Category: news

Chairman’s Spotlight: the couple helping protect our access to clean water

Posted on by Martin Port

The best businesses are borne out of necessity. Perhaps there’s a customer need that cannot be ignored, or it could be a personal imperative. 

The latter was true for Kirsty and Neil Scott, the husband-and-wife team behind Veriflo. 

In 2015, they sat at their dining room table and tried to imagine a better future. Parents to two children under two – the youngest was just four months old – they saw a gap in the market and took a leap of faith with a new business.

Together, they thrashed out a plan for Veriflo, building on their skills and experience. “We started the business in June, and I kept my job going,” Kirsty tells me. “By December, we were both working full-time for the business.”

Neil, whose background was in the water industry, provided the technical expertise, while Kirsty, the problem solver, and a fast learner, would manage the business and its culture.  Eight years on, their strategic and technical clean water consultancy is the trusted partner for some of the UK’s largest water companies, serving London and the South. 

From major complex infrastructure programmes to everyday maintenance of the water network, Kirsty, Neil, and their 34-strong team ensure that people’s access to clean water supply remains uninterrupted. 

This is a niche industry and skills are hard to come by, so Kirsty and Neil have come up with their own solutions for creating a talent pipeline. Their apprenticeship scheme welcomes cohorts of up to five young people at a time, while their sister company, Gold Tap Training (www.goldtaptrainig.co.uk ), helps to upskill and develop both their own staff and technicians working in the wider industry. 

“We have invested in skills by building our own custom-made above-ground water rig, so that technicians can learn the practical skills they will need on the job,” Kirsty explains. 

At Veriflo (veriflo.co.uk), the team is dedicated to ensuring their clients get an unbeatable service, while maintaining a first-class safety record and preserving essential skills. Kirsty and Neil brought on BigChange to help support fleet management and planning, so that they can concentrate on complex projects while our platform takes care of the paperwork. 

Kirsty says: “BigChange gave us the practical support we needed to ensure our fleet is as efficient as it can be, and as our business grows and evolves, we know that BigChange’s wide range of features will continue to support our future requirements.”

Kirsty and Neil, who have been together 22 years, have carefully carved out their responsibilities within the business, which helps to avoid friction. “We had two rules when we started out,” says Kirsty. “We’ll never use our house as collateral, and we won’t let the business get in the way of our marriage. That first rule has been easy to follow but the second is sometimes a challenge. Having very clear roles within the business helps us to support each other and avoid friction.”

Veriflo has evolved into a strategic expert, both from a desktop and field aspect, taking on the jobs that require skills that the water sector really needs. “In the early days, we said yes to everything,” says Kirsty. “But these days, we have learned to be more selective, and only take on the projects that really fit our skills and company ethos, as well as providing our clients with reassurance of our delivery.” 

They are confident about the future, and the impact Veriflo can make on the industry. “When we think about the future of this business, we aren’t trying to hit a number, in terms of people or turnover. Instead, we are focused on performance, developing industry skills, and ensuring that Veriflo remains a great place to work for our people.”

Chairman’s Spotlight on Andy Patterson, founder of Automotive Group

Posted on by Martin Port

“I can’t sit still. I’m always on the go and constantly coming up with new ideas.”

Does this sound familiar?

When I sat down with Andy Patterson, the extraordinarily successful serial entrepreneur behind Automotive Group, he talked about his drive – “I really enjoy working,” he told me. “My ideas may not always be perfect, and they aren’t always executed flawlessly but I do it anyway, and that’s how you get somewhere in life.”

I think most entrepreneurs would identify with this statement. I certainly do. According to Andy, success comes as a result of three things: ambition, being open to new opportunities, and embracing change.

Spotting opportunities

Andy’s story is seriously impressive. He spent his younger years working in bars and pubs on behalf of a major brewery. But even then, he had an entrepreneurial flair. “I have always liked cars and I’m good with my hands so when a friend started working for a dent repair company, I decided to try it out.” He wanted to be his own boss, he told me. “I wanted to be in a position whereby if I worked hard, I got rewarded. If I was lazy, I wasn’t. As an employee, it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference how much effort you put in, you get the same result. As my own boss, I was in control.”

