Hauler Hero

2024

Hauler hero

Account & Suspension groups

Our account group system has transformed waste management operations by automating key tasks and improved efficiency for companies of all sizes, earning widespread praise throughout the industry, reducing processing time by ~60%.

Reactions

“The suspension groups!!!! What an amazing tool! I freaking love you guys!” - Wendy W. | Wallace refuse

"Now with all of the groups... being able to see everything based on the aging. GAME CHANGER!" - Jessica | Grogan Disposal

"Coming recently from Routeware... this is a capability that they can only dream of!" - Park G. | Account exec

“I just wanted to say thank you for adding the improvements and coming soon pop ups to Hauler Hero. Love the recently viewed option! Kudos to you all for rocking it!!!!” - Shannon M. | Davis Disposal

Results

Industry-Leading Innovation: Pioneered cutting-edge grouping and automation features specifically designed for waste management
Time Efficiency: Slashed account management time by 60% through innovative bulk operations and smart automation
Enhanced Customer Insights: Revolutionized account oversight with powerful filtering, sorting, and strategic grouping tools
Streamlined Operations: Transformed workflow efficiency with advanced account hierarchies and aging management system

Backdrop

Customers struggled with inefficient CRM workflows and disconnected experiences that made bulk operations for customer accounts impossible.

Many relied on messy Excel-based workarounds and frequently submitted data requests for bulk actions, creating a significant burden on our engineering team.

The system's poor tracking capabilities and limited visibility into customer account status led to mounting challenges.

As we scaled, the high volume of customer requests for bulk operations began overwhelming both our support and engineering teams.

We needed to develop a comprehensive account management system that could handle bulk operations efficiently, provide clear visibility into account statuses, and automate routine tasks - all while maintaining system performance and reliability at scale.

The solution had to address both immediate operational bottlenecks and provide a foundation for future growth.
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Challenges

Process Automation: Streamlining bulk operations for autopay tracking, late fees, and holds across multiple accounts
User Experience: Creating intuitive filtering and sorting with clear visibility of account statuses
Performance: Optimizing speed for bulk operations across large customer bases
‍Communication: Enabling efficient bulk management of invoices, portal invitations, and customer notifications‍
Seasonal Management: Creating flexibility for seasonal customers

Execution

Reusable Architecture: Built on existing payment infrastructure for seamless user experience
Automated Workflows: Streamlined aging and suspension process workflows to reduce manual work
Enhanced Visibility: Integrated dashboard metrics and status indicators for better oversight within groups
‍Search & Navigation: Improved account discovery with advanced filtering and quick-access navigation tabs‍
Bulk Operations: Simplified workflows for Portal invitations and Account grouping and aging management of invoices

Wins

‍Customer Impact: Achieved ~60% reduction in account management time through streamlined bulk operations and automated workflows‍
Technical Innovation: Successfully built an intuitive grouping system that integrates seamlessly with existing payment infrastructure
Industry Leadership: Set new standards for CRM functionality, earning praise from customers transitioning from competitor systems

Learnings

Feature Scope: Made strategic decisions to focus on essential functionality first, enabling faster delivery of core features while planning future enhancements
Resource Balance: Development capacity constraints led to prioritizing core functionality over enhanced filtering and sorting capabilities

2024

Hauler hero

Real-time Waste Route Management

A transformation of routing capabilities that turned 4-hour planning sessions into 15-minute tasks. This innovative system combines visual route planning and real-time tracking, helping waste companies optimize thousands of stops while keeping all stakeholders synchronized.

Reactions

“Our last software, to sequence a route and put it back in would take me almost half a day. This workflow is more efficient and it's made my life a lot easier.” - Justin C. | Major Waste

“Awesome Feature! Very helpful when honing in the routes” - Thomas | Greenleaf Recycling

“FANTASTIC!” - Danny | Trigg Trash

“Outstanding job, Team!! This is so money! I’ve practiced it a few times and am ready to demo it on my next sales call.” - Clint S. - Head of Sales

“This is awesome! I would argue this is one of, if not THE most badass feature we have now!” - Abbey A. - CS specialist

Results

Performance: ~75% faster route planning - tasks that took half a day now take minutes to complete
Key Benefits: Real-time tracking, bulk stop management, improved team communication, and route optimization enhance driver productivity and route efficiency
Customer Satisfaction: Widespread positive feedback from customers across different roles - from operations managers to dispatchers - highlighting improved efficiency and ease of use

Backdrop

The existing route manager struggled with several critical challenges that impacted waste management operations.

