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Join us in Wishing Larry a Happy Retirement!
Larry has been with Trash Flow for 13 years! He has played an enormous part in building what is now our sales team and has helped hundreds of haulers to optimize their back-end operations and grow their business. He is known for his optimistic attitude, midday walks, willingness to help, endless supply of dog treats, and of course his office signs including "Dogs Welcome (People Tolerated)". He is the office Grandad for all the work dogs.
When Larry is not enjoying the company of the Trash Flow Canine staff, he and his wife Martha enjoy visiting wineries and the coast of Maine. Currently, he and his wife are managing to navigate life without any cats, but you will see him with one of his late cats Isabella in the photo to the left -- who was 90 in cat years at the time -- putting their heads and minds together to figure out what to do with their big bowl of ice cream. In the photo above him and Isabella, you can see Larry with his wife in South Hero, Vermont at their favorite, Snow Farm Winery. The sweet photo was taken shortly before Valentines Day.
Larry is a treasured member of the Trash Flow community and we will all miss him dearly, but we wanted to include some sentiments from those that have worked closely with him.
"I have had the pleasure, the honor of working with Larry for the last 12 years. At one point in time we were the sales department, just he and I. Though I have worked remote for the last almost 11 years, Larry and I have become more than co-workers, more than colleagues, we have become friends far beyond the workplace. I have learned a great deal from Larry, the patience I have lacked in the past, the ability to step back from a situation and allow time to settle emotions and feelings and most of all I have learned what it is truly like to have a person who has your back at a drop of a hat and who would have their back just as equally. I will miss my co-worker but I will cherish my friendship far more" - John M. in our Sales Department
"While Larry and I didn't get to work closely together, we had an even stronger bond -- he was my esteemed bocce partner at Ivy. Our team, "Cats Rule, People Drool", had a good streak going, I already miss heckling the other teams with him. I wish him the best on his next adventure!" - Jess C. in our Finance Department
"Working with Larry for the past twelve years has been a privilege. I'll always remember how genuinely grateful he was when I was a tech and would go the extra mile for his customers. His appreciation always meant a lot. I'm going to miss seeing him walk up and down the driveway, almost as much as the office dogs are going to miss his treats. The sales team is losing not only a fantastic salesperson but also an amazing coworker. Best of luck Larry!" - Jeff G. in our Sales Department
"Anyone who loves dogs is a good person...but ALL dogs love Larry -- and that is the highest of compliments! He is one of the kindest people, with the best sense of humor, and every encounter with Larry always involves a great conversation and leaves you feeling happy! I'll miss him on campus, but am happy that he and Martha can enjoy more time together. I am worried, though, how the dogs at Ivy will survive without all those treats...?" - Darla H. in our Executive Assistant Department
"Even though we shared the same office for a short time, working with Larry has been a pleasure. His years of sales knowledge and advice will be missed, along with his most important role, that of handing out treats to all the ivy dogs. Rest assured, we will do our best to fill that role for you while you get a much-deserved rest. Here is to a happy retirement!" - Andrew H. in our Sales Department
"The Ivy walking loop will not be the same without Larry! I wish him the best in his retirement!" - Jane B. in our Finance Department
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George's Corner
As most of you know, I am the CEO and Founder of Ivy Computer, Inc. I am also the principal software designer and have designed most of what is now Trash Flow. As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time dealing with different software. The thing I hate the most is when the software provider changes the operation of the screens that I use many times a day. Over time, we develop muscle memory where we don't even have to think about what key to hit next. When that changes, we then have to retrain our muscles, and this is not easy. I hate it, hate it, hate it.
Well, this Summer, this is exactly what I'm going to do to you. I really am sorry and I understand your pain. I think it is really worth it though, and in the end, you will be much happier. Do I sound like your mom when you had to get a shot as a kid?
