I, I joined it in 1996 with a company called Anne Kim chemicals. Uh, I have I've, I've always stayed in this industry. Uh, when I left my, my career and my, you know, over at command, al-khan, I, I, I found my way to tremble. Eventually found my way to cortex. I worked for hot systems for a couple of years. Um, great folks out of, uh, Quebec. And, um, I've always strive to stay in this industry. You know, you make friends here, you, you, you make friends here, this industry, there's nothing like this industry. People say that all the time, they say that all the time, but the people are so genuine. They are so down to earth. And, uh, it's just a pleasure to do business in this industry. I completely
Speaker 1:Agree. I completely agree. Um, what's the one piece of technology that you could not do your job without?
Speaker 2:Uh, probably this, um, one piece of technology. I couldn't do my job without, it would have to be my laptop. It would have to be my laptop because, you know, that's where we w we make it all happen. Uh, uh, is it within the CRM or whether it's, uh, you know, doing the demo or even right now on this zoom call. Right. So, uh, I would be lost without my laptop. I love my laptop. I it's my first Microsoft surface laptop and, uh, things awesome. My husband
Speaker 1:Just bought one. He's got a couple of conventions he's going to later on in the year, fingers crossed. And he was like, I I'm excited to use it. So I'll have to let them know you like yours. Awesome. And then finally, if there was one portion of your job that you could automate, what would that be?
Speaker 2:One portion of my job that I could automate. Can you, can you, can you automate my travel? That is one of the most
Speaker 1:Popular answers we've gotten this season, so you are not alone. You're in good company.
Speaker 2:I'm not a, I'm not a million mile, my million miler yet, but I'm close. And, uh, you know, it's, it's, I think it's harder than ever to travel
Speaker 1:Agreed for you. Is it more the like logistics of getting from one place to the other that's the trouble or like having to be on the road?
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, it's, uh, traveling is, you know, it used to be enjoyable. I'll be honest with you. Uh, used to enjoy it. I used to love to go on the road. It's really not one of my favorite things, but once you're there, once you're, once you're actually engaged in the field where you want to go, it's, uh, it's worth it. Awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, we love that. We thank you for joining us today. It's been a pleasure chatting with you and, uh, we're. Yeah, of course, we're really looking forward to seeing more and more from tech insight and from fast way. So we'll be keeping in touch with you over the course of time. And, uh, we just really appreciate you coming on board today.
Speaker 2:Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate you guys. Awesome. Thank you. Bye. What
Speaker 1:A pleasure. It was talking with clay today. It's really interesting to see the way the industry is evolving its views on technology, but also how technology is changing as it becomes more and more clear what the industry really needs, whether that's integrations that allow multiple pieces of software or technology to operate in tandem or it's reporting that helps you run your business more efficiently. Technology is quickly adapting and getting more and more focused on the real needs of the end users. A transformation that will surely benefit the entire industry. If you'd like more information about fast way or tech insight, you can head over to their website at TAC insight dot that's T a C insight.com. And if you liked what you heard today, please be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. This is your host Elizabeth signing off until next week.
Speaker 3:[inaudible].