The Challenge: Growth Outpaced the Legacy Quickbase Platform

As Advanced Fiber Inc. (AFI) expanded its field service operations, its internal systems struggled to keep pace. The company relied on a basic Quickbase application to track fieldwork, but the platform captured only limited data and lacked the functionality required to support increasingly complex billing workflows, financial reporting, and job management processes.

Operational strain quickly became visible at the leadership level.

Owner Bob Rizzuto was spending more than 20 hours per week manually reviewing reports, generating invoices, and re-entering job data into QuickBooks to reconcile financial records. This manual invoicing and accounting workflow created inefficiencies, increased the risk of data-entry errors, and slowed cash flow.

Compounding the issue, incoming work requests were delivered in CSV files, requiring weekly manual uploads and data entry simply to move jobs into the scheduling queue. The absence of automated data integration created unnecessary administrative overhead and workflow bottlenecks.

Despite recognizing the need for a more robust field service ERP solution, the team lacked the internal bandwidth to redesign and scale the system while maintaining daily operations.

AFI needed to:

• Eliminate manual invoicing and data re-entry
• Integrate Quickbase with QuickBooks for seamless financial reconciliation
• Automate job intake and workflow management
• Reduce billing errors and administrative overhead
• Reclaim executive time to focus on strategic growth

A scalable, integrated custom ERP platform built on Quickbase was required to modernize operations without disrupting service delivery.

Our Process: Rapid Iteration with the Operations Team

From day one, AFI’s operations team was deeply engaged in the transformation process. They came prepared with detailed documentation, defined workflows, and a clear understanding of operational pain points. This allowed us to move quickly using a collaborative, agile Quickbase development approach.

Rather than initiating a disruptive full-system rebuild, we prioritized high-impact improvements and expanded iteratively—starting with reporting and invoicing automation, then evolving into a broader custom ERP platform.

Each phase targeted real operational bottlenecks while ensuring that daily field service operations continued uninterrupted.

Key Implementation Steps

• Stabilized invoicing inputs
  We transformed flat spreadsheet data into a structured, relational Quickbase database architecture, enabling scalable reporting, scheduling, and billing workflows.
• Implemented foundational system best practices
  We corrected structural gaps in the original build by establishing required fields, relational table connections, and validation logic to improve data integrity and billing accuracy.
• Extended the reporting layer
  We developed a reliable weekly field production report that became the operational trigger for automated invoicing and downstream field team workflows.
• Created a structured job intake system
  We built an automated CSV job import process that converted weekly files into clean, structured records, including automatic job and purchase order (PO) matching. This eliminated manual re-entry and reduced data errors.
• Established a continuous improvement framework
  Through recurring working sessions, we identified manual tasks, evaluated automation opportunities, and rolled out targeted workflow optimization projects—creating an ongoing system enhancement cycle.

Outcome of the Approach

This incremental, operations-first methodology enabled AFI to implement a scalable Quickbase ERP solution without halting service delivery or risking operational disruption.

By focusing on structured data architecture, automation, and iterative improvements, AFI successfully modernized its field service infrastructure while maintaining business momentum.

The Roadblocks: Standardizing Manual Processes

The team managed processes with paper and spreadsheets. Transitioning from unstructured flat data to structured, organized (relational) data was an adjustment. For a smooth transition, we analyzed their business, processes, and data in depth before breaking it out into the relational database structure.

Several processes were not standardized. To support nuance while standardizing the general user process, we set up guardrails automations. Then, we evaluated exceptions on the back end and mapped out automations for those instances. Users get a standard front-end experience while we update the back-end to support custom requests.

Recently, the client’s invoicing workflow grew beyond Quickbase's capabilities. Relying on our full-stack developers, we quickly pivoted the client to a custom solution built on AWS that supported that unique business case. We also coached the client to prevent a drastic migration from the platform, given that it still provided significant value to the business.

As a field service team, they needed significant mobile functionality for their tools to prevent repeat work. While Quickbase has mobile functionality built into the app, we needed to extend that functionality to support multi-line, multi-record structures and support app functionality while working offline to ensure adoption.