He started his first company, Automotive Repair Systems, in 1997. “I was a man in a van, travelling around selling myself to car dealers, leasing firms and the like, taking small dents out of vehicles.” However, it wasn’t long before he spotted the opportunity to diversify. “Customers wanted bumper repairs and alloy wheel replacements,” he said. “I didn’t offer them at the time, but I decided to give it a try.”

The power of ambition

Today, Andy’s company is one of the most successful independent firms in SMART repair, serving customers across England. SMART, which stands for Small and Medium Area Repair Techniques, which means most of this work can take place in under an hour. As a group, Andy’s companies has over 178 vehicles out on the road, with mobile technicians providing services as well as implanted technicians in major car dealerships. The business head office is in Orpington, Kent with a Northern office in Liverpool.

Ambition has been key to Andy’s success, helping him over bumps in the road. “When we started employing people, that was hard,” he recalled. “At one point, we had 10 people, which meant ten times the responsibility and headaches, but I was no better off financially. At that point, I found myself wondering, ‘Why am I doing this?’” He persevered, and today the business employs over 200 people, and Andy’s talented management team have allowed him to step into a strategic role and found other ventures.

Change is crucial

As the business became more successful, the admin piled up. “Our lady in accounts was spending an entire day each week inputting paper invoices into our accounts software,” Andy says. “Our technicians were using carbon copy invoice pads, which were not only producing ridiculous amounts of paper, but they were also creating too many errors.” Incorrect VAT calculations, illegible handwriting, and other human errors meant that 5% of invoices had to be reviewed. It was time to make a big change and modernise the business.

“Since implementing BigChange, our accounts teams no longer spend one in five days on admin input,” says Andy. “There are now rarely any human errors, and we have access to a phenomenal wealth of data that helps us make business decisions based on facts rather than gut feel.”

BigChange has had a big impact on the business, especially when customers have a query. “We no longer have to go to the archive room and sift through hundreds of paper files. We have it all at the click of a button.” The only downside of BigChange? “When you have people on the team who have been using paper processes for 20 years and don’t want to change, that’s a challenge. We tried to downplay the scale of the transition but that’s a little difficult when you’re working with a company called BigChange – thanks for that, Martin!”

Over the years, the business has been through tough times – like when a dealership went bust, owing Automotive Group £35,000; “That really hurt us. I took the hit personally to make sure our people got paid” – but every day, there are little wins that make it all worthwhile. “It’s so satisfying when people are blown away by your service,” Andy says. “When their car looks brand new, and it only cost them £100 when they thought it would cost them 10 times that amount.” 

And with other businesses currently achieving great exponential growth and acclaim across F1 Hospitality, Wine business in Monaco, Other Automotive businesses, along with an extensive property portfolio and more, Andy is proving that his recipe for success can be applied to businesses in all sectors. We wish him well!

Attention! Je viens à Paris

Posted on by Martin Port

Four years ago, we established an outpost of BigChange in France.

My ambitions for BigChange have always been global, and 2019 was the year that we began expanding across France, Greece and Cyprus. It was an important move for the company, showing our commitment to Europe, post-Brexit.

Now, I’m excited to announce that we are entering the second phase of our French expansion. We are investing in our team, and building out our marketing proposition. Within five years, we will grow the size of the French company 20 times – it could even become as large as our UK business. This year, we will be recruiting more brilliant salespeople, and bringing on partners and resellers to help spread the word.

France is a big country, more than double the size of the UK. This presents unique challenges and opportunities. The sheer size of the territory means that France is home to many small-to-medium-sized businesses, who can really benefit from our technology – especially now, as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

French companies are innovative and very receptive to new technology. Recent studies have found that French leaders have surged ahead of British and German leaders in terms of digital adoption.

