Our Story.......

Like many things, Squawkbox Live was built out of necessity. It turned out that our necessity would grow into something that has benefitted many more people than just us.

How it started ......

Before we were even a company, and we were just a few mechanics looking to branch out our own. We were learning the hard way that turning wrenches is only half of aviation. We were having the same issues that much larger companies than us were having. The paperwork was killing us. We all had worked for very large repair stations, OEM's, and various maintenance organizations, so we had seen various ways to try to speed the processes by what we learned. No matter what we tried, we were just bring old technics to our new jobs.

We started looking at possible software to help us resolve our issues. We knew what various software we had used in the past with other companies, so we kind of knew what we liked and disliked about each. What we didn't know was how much companies put into using that software. When the sticker price wore off, we realized that for those prices, none of current aviation maintenance software would do everything we wanted it to do. We needed to find another way to speed up our processes.

Working with what we had available at the time, we started to see little improvements. Instead of just an excel spreadsheet, we created an Access Database. We created little in-house programs to keep track of items and parts. We had almost everything on a computer, and while it was easier than writing it out on paper, we still were not saving a lot of time.

Our problem was we still had the same problem as when we used paper. Now instead of writing a part number in eight different places, we were just cutting and pasting. We still were spending way too much time on paperwork, rather than being on the aircraft.

We brainstormed about what would a perfect work order system look like. It would have to eliminate repetitive task and entry of the same information multiple times. Every feature would have to support another feature of the program. Most importantly, the computer program would have to greatly reduce the amount of time we spent at the computer.

We went to work. When we were not working on aircraft, we were writing code for our idea. We finally had a simple working version in the summer 2016. It was exactly what we wanted it to do, but like everything you build and then look at, you think, it could have been better. We started making it prettier and adding a few more small features. Our second version was better in every way. 

We eventually moved it online for just us. Everyone being able to see the same live data at the same time was a game changer. We quickly learned that while this version worked great in the office on our server, using it over cellular and a hotspot was agony. It was slow to load and the data cost from our wireless companies was more than we were expecting. We realized we were trying to make it look like top rated web pages, but that wasn't what we needed. We need it simple, and we need it fast.

We went to work on redesign. We were now focused more on functionality and speed over looks. We stated removing everything that was there for looks and not for speed and purpose. We removed all icons that were on a page and replaced them with simple html buttons. We reduced our database query time and got rid of results we didn’t absolutely need. We added a few more features and version 3 was ready. 

 It was a dramatic improvement over the previous versions. It was stable enough we were seeing the same performance in the field as we saw in the lab. Customers would watch us doing their work orders and comment how much they liked it and they wished they had it. That’s when everything changed.

Where we are at.....

In 2020, Squawkbox Systems LLC was formed. We renamed our software to Squawkbox Live and began to offer it to the public. Between that day in 2016 until now, we went through 6 different versions. Each being better than the last. Our software has been used to manage over 10,000 work orders. We moved the software to IONOS, which has some of the fastest servers and processors in the world. This give us more redundant backups, faster connectivity,  and we maintain a 99.8% uptime. We are still adding features and making it better, but we always keep the same principles of “keep it simple, and keep it fast”.

What we believe in.....

When we say we know what’s it’s like to have to get by with bad software, or still rely on paper, we really know. We been there. When you get Squawkbox Live, you get family. It’s not just about better paperwork and faster service. It’s about helping that mechanic do his processes faster so he can make it to a little league game on time. It’s about giving that accountant a Saturday off from invoices, because she had the right tools to make her job easier to do during the week.

We want to help you succeed with every step. From training on how to use the software, to repair station manual supplements for use of an electronic work order, we are here to for you.

Contact us today to find out more information.