“It would be impossible for us to run our company without this system. We came to you because we were relying on Excel spreadsheets to manage everything, and there’s no way we could have grown to where we are now without it.”

Bob Rizzuto

President Advanced Fiber

The Toolstack

Integrated Technology Stack Powering AFI’s Custom ERP

AFI’s custom Quickbase ERP platform is supported by a focused, high-impact integration stack designed to keep field service operations lean, automated, and responsive.

Samsara Fleet Integration

• Automates vehicle maintenance tracking, fleet safety monitoring, and compliance reporting across the entire fleet. Real-time vehicle data feeds directly into operational workflows, improving asset visibility and preventive maintenance scheduling.

QuickBooks Integration

• Seamlessly connects ERP workflows with accounting and financial management systems. Automates invoicing, payment reconciliation, and general ledger synchronization—reducing manual bookkeeping and improving financial accuracy.

Microsoft Outlook Automation

• Triggers automated internal and external email communications based on workflow events. Ensures stakeholders receive timely updates related to job status, invoicing, approvals, and operational milestones.

PeakSuite Document Generator

• Automatically converts structured ERP data into formatted documents within Quickbase, enabling efficient document management, invoice generation, and report creation without manual file preparation.

Together, these integrations create a connected field service management ecosystem that reduces administrative overhead, improves data accuracy, and supports scalable operational growth.

The Results: 300+ Hours Saved

The new applications and workflows eliminate excessive manual data entry and record management for the back-office and executive teams. From invoicing to HR to asset management, the team saves 300+ hours a year with automation.

Previously, the weekly invoicing process took the CEO four days each week to complete. The new application automates these workflows, giving the CEO time to focus on the business.

The client consolidated their tech stack, exchanging several out-of-the-box solutions for the custom Quickbase CRM and ERP. And without tech bloat, they only get the features needed to run operations more efficiently.

Key Results:

1. Saved 300+ hours per year by automating back-office workflows
2. Cut weekly invoicing from four days to minutes
3. Consolidated multiple tools into a single, field-ready ERP
4. Improved job tracking and billing accuracy across all client work
5. Freed up executive time to focus on service delivery and growth

“If we were to grow four times our current size, it wouldn’t be an issue. It’s an amazing system, and we’re thrilled with how it’s turned out.”

Bob Rizzuto

President Advanced Fiber

What’s Next: Expanding Pricing, Scheduling, and Compliance Capabilities

AFI continues to enhance its custom Quickbase ERP platform as operational demands evolve. Quandary remains an active strategic partner, delivering ongoing ERP development, system enhancements, and workflow automation improvements to support scalable growth.

Upcoming and Recent Enhancements

• Pricing Management Layer
  A new pricing and cost management module is being implemented to track material costs, monitor margins, and improve profitability reporting. This enhancement provides leadership with clearer visibility into project-level financial performance and strengthens pricing strategy across field operations.
• Advanced Workforce Scheduling Logic
  AFI is expanding its ERP capabilities to include enhanced field service scheduling and on-call shift management. The new scheduling framework will balance technician workloads more effectively, improve coverage, and reduce operational strain.
• Compliance and Operational Controls
  Additional automation is being introduced to strengthen regulatory compliance tracking and documentation workflows, ensuring consistent adherence to internal and external requirements.
• With each iteration, the platform becomes more deeply embedded in daily operations—reducing administrative overhead, improving cross-department visibility, and enabling data-driven decision-making.

The result is a continuously evolving, future-ready field service ERP system built to scale alongside the business without requiring disruptive rebuilds..

Client Overview:

Advanced Fiber (AFI) is a New York-based field services provider supporting broadband and fiber infrastructure projects across the Northeast. They specialize in splicing, testing, documentation, and compliance for major telecommunications clients.

Industry: Telecommunications Field Services

Location: New York, with operations in CT, NJ, and PA

Size: 50–100 employees