Trash Flow is changing to a multi-contact structure. Since the beginning of Trash Flow time, you have had 2 contacts: Physical Address and Billing Address. Now you will be able to have as many contacts as you want, and each contact can have multiple functions. So, in those situations for example where you have an older adult who is being serviced and they want a physical copy of the bill, but the son who pays the bill and lives 3 states away wants an email copy, but the daughter doesn't trust her brother and also wants an email copy. Furthermore, the son wants you to contact them via text, but the daughter wants email communications. This handles all this. We are also addressing other long-term hassles, such as 2nd lines for addresses for apartment numbers, and split address entry where you can enter 123 Main St. or Number: 123, Name: Main St. and whichever way you enter it, it figures out the other. This allows for several enhancements in address searching and duplicate verification, as well as enhancing the routing close features. There are many other components mixed in with these changes as well.
This is just finishing up development, so there may still be some changes. But then it will head to Alpha testing, and this Summer, you will see it as an update. For every missed click and keystroke I apologize, but I know you will like it and your muscles will catch up in no time.
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Tech Talk - FAQ's
Can I copy stops from one route to another?
Yes! First open the route you want to copy stops from. All the stops must be in sequence - Example: 1-50 or 72-113.
Step 1: Left click your first stop
Step 2: Hold down shift and scroll down to last stop in sequence and then left click
Step 3: Let go of shift
Step 4: Press Control (CTRL)+C on keyboard at the same time
Step 5: Open the new route and left click on where you'd like the new stops to drop below, then hit Control (CTRL)+V
I accidentally assessed the wrong bill group or charged them twice, how can I fix this?
Step 1: In Trash Flow go to System -> Maintenance -> Logs -> View Process Logs and make sure the "End date" is the date you applied charges.
You should see 2 lines labeled "Asessing (BillGroup name) Begin" and "Assessing Complete" with that same BillGroup listed.
Step 2: You will want to copy the numbers in the ()'s. Example: (60147231).
Step 3: Once you copy that number sequence in Trash Flow, you will want to navigate to System -> Maintenance -> Undo Assessment and type in or paste that copied number. Then hit okay.
Allow Trash Flow to do a safety backup and after it will start removing the charges.
I cleared my TeleRoute exceptions, is there a way to check them again?
Step 1: If you navigate to Reports -> Routes -> TeleRoute Reports -> TeleRoute Activity Report, you will be able to see all the different activities and events that cause the exceptions within your TeleRoute.
Step 2: You can filter this list down by Truck, Route, Driver, Customer, etc... You can also filter by specific types of activities such as 'Trash not out', 'Login/Out', 'Image', 'Landfill', and 'Workorders'. It may take a minute for the system to go through all the data, so don't worry if it seems like the system stopped to think.
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Product Highlights - Cloud Assessments
In March 2025 Cloud Assessments were released!
Cloud Assessments for haulers running Trash Flow on the Cloud was released in March, and we are so excited! Cloud Assessments moves the assessment processing from running on your local computer to running it in the Cloud.
How does this save you time? We are so glad you asked!
It's faster! Haulers who run Trash Flow on the Cloud already have their data stored in the Cloud, so moving the processing of the assessments to where the data is located allows us to crunch through the data a LOT more quickly!
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It's more efficient! With Cloud Assessments, we take care of the processing in the background while you continue your day-to-day operations in Trash Flow. Once your assessments are ready, we'll let you know.
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Joke Break
Why is the trash man so good at poker? Because they know how to bluff, their hands are always full of trash! |
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Training Corner - Streamline Your Billing Process with Bulk Email Features
New Tutorial Alert!
We've just released a comprehensive YouTube tutorial on Bulk Emailing in Trash Flow. This step-by-step guide walks you through the entire process of setting up and sending email bills to multiple customers simultaneously, helping you save time and reduce paper waste.
Watch our Bulk Emailing Tutorial on YouTube
Have questions about bulk emailing? Our team is ready to help you implement this time-saving feature. Contact us at 800-852-5199.
Tip of the Month: Regular email billing not only saves paper but also improves cash flow with faster delivery and customer response times.
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Dogs of Ivy!
Meet Ava!
Ava is a 9 Year old German Shepard. She is the office sweetheart known for typically being as quiet as a mouse while at the hip of her person. She loves to give out lots of kisses and spends most of her time asleep beside her person's desk while in office and at home. She is very picky about the snacks she'll eat, but polite. When offered treats, she will gently take them, walk around the corner and drop them on the floor for inspection, some pass, but most do not. Sometimes she is referred to as 'Little Miss Neuroses' as she is afraid of thunder and always needs to know where her person is -- she is not ashamed to be snuffling under the door or anxiously wandering until she is reunited with him.
