.png?width=294&height=80&name=Davis%20Crane%20x%20RapidWorks%20(1).png "Davis Crane x RapidWorks (1)")
INTRODUCING DAVIS CRANE GROUP
Davis Crane Group is a Texas-based crane rental provider with a reputation for handling the toughest jobs in the industry. With over 400 employees and a fleet spanning more than 160 cranes and hundreds of specialized assets, they serve a broad and growing market across multiple locations in Texas.
In this case study, we hear from key members of their team including Executive Vice President of Business Services Keith McKee and Director of Operations Jon Johnson about how Visual Dispatch, RapidWorks' premier solution for the crane industry, helped them scale operations and drive measurable improvements across their business.
Executive VP of Business Services
Director of Operations
See how Davis Crane Delivers Service at Scale with Visual Dispatch
Davis Crane streamlined operations and saw measurable results with Visual Dispatch. From faster invoicing to daily time savings, the platform improves efficiency every day.
FASTER INVOICING
FASTER TIME TO CASH
Job tickets to payment is as much as 20% faster.
HOURS SAVED EVERY DAY
Finding & sending job details is done within minutes.
Scaling Beyond Pen and Paper
Davis Crane Group hasn’t just grown in size; they also have grown in complexity as they meet the needs of an increasingly diverse customer base.
At the heart of their mission is a simple but powerful philosophy: deliver unmatched service.
“We don’t sell a price, we sell a service,” says Executive VP of Business Services, Keith McKee. “Our customers know they can make one phone call and get it done—safely, efficiently, and without hassle.”
As the business grew, so did the complexity of their operations. Like many equipment-heavy businesses, Davis Crane Group initially relied on manual systems for scheduling and dispatching, with job tracking and scheduling done with a yellow pad, pencil, and eraser.
Coordinating jobs and verifying what happened on-site became increasingly complex. Tracking equipment by memory or paper wasn’t scalable. Retrieving even basic information, like which crane was used on a previous job, was eating into valuable time.
“We were growing so fast that we needed to do something,” McKee says. “Staying up with the size and scope of the business was hard to do without some type of technology.”
Finding Efficiency with Visual Dispatch
That all changed when Davis Crane Group adopted Visual Dispatch, RapidWorks’ premiere solution built for the crane industry. Visual Dispatch is an easy-to-use dispatching and operations platform built for companies managing heavy equipment and crews across locations. It quickly became integral to Davis Crane Group’s ability to manage and scale their business.
“Visual Dispatch has been there every step of the way to make sure that we are as efficient as possible,” Director of Operations Jon Johnson says.
Instead of flipping through yellow pads to find the crane a customer used last week, McKee can now pull job details instantly. “That was a 15-minute ordeal,” McKee recalls. “Now, you’ve got the database at the touch of your fingers. So, it's revolutionized our business.”
Real-Time Visibility and Company-Wide Coordination
With Visual Dispatch, the Davis Cranes team is able to have a specialized dispatching team in one central location. They have real-time visibility into every piece of equipment, every operator, and every job in motion across all nine companies in their group.
“Now that we’re growing, we have nine other crane companies—but we’re at one screen, centrally located,” Johnson explains. “Being able to drop down and see what we have in North Texas, what we have in Abilene, what we have in South Texas, to really maximize our efficiency—all nine companies working as one with the same goal of making our customers happy.”
Speeding up the Job-to-Cash Cycle
Beyond dispatching and planning, Visual Dispatch also became a vital tool in their back office, helping Davis Crane transform billing and financial visibility.
“All our billers use Visual Dispatch, and it has been so great,” Johnson says. “We’ve shortened up our billing. So, from job to bill is within just a day or two.”
While their invoice processing time has become 80% faster, their time to cash has also dropped from an estimated average of 40 days down to 32, a 20% speed increase.
“The quicker we can do [invoicing], shorten that process, the quicker it’s ordered to cash. That’s been a huge improvement.”
Data Insights to Make Smarter Decisions
The system not only supports daily operations but also helps the leadership team assess performance, resource allocation, and job profitability.
With access to detailed reporting, the team can now measure how many jobs each crane completes, identify high-performing assets, and understand usage patterns across their fleet. That level of insight helps them make strategic adjustments that improve both service and efficiency.
“We know from a week-to-week basis where we’re at—money-wise, equipment-wise, how efficiently we’re using it,” McKee says.
These insights also help Davis Crane ensure that every piece of equipment—and every team—is being used to its full potential.
Finding The Best Fit With Visual Dispatch
In a fast-moving, competitive industry, Davis Crane hasn’t taken their tech decisions lightly. They’ve evaluated many other solutions—but none have measured up.
“We’ve explored just about everybody that came along,” says McKee. “Everything that came along is the ‘next best mousetrap.’ But we’ve spent a lot of money, a lot of research, and a lot of time, and we’ve come back to Visual Dispatch every time.”
Other platforms often promised innovation but fell short when put into practice. Davis Crane Group needed something proven—something that could keep up with their operational demands and support their scale. Visual Dispatch continued to prove its worth, and Davis Crane can’t imagine going without it.
“If we were still in the dark ages trying to do this today, we'd be way behind,” McKee adds. “They've been able to help us keep up with the business. So not only have I recommended them—I will continue to recommend them.”
Johnson agrees: “There’s just no other system that can keep up with what we’re doing other than Visual Dispatch.”
Want to see how your crane business can benefit from Visual Dispatch? Schedule a demo to learn more.
