A knowledgeable Norco field technician talks telemetry 

The following is an interview with Norco technician, Frank Thomas.

When did you get started installing Pulsa telemetry?

About two years ago. Enough time for me to do over 300 units so far. We have over 700 accounts.

What kinds of businesses are you connecting with Pulsa?

The majority are definitely C02 for customers like McDonald’s, and Jacksons. (Editorial Note: Jacksons is a chain of over 300 Chevron, Shell, and Texaco-branded convenience stores in seven western states). We do Burger Kings, we do industrial, and we've got pools as well. I have a few breweries with some really big bulk tanks and some welding and stuff, but the majority are restaurants and convenience stores.

Do you always recommend telemetry to your customers?

For me to service them better, it’s not really a choice. On our tanks, we automatically work it in together on the cost of the tank. The customer doesn’t think of it as a line-item separation.

How do you get buy-in from restaurant owners?

My pitch to one recent restaurant was “Listen, we're going to put you on Pulsa and you’ll see how hands-off it can be”. In a lot of restaurants, there’ll be at least one tank on a scale. Once that scale shows empty, we know it switches over due to the manifold. The owner heard that and said, “I don't care what it costs, just do it”. They asked if this meant they didn't have to touch anything and I said, “No, you don't have to touch it at all”. That'll alleviate it not getting changed when it needs to or one of your guys using the wrong wrench to strip out the nut on it, or having the gasket drop out, so you don't have a good seal. You know, or all the above. The telemetry just eliminates most of the nonsense.

What’s it been like to work with the Pulsa team?

It’s been amazing and I can't say that enough. I can call them and they answer the phone and get things done. It's been great to work with a company that just is truly trying to help you out and makes you feel like you're important to them.

Can you give an example?

We had a vendor that changed over its tanks, they went to the compression fittings on the pressure content gauge, and so that presented a new challenge of how am I going to put this differential in there and how am I going to plumb it in? Within 48 hours, me and my boss figured out what fittings we needed and what we were going to do. I called up Pulsa that day and they said, “It’s funny you called on this. We just had a meeting about it and we’re going to make a kit”. All those other guys out there have solutions to things that you’ve already figured out. Because it’s not always about reinventing the wheel, it’s about knowing how it rolls and making it roll better.

I called up Pulsa that day and they said, “It’s funny you called on this. We just had a meeting about it and we’re going to make a kit”.   .   .  it’s not always about reinventing the wheel, it’s about knowing how it rolls and making it roll better.

Have you been using the Notes & Images feature?

I started taking pictures, putting a title on to where it's at, say it's a Carl's Jr. or something, and that there’s a 400 on there. So I’ve now started to get a library up and I'm going to start applying that and then adding notes. It seems like when I turn around, there's always more to it now and more that they've added to the platform. I think all the features they have are just amazing, and it’s just gotten better and better.

Do you find that customers want to see their data?

I find that McDonald’s does, and there are a couple of others, like our YMCAs, they’ve got four locations, and their maintenance guys want to see it. We haven't pushed it to have that available, but it is something I want to put out there, so they have that.

Any words about Pulsa customer service?

I go mostly to places that get product from us, so I'll usually only eat at certain establishments. And I try to always go local first, and the same at the gas station. I always fill up at Jacksons. I'm pretty loyal to stuff like that. And so when I look at a customer, say, McDonald's or Jacksons -- that's a lot of accounts. I look at every one of them as having put food on my table by giving me a job. So I make sure I try to treat each one right, whether there are just a couple of stops or if there are 100 stops. And they feel like, “Oh, he's here to help me”. It feels the same way with Pulsa, they’re a very customer-focused company. I wish there were more like them.

Learn more: Why Pulsa is Norco's preferred telemetry provider.