Route planning was extremely time-consuming, with dispatchers spending multiple hours manually sequencing hundreds of stops per route.

The system lacked the ability to view both map and list views simultaneously, making it difficult for dispatchers to efficiently plan and modify routes.

Real-time route adjustments were cumbersome, especially when responding to unexpected situations like driver overtime or the need for backup support.

These technical limitations created significant bottlenecks in daily operations, reducing team productivity and making it harder to respond to changing conditions in the field.
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Challenges

Visual Interface: Developed combined map and list views to address dispatcher feedback about needing both views for efficient route planning
Bulk Management Tools: Created intuitive drag-and-drop functionality and map-based bulk selection capabilities to handle routes with 300-500+ stops efficiently and visually
Real-time Optimization: Implemented tools for quick route modifications to handle urgent route changes without effecting the primary route sequence‍
Real-time Driver Locations: Enhanced fleet visibility through real-time tracking, enabling route monitoring and optimization‍
Route Sequencing: Streamlined the route planning and sequencing process, cutting route planning time from half a day down to minutes

Execution

Visual Interface: Developed combined map and list views to address dispatcher feedback about needing both views for efficient route planning
Bulk Management Tools: Created intuitive drag-and-drop functionality and map-based bulk selection capabilities to handle routes with 300-500+ stops efficiently and visually
Real-time Optimization: Implemented tools for quick route modifications to handle urgent route changes without effecting the primary route sequence‍
Real-time Driver Locations: Enhanced fleet visibility through real-time tracking, enabling route monitoring and optimization‍
Route Sequencing: Streamlined the route planning and sequencing process, cutting route planning time from half a day down to minutes

Release highlights

Features

Jun 21,2023 - Route status update
Jun 28, 2023 - Action colors have been updated
Aug 14, 2023 - Unassigned Bulk Move
Oct 27, 2023 - Enhanced route information
Nov 08, 2023 - Route from Customer's profile
Nov 22, 2023 - Update Route / Sequence - Customer profile
Dec 12, 2023 - Improved Map View on Route Manager
Dec 18, 2023 - Route Unassigned stops from Map
Jan 09, 2024 - New Bulk Route Move
Jan 23, 2024 - Driver Path - Updates in Real Time
Feb 22, 2024 - Change Route Sequence (with map)
Feb 23, 2024 - Permanently Change Recurring Day from Route Manager
May 03, 2024 - View Stop Completion Date / Time

Wins

‍Dramatic Efficiency Gains: Reduced route planning for dispatchers from half a day to minutes‍
Widespread Adoption & Enthusiasm: Widespread positive feedback from operations, sales, and customer service teams‍
Revenue Growth: The feature set was quickly mastered by the sales team, who could effectively demo it within hours of practice—delivering immediate value to our sales pipeline

Learnings

Scope limitations: While feedback was overwhelmingly positive, we released a minimum viable product, with additional routing features still planned for future development
Technical constraints: Mapbox dependencies created some limitations in visual capabilities
Legacy code: The need to maintain the old system while building new features slowed down development velocity

2023

Hauler hero

Invoice & Payment groups

Streamlined waste management billing with a unified system that reduced billing cycles from 8 to 2-3 hours. Integration of invoice management, automated payments, and real-time analytics delivered 70% efficiency gains and reduced costs through paperless billing. Users reported significant improvements in workflow efficiency and payment tracking.

Reactions

“With the billing cycle, it's quick, we were done by 1030 Monday morning and no joke, before Hauler Hero it was an 8 hour process from start to end.” - Jessica S. | Grogan Disposal

“That’s awesome. Holy f*^k. I like that. Holy moly. That’s like a game changer” - Serena | WPH

“Our billing invoices have improved tremendously from the beginning…our postage cost has decreased tremendously from when we first started printing invoices…The automation of customers paying bills within the system is awesome. “ - Jackie | Davis Disposal

“In the beginning, I was nervous about the system because obviously, I didn’t know it very well, but this is really good…Obviously, the way I was doing it before was so time consuming. This is like, whoa, I have more time. So now I can do what?” - Nicole T | Lake Area Waste

Results

Time Savings & Efficiency: Reduced average billing cycle time from 8 hours to 2-3 hours
Operational Excellence: Streamlined batch management, automated payment processing, reduced postage costs
User Success: Significant positive feedback on efficiency and ease of use

Waste management companies struggled with fragmented billing systems that separated customer data, invoicing, and payments across multiple platforms.

