Author: Martin Port

CEO’s Blog – You’re hired, Apprentice star tells tech firm

Apprentice star tells BigChange
Posted on by Martin Port

The winner of hit television show The Apprentice is teaming up with a Yorkshire-based technology firm to help give his business a boost.

Joseph Valente, who was crowned winner of The Apprentice in 2015, has chosen Leeds-based BigChange’s Mobile Workforce Management platform JobWatch to accelerate the growth of Impra-Gas, the plumbing business he owns along with Lord Sugar.

The paperless app-based JobWatch system will allow Mr Valente’s management team to manage the entire operation from quotation all the way through to invoice, with integrated planning, management, job scheduling and real-time vehicle and resource tracking. Martin Port, founder and CEO of BigChange, said: “BigChange exists to help ambitious businesses like Impra-Gas scale quickly, giving them everything they need to run a dynamic, profitable and customer focused operation.

“We’re really excited to have Joseph on board as a customer.” Last year, serial entrepreneur Martin Port invested in new office space to accommodate the growth of BigChange. The firm took a five-year lease at Temple Point Business Park in Colton, east Leeds. Alex Epstein, who has also featured in the BBC series, re-joined Mr Port at his latest venture BigChange.

Job Watch is aimed at automating business processes to help save time. BigChange teamed up with SmartWitness in-vehicle CCTV cameras to add video functionality to its system.

Mr Port has a track record in the telematics sector. He sold his previous venture, Masternaut UK, for an estimated £20m in 2009.

Read more: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/you-re-hired-apprentice-star-tells-tech-firm-1-7733455#ixzz40NE4TFA


Martin Port
Founder & CEO

CEO’s Blog – BBC Apprentice Winner 2015 Joseph Valente adopts BigChange technology to accelerate growth

BBC apprentice winner
Posted on by Martin Port

Winner of The Apprentice 2015 Joseph Valente has chosen to roll out BigChange’s JobWatch mobile workforce management software as part of his plans to revolutionise the plumbing market with his business partner Lord Sugar.

Joseph and his new business partner Lord Sugar looked at a number of software companies and after a rigorous tender process chose BigChange Apps’ JobWatch system.

Joseph is focused on growing his business and wanted a system that could literally manage all aspects of work and scale perfectly with Impra-gas. The JobWatch system allows customers to book work which is dynamically scheduled to the correct engineer on a mobile app with the correct workflow including health and safety, compliance and step by step job instructions.

Customers enjoy a great user experience with live updates confirming Estimated Time of Arrival and electronic job cards including certificates relating to plumbing and heating work. Impra-gas are dedicated to providing fantastic customer service.

Joseph said “this is the beginning of our journey to become a household name in this highly competitive market, with BigChange’s support and help we are able to tap into the latest technology that is normally only affordable to large corporations.”

Martin Port said “this is why we started BigChange to give companies like Impra Gas the tools to compete at the highest level and win and wow their customers with a great user experience. We’ll be looking after Joseph like all our customers with constant development and support”

www.bigchangeapps.com

Martin Port Signature
Martin Port
Founder & CEO

CEO’s Blog – View our NEW 2016 brochure

2016 JobWatch Brochure
Posted on by Martin Port

Discover the paperless way to plan, manage, schedule and track your mobile workforce.

View our new 2016 brochure and see how JobWatch makes it easy to manage your entire operation from quote all the way through to invoice.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW BROCHURE

NEW Features Include

  • Call Handling & CRM, Planning, Schedule & Dispatch, Jobs & Workflow, Timesheets & Expenses, Stock & Equipment, Reporting & Performance
  • Invoicing & Finance
  • Health & Safety
  • Fleet & Resource Management, Real-Time Tracking, Alerting, Messaging & Satellite Navigation

Call: +441134571000

Email: [email protected]

W. www.bigchangeapps.com

Martin Port Signature
Martin Port
Founder & CEO

Our small change we hope will help towards making a big change for Transaid

Transaid transport for life
Posted on by Martin Port

Transaid is an international development charity that identifies, champions, implements and shares local transport solutions which improve access to basic services and economic opportunity for poor people in developing countries.

  • Identify local transport solutions by conducting research, implementing pilot projects, and always ensuring robust monitoring and evaluation
  • Champion local transport solutions though advocacy programmes with donors, government and implementing agencies
  • Implement local transport solutions by building local skills and knowledge, and where necessary provide technical assistance where needed
  • Share local transport solutions by making resources available online in the form of case studies, tools and methodologies.

Transaid’s history goes back over 25 years when a group of dedicated individuals from The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Save the Children and our patron, HRH The Princess Royal, inspired and built the practical, professional development charity that Transaid is today.

Through combining expertise of the UK Transport & Logistics Industry with our longstanding experience of working in the developing world, we partner with organisations in the public and private sector including local community organisations, governments, institutions and donors to build capability and achieve our aims.

This collaborative approach enables Transaid to provide innovative solutions to some of the key challenges facing transport and development today.

Support Transaid today https://www.justgiving.com/transaid/donate/


Martin Port
Founder & CEO

CEO’s Blog – Great News BigChange Apps has been shortlisted for The Tech City Insider Awards 2015

BigChange App shortlisted
Posted on by Martin Port

The shortlist for the inaugural TechCities Awards, celebrating the best in UK new technology business, has been published.