The BigChange platform helps companies of all sizes to eliminate paper and cut their carbon emissions. In France, this proposition hits the spot; 83% of French people think that climate change and its consequences are the biggest challenge for humanity in the 21st century.

As part of my role as chairman, I try to support the BigChange team in any way I can. Growing the French market will be my focus over the coming months. I’ll be spending time in Paris, meeting prospective customers, spreading the word, and driving growth.

I’ve been fortunate enough to do business in France before. I sold my last business, Masternaut, to France’s second largest airport group, Aeroports De Paris in 2009. And I founded the company with hardware bought from French firm Masternaut International. I am looking forward to connecting with old friends on my trips across the Channel – if you’re reading this “mes amies”, drop me a message!

I am a Francophile – I understand the culture and love the people. We have a lot of French people working for us. That’s important when you are hoping to make inroads internationally. You always need local boots on the ground.

I’m looking forward to this next chapter in our French adventure. Who knows – maybe this is the year I finally learn to speak French? Tout est possible!

Strong start to 2023 for BigChange

Posted on by Martin Port

It’s a tough trading environment out there for many business leaders. The UK has successfully dodged recession. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there, which is having an impact on wider business confidence. Among BigChange customers, however, I’m glad to say that the mood is positive. They are continuing to grow, create jobs and innovate.

This is one of the best things about being part of a company like BigChange. While we are acutely mindful of the economic pressures, we can be confident our technology helps companies and leaders to thrive despite them.

This is why, over the past three months, we have continued to boast extraordinary growth, welcoming more new customers than ever before. We have become the trusted partner for ambitious businesses across the UK and beyond, helping them to navigate these testing economic times. Here are some of the highlights from Q1 2023. 

The secret is out

New customers are joining us in droves. New contract wins in the first quarter of 2023 are up by a third on the previous year. We won £9.65m-worth in new contracts during the period, welcoming 120 new customers. We are now on course to hit a new customer acquisition record in 2023, forecasting 500 new customer wins across the year.

A technology for all

The BigChange platform is sector and size agnostic – whatever the business, we can help drive efficiencies and provide a springboard for growth. This has become even more evident this year as we welcome a diverse portfolio of customers to BigChange. From Mobile Mini, the UK’s number one supplier of storage containers and site accommodation, to leading maintenance firms GEM Environmental and H20 Nationwide, to French electrical specialist J2 Group France, we give leaders across multiple industries the edge they need to grow in turbulent times.

Growing the team

We are now a team of 269 colleagues based in the UK, France, Poland, and Ukraine. This first-rate team is helping us to grow our footprint across the world and we are now a leading player in France, Cyprus, Australia, New Zealand the US, and Canada.

Staying relevant

As our customer portfolio grows, we continue to invest into our product. I’m delighted that Release 23.02, which landed in March, has been very well received. We are rolling out our new business intelligence dashboards across all our customers right now. The new and enhanced group job functionality is already adding value and we are looking forward to delivering a new overview page for group jobs. All of our high-priority product development ideas were gleaned directly from our customers, and we are proud that we can quickly and efficiently turn their dreams for the platform into reality.

Your success is our success

We only do well if our customers do well; it’s a virtuous cycle. That’s why we are so invested in customer success. Over the last three months, we have conducted three BigChange Success Forums, bringing customers together with our executive team, product managers and customer success team to check out our latest product roadmap. These interactive working sessions really help to drive value for our customers, and inform our next move.

To make sure that customers are taking advantage of the full complement of BigChange features, we have completed nine live customer webinars across topics ranging from our new business intelligence dashboards to the new-time-and-money-saving route optimiser.

Keeping in touch

Communication is everything to us here at BigChange, which is why we launched our revamped monthly newsletter in January. This fact-packed mail-out helps customers stay up-to-date on all the latest news around our product, events, and people.

The team here has completed over 250 face-to-face customer visits so far this year, and it has been brilliant to get out and about, bringing additional value to the BigChange community.