Time-consuming billing cycles required full workdays to complete, data entry errors occurred from manual transfers between systems, payment tracking was complex across multiple portals, and record consistency suffered due to scattered documentation.

This fragmentation particularly affected larger operations, where billing teams struggled to maintain accuracy and timeliness. The result was reduced operational efficiency, delayed cash flow, and decreased customer satisfaction.

To address these challenges, we developed a unified platform with group-based invoice and payment management, automated email delivery with tracking, and comprehensive analytics.

The system streamlined operations through CardPointe integration for automated payment processing, while providing real-time insights into payment patterns and billing efficiency through a centralized dashboard.

Challenges

Integration Issues: Customers struggled with integrating payment data from multiple systems
Time Drain: Billing teams spent excessive time on manual data entry and verification
Data Redundancy: Legacy systems required maintaining duplicate records across platforms‍
Cost Inefficiency: Print-based billing created high operational costs and delays‍
Limited Visibility: Teams lacked real-time visibility into billing and payment status‍
Error Risk: Manual reconciliation processes were error-prone and time-consuming

Execution

System Architecture: Built unified platform with batch processing, custom grouping, and smart sorting for efficient invoice/payment management
Analytics & Reporting: Created real-time dashboard for payment status, aging analysis, and financial metrics
Payment Integration: Integrated CardPointe for automated payment processing, reconciliation, and tracking
Workflow Optimization: Implemented separate email and print billing workflows

Wins

‍Efficiency Gains: Cut processing from 8 hours to 2-3 hours per cycle (70% improvement), automated data entry, consolidated payment systems, and reduced printing costs‍
Enhanced Reporting: Implemented real-time payment visibility, financial metrics tracking, and streamlined reconciliation process
Customer Experience: Delivered simplified payment processes, faster invoice delivery, and improved tracking transparency

Learnings

Integration Challenges: More complex system integration than anticipated, requiring extensive customer training and support. Initial deployment faced data migration hurdles.
Learning Curve: Users needed more time than expected to adapt to the new workflow, particularly with batch processing features.
Scope cut: Advanced filtering and sorting capabilities remain unimplemented, which would provide significant value to customers

2023

Hauler hero

Remote-first feedback loops

Implemented structured remote-first feedback loops that reduced iteration cycles from monthly to weekly while creating an inclusive, transparent feedback culture across distributed teams.

Reactions

“We should all be proud of what we’ve done with Hauler Hero this past year. UX has made amazing progress!..Kudos to everyone! - Christian N. | Principal Engineer

"So far all of the updates that have been rolling out have been great." - Ryan D.

Results

Performance Metrics: Accelerated iteration cycles from months to weeks
Key Benefits: Enhanced cross-team alignment, faster insight-to-action time, improved operational efficiency
Customer Satisfaction: Created more collaborative team environment with user needs as north star

Traditional feedback mechanisms for communication are inadequate in a fast-paced distributed work environments, leading to siloed communication between teams and delayed product development cycles that impacted feature delivery and team morale.

To address these challenges, I implemented a remote-first feedback system that enables effective asynchronous communication through an integrated Slack-based tech stack, automating feedback collection to identify patterns and guide priorities.
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Challenges

Time Zone Management: Coordinating across different time zones and locations
Team Alignment: Maintaining team alignment in distributed environment
User Focus: Ensuring user experience remained central to all decision-making‍
Communication: Breaking down communication silos

Execution

System & service Design: Established multi-channel feedback systems combining sync/async communication
Process & Analysis: Implemented structured feedback collection and analysis processes
Training & Documentation: Trained organization on feedback tracking best practices
Leading by example: Guided teams to optimal outcomes while maintaining motivation and focus

2023

Hauler hero

Culture foundations

Worked to transform team culture by establishing psychological safety and shared values, leading to improved team productivity, enhanced collaboration, and sustained employee engagement during a period of significant organizational change.