We’ll be giving out 19 awards on November 26, alongside four extra awards for people in our TechNation200 list for 2015. Julian Blake reports.

After spending the month of October accepting nominations from across the UK, TechCityinsider has drawn up the shortlist of three tech businesses for each of 19 TechCities Awards.

There are 14 awards for UK regional technology clusters, along with four separate awards for London, as the UK’s predominant tech business hub – and the location from where we received most entries by far.

The TechCities Awards for London are for newcomer, innovator, scale-up and tech business of the year. TechCityinsider received almost 200 applications from around the UK for the awards.

The awards are designed to celebrate the UK’s best next-generation digital business. It follows TechCityinsider’s year-long tour of the key technology clusters around the country, where we met and interviewed tech business leaders.

Winners will be announced at the TechCities Awards ceremony on November 26, at Trampery Old Street in the heart of the east London technology community. All shortlisted companies have been invited to attend.

Judges for the awards are TCi’s expert partners, from City University London, Grant Thornton, Knowledge Transfer Network, NatWest, Vitamin T, Tech London Advocates and Williams Powell.

In making their decisions, judges will be looking for companies that are the most innovative and likely to succeed. Entrants needed to be less than five years old and have a viable tech product or service at the centre of their business proposition.

Three businesses, drawn from entrants around the country, have been shortlisted to receive an additional award, the TechCities editor’s award, given to the business that has made an outstanding contribution to the UK technology scene.

In addition to the TechCities Awards, TCi will be giving out four awards to people who feature on our 2015 TechNation200 list.

These awards are for entrepreneur of the year, ambassador of the year, tech for good and tech funder award.

Alongside the national recognition that the awards generate, every winner receives a specially designed trophy created by the London maker community.

TechCitinsider publishes its 2015 TechNation200 Almanac on November 26, at a evening launch party at east London’s Shoreditch House, directly after the Trampery awards event.

Martin Port Signature
Martin Port
Founder & CEO

CEO’s Blog – BigChange Apps achieves 275% growth in Q3 2015

Record Sales Growth
Posted on by Martin Port

Our proven business model is attracting companies in all sectors to work with BigChange.

  • Product – JobWatch the 3 in 1 system is being used by companies for all their back office and mobile requirements, including features such as Fleet Management including Tracking, CRM, Job Management for the mobile worker and Accounting
  • Market Fit – compelling SaaS proposition appeals simultaneously to large blue-chip corporations and small emerging businesses with a single mobile worker
  • Pricing – Simple, affordable and transparent pay as you go pricing ensures scalability
  • Customer Service – 24/7 RoadCrew customer support for all users of the system including engineers and drivers
  • Customer Retention – Continually generating repeat sales, renewals and upsells
  • Return on Investment – BigChange customers are reaping tangible benefits including performance improvements, safety, financial savings and winning new customers

Martin Port Signature
Martin Port
Founder & CEO

CEO’s Blog – Two in five organisations don’t have a policy on speed

Policy on speed
Posted on by Martin Port

Businesses are being urged to take more action on training and educating at-work drivers on the dangers of speeding to help make their fleets and local communities safer.

The call comes from Brake, the road safety charity, as it releases a new report showing that two in five (39%) of businesses don’t have a speed policy, either in the employee contract or handbook.

The report also found that 65% of companies with a speed policy don’t have one that applies to external contractors while a third of speed policies don’t apply to senior management.

Only a quarter of companies get involved with promoting speed awareness in their local communities, for example by supporting local training or education on speed.

And few companies are taking advantage of the full range of educational and training opportunities open to them, with only two in five asking questions relating to speed at recruitment or training during induction, and only three in ten providing additional training for drivers caught speeding

With excessive speed – either breaking the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions – listed by the police in 27% of fatal crashes in the UK in 2013, Brake is urging all employers with staff who drive for work to implement policies and procedures to ensure their drivers are fully aware of the dangers of speeding.

Employers can access Brake’s expert guidance by ordering a copy of the report, which includes advice for companies, and becoming a member of Brake Professional at www.brakepro.org.

Dr Tom Fisher, Brake’s senior research and communication officer, said: “Our research shows that many companies can and should do more. This would help prevent the devastating impact of road death and injury, but also save companies money through reduced insurance premiums and improve their reputation within the community.”

Added by Natalie Middleton
Business Editor, Fleet World
Date: 15 Oct 2015 14:52

Martin Port Signature
Martin Port
Founder & CEO

CEO’s Blog – Due to continued growth, BigChange is recruiting self-employed Auto Electrical Telematics Engineers nationwide.

BigChange expansion
Posted on by Martin Port

Due to continued growth, BigChange is recruiting self-employed Auto Electrical Telematics Engineers nationwide.

We require highly skilled individuals with attention to quality and detail that are passionate about delivering excellent customer service in the field.

Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience installing systems in cars, light / heavy goods vehicles and passenger transport.

Please contact immediately by email or phone Tansy Sheehy Customer Service Director or James Scully Operations Director [email protected] or call 0113 3845777. For more information about BigChange visit www.bigchange.com

Martin Port Signature
Martin Port
Founder & CEO