[faqs]

Frequently Asked Questions

Owners and Executives

How is IVO Systems an upgrade over Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

Excel and similar platforms like Google Sheets are often used as tools used to manage schedules, employees, equipment, and more for any construction team. These tools are meant to reduce complications and increase organization, but often do not work as easily as hoped. These tools are based on user input and bound for errors, as creating formulas for organizing data is often more complex than anticipated. Information is not in real time, meaning important decisions may be made without the most up to date information. IVO Systems software is built to understand the intricate dynamics of a workforce and ensure that information is always accurate and up-to-date. Using IVO Systems saves time- with minimal risk of error, there is more time to focus on what’s next, instead of trying to figure out where you went wrong. Plus, a historical record of all data is automatically saved, meaning information from the past can easily be reviewed and used to make future decisions.

Does my company need experience working with software to use IVO Systems?

Even if your company has no experience, using IVO Systems is easy to understand and implement, and we are here to help every step of the way. With our combined heavy civil industry experience, we have created IVO Systems to translate what your needs are into a sole source of truth, and not having experience with software is not an issue for any users.

Do employees need separate licenses to operate the software at additional cost?

No, you can choose which employees, and even outside contractors have access to certain features in the software. It is completely tailored to your company with customizable permissions based on each users' credentials. There is no added cost for additional users or outside contractors.

Equipment Managers

Can I track Preventative Maintenance and Work Orders with IVO Systems?

We personally know how incredibly frustrating it is to track and schedule preventative maintenance on your equipment. With IVO Systems and MaintainVO, it doesn’t have to be. You can easily create automated preventative maintenance schedules and alerts based on hour meters and date/duration. Additionally, you can create work orders and set up email or text notifications to responsible parties of upcoming preventative maintenance work. Then when the work is done, the equipment work order history is updated, increasing the value of your fleet.

Can IVO Systems help reduce Idle Cost?

Idle time can be difficult to curb. All machines will have idle time and sometimes high idle percentages are necessary depending on the work performed. Receiving daily automated idle reports with TelematicsVO, an extension of TrackVO, helps management see the root cause of idle time because you know what, when, and where the machine was operated. This process improves project/operator accountability across the company.

Can I still collect hour meters if my systems are entirely manual?

Yes, our platform allows you to easily enter and manage equipment hour meters. Our system allows users to enter hour meters basically anywhere a piece of equipment is listed in any module of IVO Systems, because we know how important it is.

Schedulers and Dispatchers

How does employee scheduling work with IVO Systems?

With ScheduleVO, you can build schedules in a classic magnet board view for your employees and add crew and individual notes. Easily filter and search employees to schedule by trade or company division. IVO Systems also allows you to spot unassigned and double-scheduled employees to improve utilization. You can then instantly send text or email notifications to the crew members when things are finalized and/or updates need to be sent.

How does IVO Systems help manage equipment moves?

With DispatchVO, an extension of TrackVO, you can create, manage, and assign digital dispatch tickets to your truck drivers and third-parties from any device. DispatchVO simplifies the process by allowing you to easily relay information to and from the field via email/text message. You can also schedule your equipment moves in advance and allow others to add notes and attachments to move requests. Finally, drivers can quickly check off moves from their phones and even add meter readings directly from their dispatch dashboard view.

Integrations

Can I integrate my existing Telematics/GPS equipment with IVO Systems?

Our system integrates with telematics that report on the latest AEMP/ISO standards including Caterpillar, John Deere, Komatsu, Volvo, Hitachi, and others. This is done in our TelematicsVO module, an extension of TrackVO. We also work with Samsara, Geotab, Verizon, and any other third party telematics providers with open APIs. No more logging into multiple websites, get all your data in one place.

Note: You can also manage your non-GPS equipment in the system.

Can I integrate my existing ERP/Accounting and Project Management software with IVO Systems?

Yes, IVO Systems has integrations available for most accounting/ERP and project management systems in use by construction companies worldwide.

Accounting integrations with Sage, Intact, Spectrum, Vista, Foundation, Quickbooks, CMiC, and more.

Project management integrations with Procore, Fieldwire, InEight, HCSS, and more.

Implementation

How does Implementation and Training work?

During the implementation process, you send us your spreadsheets and we will set up meetings to review that information. We’ll use our industry specific experience to make sure we import your data correctly into IVO Systems to work for you now and in the future. Since our software is customizable to each user’s login credentials, you can limit what features people have access to and only train people on one or two facets of the software that they need to use. This speeds up the training process and makes implementation very simple.

How long after purchasing is the software implemented and usable?

The process is fast and can sometimes be done in just days or weeks depending on the scale of the company and both parties’ availability. You are our top priority and fast implementation is a part of that. To start, we will set up a kickoff meeting to go over the process including your plans and expectations.

What experiences have other customers had after implementation?

According to valued customer and equipment manager C.W. Kick from Midwest Mole, “[The process] is super simple. You know, I’ve had the benefit of kind of pregaming some of it with IVO Systems and a little bit before we got to it. But it’s really easy. IVOs been really great to work with and made it pretty easy to import equipment. And then then been there to answer questions on the way.”  

C.W. also got into why he chose IVO over other competitors, "I think the biggest reason is just the simplicity, kind of always have a joke when it comes to some of this technology and stuff. And I like to keep things sometimes caveman simple. And I think that’s the biggest key, it’s intuitive, and a lot of things are really simple to navigate through, which the easier the process is, the better the results.”

Pricing

What kind of pricing does IVO Systems offer?