Reactions

“It’s conversations like this that make it so easy to work with you. You listen and acknowledge pain points, offer solutions and never make me feel like I am a pest for asking for something that would benefit us as well as the end user.” - Erin T | Support Manager

Results

Team Performance: Significantly improved product development cycles and feature delivery through enhanced collaboration
Process Optimization: Streamlined decision-making through effective cross-functional process and clear ownership structures
Team Stability: Maintained team retention and morale during significant growth challenges

Backdrop

The company faced significant organizational challenges stemming from rapid growth. Without established processes or proper foundations, the company struggled to scale effectively. Initial product development was rushed and superficial, lacking the depth needed for long-term success.
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Teams operated in silos, leading to poor collaboration, miscommunication, and inefficient workflows.

This dysfunction manifested in missed deadlines, low-quality deliverables, and growing frustration among team members who lacked clear direction and support.
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Challenges

Structure & Process: Disjointed organizational structure with unclear reporting lines, inconsistent workflows, and inefficient processes that hindered collaboration and delivery
Leadership: Inexperienced leadership team struggling with strategic decision-making, change management, and establishing clear accountability
Culture: Negative team mindset characterized by low trust, poor psychological safety, and declining morale due to unclear expectations
Strategy: Lack of clear vision and direction resulting in misaligned priorities, scattered resources, and ineffective product development efforts

Execution

Workshop Facilitation: Facilitated workshops to establish shared principles and values
Process Implementation: Implemented new processes focused on customer-centricity
Team Environment: Established trust-based culture promoting open communication
Structure: Established clear accountability and ownership structures

Wins

Alignment: Successfully united teams through shared cultural values
Environment & Impact: Created environment fostering autonomy and ownership
Process Quality: Enhanced product development processes
‍Collaboration: Improved cross-functional collaboration

Learnings

Persistent Patience: Cultural transformation requires patience and persistent effort
Leadership Impact: Leadership buy-in is crucial for sustainable change
Radical honesty: Clear communication and transparency are essential during periods of change‍
Psychological Safety: Building psychological safety takes time but is fundamental to success

2023 - current

Hauler hero

Pitlane Design system

A comprehensive design system overhaul that standardized the design-to-deployment pipeline, resulting in 70% faster handoffs, 3x component reuse, and 90% reduction in UI inconsistencies while dramatically improving product delivery, user experience, and sales performance.

Reactions

“..I’m incredibly THANKFUL for this amazing software! I just can’t even express! Love you all so much xoxoxo” - Wendy W. | Wallace Refuse

"I think we are all witnessing the UI revolution you have brought in... it's really something." - Giriraj B., Principal Engineer

Results

Team Performance: Significantly improved product development cycles and feature delivery through enhanced collaboration
Process Optimization: Streamlined decision-making through effective cross-functional process and clear ownership structures
Team Stability: Maintained team retention and morale during significant growth challenges

The Pitlane Design System emphasizes precision, speed, and coordination. Our UX-centric approach evolves through rapid user feedback cycles, optimizing every component while keeping user needs at the forefront.

Through standardization and optimization from design to deployment, we enable teams to operate at peak efficiency.

Our rapid iteration cycles, powered by continuous feedback and A/B testing, ensure we deliver high-quality solutions that meet user needs quickly. This approach has dramatically accelerated our product delivery while maintaining exceptional user experiences.
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System Architecture: Built core design system using MUI and Figma, including comprehensive component library with documentation
Workflow & Integration: Established design-to-development processes and led cross-functional implementation
Documentation & Communication: Maintained stakeholder alignment through regular updates & system upgrades
Team Leadership: Led cross-functional teams in adopting and implementing new design system practices

Results

Development & Quality: Reduced component development time by ~60%, UI inconsistencies by ~90%, and increased component reusability ~3x
Team & Process: Improved cross-team collaboration with ~70% faster handoffs, ~40% faster feature delivery, and ~50% shorter iteration cycles
Collaboration: Achieved~ 80% better alignment between teams and higher satisfaction scores through enhanced tools and processes