BigChange held its latest Success Forum at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in Reading a few weeks ago. A big thank you to all the amazing customers who joined us at the event – your feedback is so valuable. These events are a fantastic opportunity to hear all about BigChange’s vision and plans for 2023 and meet us in person.

We’re really looking forward to hosting you again over the coming months. Join the BigChange community and come to an event near you.

📆 11th May at Etihad Stadium, Manchester

📆 7th June at Villa Park Stadium, Birmingham

📆 5th July at BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh

Alternatively, we are hitting exhibitions all over the UK this year. In April, we’ll be at HVAC Live, the Fire Safety Event, and ELEXSHOW, so come and visit our stand if you’re attending any of these. 

I’m really proud of everything we have achieved so far this year and the whole team is focused on maintaining this incredible growth trajectory across 2023. As we grow, we never lose sight of the customer – our service levels remain best in class. This is exemplified by the performance of our RoadCrew Customer Service team, which retains a Customer Satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5! There are many challenges out there right now but we pride ourselves on championing the entrepreneur. You can read a bit more about the impact we have made in our customers’ lives here: https://www.bigchange.com/platform/case-studies/

Here’s to a bumper Q2 and the best year yet for BigChange and our customers.

Electrical contractor software: benefits and how to choose a provider

Posted on by Martin Port

There’s one secret tool that industry leading electrical contractors are using to boost profitability.

And that’s electrical contracting software.

It enables businesses to streamline job management and reduce costs, managing every area of electrical contracting within this one platform – resources, financials and more.

🔍In fact, with the right tool, electrician businesses can see a boost to first-time fix rates of 92%, a saving of 2,000 hours of admin per year, AND a productivity increase of 70%. 

Sounds good?

Let’s dive into the top benefits of electrical contracting software. And the key criteria to look out for in the best tech for business growth so you can get started. 👇

Top 3 benefits of using electrical contractor software

At a high-level, electrical contracting software streamlines daily operations and allows you to deliver the best customer experiences.

Plus, it helps better protect your electricians and your compliance by ensuring they have all the risk assessment and safety certificate information they need.

Here’s how…

Reduce operational costs with smart job scheduling ⏲

Thanks to real-time data, you can see exactly where your electricians are, their job statuses, vehicles and assets. This means you can optimise your electricians’ time and fuel by sending the right engineer to the nearest jobs and emergency call-outs.

And, of course, sending the engineer with the right skills and kit boosts first-time fix-rates which has a whole host of cost and customer benefits.

🔍Did you know? Around 15% of issues aren’t resolved during the first appointment because the assigned technicians don’t have the required skills.

Plus, intelligent optimisation of travel routes frees up your electricians to take on more jobs. And it saves your back-office admin time duplicating data entry.

Boost customer experience ❣

With live data, including signature capture and photos showing full job completion details, both field teams and back-office workers have a 360 degree view of every customer account.

This is essential for customer management, first-time fixes and even, simply, managing appointments.

What’s more, these features, allow you to level up when it comes to customer experience:

  • Secure online booking tool – allowing customers to book appointments and view job history and documentation at a time that’s convenient for them.
  • Live updates – some electrical contracting software even features live tracking so that customers can see exactly when an electrician is likely to arrive at their premises.

And, with live job status updates, you can even send through job cards and process invoices while on site. Allowing you to get paid faster and boost your cash flow in seconds – not days or weeks.

Simplify compliance 🔐

And increase productivity levels with standardising and automating processes.

How?

Some tech even allows field electricians remote access to digital risk assessments, safety certificates, best practice guides, and other essential health and safety documents on-the-go (and 24/7) via electrician apps.

This, combined with custom job sheets (where you can make key information mandatory) helps electricians cover every compliance detail and agreed SLA for every job.

Having standardised workflows also boosts productivity because it simplifies and creates routine for compliance processes.