We were frustrated with high upfront fees and user/seat-based pricing from other software companies serving heavy civil construction, so we set out to do things differently. You simply pay one yearly subscription fee for company-wide access to our software. If you purchase the entire IVO Systems platform, costs range from $4,500 - $50,000+ per year depending on company size and requirements. Customized pricing is provided upon completion of a software demo.

How long are contracts with IVO Systems?

At a minimum, we do one-year contracts with new customers who want to use our software. We want to provide our operational software for your company and give adequate time to use it and understand how it works.

Do I have to buy all the modules together in a package?

You do not need to buy every single module as we understand that every company's needs are different from each other. However, we do recommend buying all modules as they are created to work with each other seamlessly to create an optimized operations experience.

What is the refund policy on IVO Systems software?

Per company policy, there are no refunds on software purchases. We provide a robust  discovery and demo process. Therefore, before you move forward, all parties fully understand that IVO Systems will work for them.

About IVO

What is IVO Systems?

IVO Systems is an easy-to-use and reliable construction operations software to streamline businesses locally, nationally, and worldwide. With prior experience in the industry, our co-founders Eric Christensen and Bob Lien set out to build the software they wish they had while they were still working in the field. IVO Systems includes nine modules with five others on the way. The system includes features such as equipment track/dispatching, aggregating telematics data, preventative maintenance and work order management, employee scheduling, custom equipment inspection forms, utility locates, and much more.

Does IVO Systems offer a demo? What does it include?

Yes, we offer a demo in which you will learn the following:

1. We will ask a lot of questions about your existing systems and processes to understand your issues and goals.

2. If you are not a good fit, we will be entirely up front and do our best to recommend another solution that will work for you.

3. If you are a good fit, we will provide a software demo customized to your needs and answer any questions you may have.

4. We always recommend contractors research and investigate other options in the market and we are happy to candidly discuss pros and cons of each.

Does IVO Systems have Estimating or Accounting software?

No. At IVO Systems, we understand the need for Estimating and Accounting software, but we also understand how different they are from what we do. Estimators and Accountants have different needs, which is why we created IVO Systems to be operations first software.

Does IVO Systems have Estimating or Accounting software?

No. At IVO Systems, we understand the need for Estimating and Accounting software, but we also understand how different they are from what we do. Estimators and Accountants have different needs, which is why we created IVO Systems to be operations first software.

What makes IVO Systems a unique solution?

We created our software to be as simple and as user friendly as possible, and that is what makes our software special. Eric and Bob’s experience in the construction industry running operations and managing equipment has given us the knowledge to know what is necessary for our software, to effectively meet our client's needs. Specifically, our software developers have construction industry experience. We are construction industry professionals who were disappointed with the previous market offerings and built what we wish we had. We provide the sole source of truth that aggregates all your information and keeps it up to date, allowing for easy and informed decision making.

How is IVO Systems different from HCSS, B2W, or other construction software?

We could write an entire blog post on the difference between IVO Systems and our competitors, but the three main points are:

1. IVO Systems provides company wide access, not seat based licensing.

2. IVO Systems does not charge large upfront fees, only yearly subscription fees and a reasonable one-time implementation and training fee.

3. We created our system to be very easy-to-use taking into account how field employees use (or don't use) software.

What is IVO Systems' customer support like?

IVO Systems' programs are so simple and easy-to-use that after implementation, you are not likely to need much assistance on any technical issues. For example, after implementation, one of our $150M a year contractor customer has only called for support a handful of times. In the rare case that you do need to contact us, we are available whenever and are here to help in any way possible whether you call, text, or email at any time.

What events will IVO Systems be at 2023-2024?

CFMA - Annual Conference (July 2023, Colorado) 

Associated General Contractors of America - IT Conference (August 2023, Chicago) 

The Utility Expo - BOOTH S3904 (September 2023, Louisville) 

AGC / CFMA - Construction Financial Management Conference (October 2023, Las Vegas) 

NUCA: National Utility Contractors Association - BOOTH 408 Fall Convention (October 2023, Naples) 

Associated General Contractors of America - Highway, Transportation & Utility Infrastructure Conference (November 2023, Arizona) 

World of Concrete - BOOTH N1071 (January 2024, Las Vegas) 

Associated General Contractors of America - Annual Convention (March 2024, San Diego) 

National Demolition Association - Expo (March 2024, San Antonio) 

World of Asphalt (March 2024, Nashville) 

Is IVO Systems Hiring?

IVO Systems is always looking for talented, self-driven, and goal-oriented employees looking to make a difference. Job postings can be found under the Careers tab along with other 3rd party hiring platforms such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Handshake.

What accolades and venture backing has IVO Systems received?

IVO Systems was one of over 200 applicants in four categories in the 2020 WI Governor’s Business Plan Contest. We placed 2nd in our first year applying to the contest in the most competitive division of Information Technology.

IVO Systems is backed by TitletownTech, a venture capital firm formed out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft. TitletownTech specifically invests in construction tech and helps companies scale to solve meaningful problems in the industry.

Where are IVO Systems' offices located?

Our headquarters are located in Wisconsin, but we serve companies both nationally and internationally. All of our staff, including developers, are employed directly by IVO Systems and based in the United States.

Data and Privacy

How do I ensure my data is secured and backed up by IVO Systems?

We host IVO Systems on Microsoft Azure cloud, which automatically stores and constantly backs up all your data. We also provide industry standard security features to protect your data.

What is IVO Systems' Privacy Policy?

IVO’s privacy policy can be found here