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Meet Your Techs
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"Good morning, Trash Flow, how can I help you?" Trash Flow offers unrivaled, good old-fashioned, 24/7 - 365 day a year customer service from a real person. When you call that number, you're talking to someone here in Waterbury Center, VT (or maybe one of the towns around here if you're calling after hours and catching someone at home). No obstacle course to get through, just a phone line to a real person who is going to do everything in their power to solve your problem. But, of course, they're more than just the best darn Techs in the business. Each newsletter we'll be interviewing one of our Techs and publishing it, to give you a little more insight into who's on the other end of that phone. This month we're getting to know Bryan Charlton, our Tech Coordinator and second most senior member of the department.
Meet Bryan!
Tell us a bit about yourself I grew up in many different places in Vermont such as Burlington and Grand Isle until about 5 years old. I enjoyed the city life. Then Sheldon and Berkshire for the rest, it was pretty much just Canada. Nothing against Canada personally, just wasn't a ton going on and really nothing to do. I don't remember anything from before I was born obviously.
How long have you been with Trash Flow? I've been at Ivy (Trash Flow's parent company) since April of 2020. I started during COVID. One day they dropped a box on my front step with my computer and my work from home set up. Then I worked here for about 2 years before I was able to come into the office and meet everyone face to face. It was weird.
What TV show would you recommend? Severance! I like this show because it is very thought provoking and is full of mysteries.
What is invisible, but you wish people could see? To be able to see stats skills, etc... Similar to how you can in a video game.
What secret conspiracy would you like to start? We are all secretly under control of the one and only Monolith.
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Trash Billing ToolBox
Previously Invalidated Account
Previously invalidated account (PrevInv) is an internal return code used by Trash Billing on ACH payments (payments made with routing and account number). This return code occurs when an ACH payment has been submitted with information that has been previously declined by the customer's financial institution.
Trash Billing uses this internal return code for a few different reasons. When an ACH payment is declined by the customer's financial institution there is a $4.00 fee. Rather than having additional fees incurred by our trash haulers, the Trash Billing system prevents these transactions from being processed. Additionally, there are several regulations Trash Billing needs to adhere to regarding payments entering the ACH network. One of those regulations states payment information must be corrected prior to submitting an additional payment.
Not all bank issued return codes will cause a bank account to become invalidated. Insufficient funds (R01) and Uncollected Funds (R06) will never cause a bank account to become invalidated. The most common bank issued return code that will invalidate an account is R03, No account/Unable to locate. This return code often means there was an error in the payment information used. However, it can sometimes be an indicator of a different issue with the information provided.
Trash Billing can re-validate any account that has been invalidated in our system. If you receive a Previously Invalidated return code, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for guidance. Trash Billing will review the account, along with the original decline response. We will either be able to override the accounts status and/or offer solutions to ensure the payment will go through in the future.
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Trash Flow in the Community
Ivy Philanthropy Committee
The Ivy Philanthropy Committee (IPC) was established in 2022, and each June, new members are elected to a 5 person committee to serve from July 1st to June 30th, tasked monthly with receiving, reviewing, and responding to donation requests gathered via our website. We currently are on the cusp of voting for the 4th comittee, each past and present member has counted this experience as a privilege and an opportunity to get better acquainted with the people in our region, and how we might make a difference with the challenges and opportunities they may encounter.
Vermont is a beautiful state, and we all enjoy interaction with our neighbors. To help encourage those opportunities, our committee has supported animal wellness programs, accessible outdoor trails, arts fairs, educational and sports opportunities, and plenty of other activities to feed the soul.
More importantly, in the past few years, Vermonters have endured some devastating flooding and severe weather events, and significant efforts were necessary to mitigate the damage related to those overwhelming storms. Winter can be cold and long, so many of our funding efforts have been highly concentrated on caring for basic needs, such as food, heating, and shelter. To date, the ICP has arranged contributions totaling over $100,000 encompassing over 60 entities, and looks forward to continuing to make a positive impact for our community in whatever way we can.
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WE MAKE SOFTWARE TO SAVE YOU TIME
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