Plus, with the ability to digitally capture and document key criteria, like signatures and photos showing full job completion details, you’ve got a historic record of jobs. This makes it much quicker and easier to store, search, and retrieve documents than paper-based systems. And it makes auditing much easier!

Checklist: What to look for in an electrical contractor software provider

Before we begin, quickly jot down exactly what you need from the software. 

The best place to start is noting down the challenges. We’d recommend checking in with the rest of the business (that will be using this tool) to make sure the software shortlist you have covers the key requirements.

From here, there’s a few key bits to look for…

Key criteria:

⬜ Does it do everything you need it to do? Basically, does it have the features you need (job scheduling, live tracking etc.). And, can it cover future needs so you don’t need to swap tech later (which can cause a bit of a headache once people are used to a tool and everything is set up in it.)

⬜ Is it easy to use? Some websites make tech look like it ticks all the boxes and is user-friendly. If it isn’t easy to use, your teams won’t use it so be sure that there is a robust onboarding process to help smooth that transition period and answer any questions. Plus, make sure it’s as easy to use on a mobile as it is on a laptop/PC as your electricians will likely be accessing it via a mobile device or tablet.

⬜ Is it cloud-based software? And accessible via a mobile device or tablet? Field workers need to update jobs on-the-go for everyone to benefit from the tech. Cloud-based tech is also accessible 24-7 which is ideal for field workers that typically work outside of usual office hours.

⬜ Does it integrate with other tech? After all, you’ll probably want tech that allows for things like accountancy integrations so you can experience quick invoicing, payment and the ability to forecast from one dashboard. For greater visibility, you want the entire business working in one solution.

⬜ Is it safe and compliant? Customers want to ensure their data is being held in a secure way. For some, this will be a deal-breaker so the right tech makes for a unique competitive advantage.

And lastly, and more obviously, is it within your budget?

Top tips:

  • 💡 Always get a personalised demo – You’ll want to be shown exactly how easy the tool is in being able to do the key things you need it for.
  • 💡 Don’t forget to ask about training – This is often overlooked, but it’s a deal-breaker. If your entire team isn’t onboard with easily using the system then it won’t work. So make sure there’s a customer service team on hand, training and even a help centre for quick trouble-shooting. 
  • 💡 Check out their customer feedback reviews – Better still, check out reviews on sites like Capterra. You’ll then see what other electrical contractors are saying about them.
  • 💡 Look out for case studies – There should be an abundance of these on the tech providers’ website. Make sure they’ve relevant case studies for your sector (i.e. electrical contracting).

Clearance & Clean Up Eliminate ‘rubbish’ Removals With BigChange Tech

Posted on by Martin Port

Rubbish removal company Clearance & Clean Up has achieved a ten-fold growth in business following the roll-out of a job management system from BigChange. With an online booking system, which automatically creates customised worksheets, an integrated CRM from start to finish job management and real-time vehicle tracking and mobile app, BigChange is reducing the administrative resource required to run the nationwide operation. This has also helped the Yorkshire-based company achieve and maintain the highest quality service standards with the most five-star reviews for a property clearance and rubbish removal company.

“We adopted BigChange quite early in our journey and, as we have grown, BigChange has grown and evolved with us,” commented Tom Pickering, Managing Director of Clearance & Clean Up. “BigChange allows us to offer an unmatched level of service whilst ensuring waste is dealt with quickly, legally and ethically.”Tom Pickering, Managing Director of Clearance & Clean Up

Clearance & Clean Up was established by ex-Royal Navy supervisor Tom Pickering in 2010 and he has subsequently grown the company by more than 1000 per cent to become Yorkshire’s largest property clearance and rubbish removal company. Offering a range of services from single item collection to full house clearance, trade and business waste to event management, Clearance & Clean Up works with tenants and home owners, local councils and housing associations, letting / estate agents, developers as well as high street names.

The BigChange job management platform, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence, in one easy to use system, is used to manage every aspect of the mobile operation from initial enquiries and booking through to invoicing and marketing. An online booking portal captures information via an API connection from Clearance & Clean Up’s website, automatically populating initial job cards and appointment calendar. BigChange also allows Clearance & Clean Up to create personalised booking sites for regular commercial customers.

The integrated CRM means Clearance & Clean Up can manage every aspect of its nationwide customer base including details of bookings, legal documents such as Waste Transfer Notices, invoicing and marketing communications. BigChange also provides the ability to create and customise bespoke worksheets depending on the type of booking received. Operatives complete these using the mobile app whilst on-site, capturing vital evidence, including date stamped photographs, the scale and nature of the waste on arrival, and the site as it is left.

Each of Clearance & Clean Up’s modern, purpose-built trucks, is fitted with a real-time tracker and each field operative is armed with a mobile device running the BigChange Mobile App. This gives management 24/7 visibility of the mobile operation, allows for intelligent and reactive scheduling and route planning and provides additional evidence to inform customer communications.

“We rely on accurate information from our customer in order to provide the best possible service,” Pickering continued. “In return BigChange allows us to capture, record and share real-time service updates, detailed job reports and comprehensive management intelligence whenever and where ever its required”.Tom Pickering, Managing Director of Clearance & Clean Up

“BigChange has been an essential part of our business growth journey and, with the excellent support they offer and tools such as the BigChange University, I expect it to be an integral part of our successful future,” he concluded.

Stirling Electrical Transforms With BigChange Job Management

Posted on by Martin Port

A BigChange job management system is helping electrical contractor Stirling Electrical Services improve efficiency and transform business performance. An electrical and security system company, carrying out domestic and commercial work across Scotland, Stirling Electrical replaced a number of disconnected systems with the all-in-one solution from BigChange. Using a BigChange mobile app synchronised in real time with the back-office system, Stirling Electrical has reduced the amount of paperwork it produces and processes by around 80 per cent, improved operational efficiency by 20 per cent and is winning more tenders.

“In our first decade we were entirely paper based, however, in 2007, after ten years’ of business we made, what was at the time, a significant investment in field service software from America. This was a big step and one few companies of our type and size were taking,” commented Scott McLean, Owner and Director of Stirling Electrical Services and its security system division Stirling Alarms. “We also started using standalone vehicle tracking and navigation equipment at about the same time”.Scott McLean, Owner and Director of Stirling Electrical Services and Stirling Alarms

“These systems did boost productivity and reduce administration, but only in part. We were still manually producing paper job sheets which, when completed, needed scanning for historical reporting, and the tracking and navigation didn’t ‘talk’ to each other or other management processes. BigChange is great as it does everything we need in a single package and is ready to go straight out-of-the-box.”

Established in 1996, Stirling Electrical Services is an electrical and security system company operating locally in and around Stirling, and nationally across Scotland. With a team of qualified engineers, electricians and apprentices, Stirling Electrical offers fault finding, installation, maintenance, inspection and testing services, while experienced office staff are on hand to deal with initial job enquiries through to job completion reporting. Promising a ‘Professional Efficient Service’. Stirling Electrical has subsequently established a branded security alarm service, including CCTV, Fire and Smoke Detection, Emergency Lighting and Door Access, as well as installing Electric Vehicle charge points.

Stirling Electrical selected the BigChange job management platform, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence, following a recommendation from another BigChange user. Since implementing, Stirling Electrical has fully automated the production, completion and filing of job cards and no longer has to print, fill in and scan. This means information is available in real-time and is available as and when required to answer customer queries or review site histories.

“The biggest thing about BigChange is the visibility that it gives us. All the information we need is instantly available so we can manage everything more dynamically and keep customers better informed,” said McLean. “We’ve also won tenders because BigChange allows us to tick more boxes and is so easily adaptable we’re confident we can do anything that is asked of us.”       Scott McLean, Owner and Director of Stirling Electrical Services and Stirling Alarms

Integrated vehicle tracking and navigation combined with intelligent and responsive scheduling has further boosted daily productivity and simple things like engineers no longer having to ‘phone-in’ at the start of the day or end of a job are making a real difference to the work that can be completed each day.

The ability to automatically capture on-site information including date stamped photographs and ‘no-touch’ signatures, introduced to support Covid restrictions, together with other processes, enabled by BigChange, are also helping Stirling Electrical secure additional contracts with public sector organisations such as Housing Associations.

“Although we have already made significant improvements in our management and reporting processes using BigChange, there is always more that can be done,” McLean continued. “Moving forward we can achieve additional efficiency gains by integrating with our accounting and financial reporting functions and we hope to implement the online booking portal for some of our larger customers.

“As BigChange is adaptable and modifiable the support of the account management and Roadcrew support teams, as well as the wider BigChange Community, has been one of the biggest strengths of the system as we know there is always someone on hand to offer advice or assistance if we need it.”

5 Reasons Your Business Should Be Using Job Tracking Software

Posted on by Martin Port

IN THESE DIFFICULT ECONOMIC TIMES YOU NEED TO GRAB ANY OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THAT CRUCIAL COMPETITIVE EDGE. JOB TRACKING SOFTWARE HAS BECOME AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR BUSINESSES OF ALL SIZES AND INDUSTRIES TO DO JUST THAT. WHY? BECAUSE IT ALLOWS BUSINESSES TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF JOBS 24/7.

So what exactly is job tracking software?

In a nutshell, job tracking software provides you with an end-to-end overview of your business, covering everything from where your drivers are at all times, to job progress and your finances.

You might be wondering ‘Why do I need this when I am managing well without it?’ Well it falls into the category of things you don’t know you need until you have it – think Wikipedia or Google. It is not only labour saving, it helps you in ways you may not have considered, so let’s dig deeper.

In this blog post, we will discuss the big 5 reasons why you should be using job tracking software in your business.👇🏻

#1 Increased Efficiency

One of the biggest advantages of job tracking software is the immediate boost to efficiency the right software will give you across your whole business

You can easily monitor driver location and the progress of jobs, ensuring that they are completed on time and to the required standard. This can help to increase productivity and reduce the risk of delays and missed deadlines, helping you smash those all-important SLAs.

Furthermore, job tracking software can also help you identify and resolve any bottlenecks in your processes and your job scheduling, which can further increase efficiency. And we all know what first time fixes add to both customer satisfaction and your bottom line!

#2 Better Communication

Good comms are an essential element of every successful business but implementing them is another matter entirely. Silo working practices are a huge problem for businesses and can be made even more difficult where you have multi-site structures.

Job tracking software makes collaborative working a doddle, linking employees across your company regardless of department or location, whether working in the office or on the road.

If you have chosen job tracking software that also has a mobile app, it can be used to assign jobs instantly, sending through digital worksheets, photos and information without the need for any paperwork.

Not only that but shared software acts as a single source of truth, meaning that everyone is on the same (digital) page and that there are fewer misunderstandings.

#3 Improved Accountability

Most of you will be familiar with the painful complexity of trying to track who did what when across your business. This is especially true if you are using a paper system, or a number of different softwares that don’t ‘speak’ to each other.

Job tracking software simplifies things by tracking the progress of jobs from scheduling to completion, with some offering financial integration with packages such as Sage and Xero.

This allows you to establish not just accountability for work but also a real sense of ownership, with everyone clearly understanding their role in the health of your business.

Job tracking software allows managers to see who is responsible for each task, when it is due and whether it has been completed or not.

🎯This can help to increase productivity and can also be used to set goals and targets for employees.

#4 Better Resource Management

Job tracking software can revolutionise the way that jobs are allocated by your scheduling team. Intelligent assistance may well form part of the software package, automating considerations such as employee credentials, and customer time constraints to optimise journey planning. This can result in huge savings on fuel economy and often frees up time on the schedule for additional jobs.

Being able to track the locations of resources, vehicles and equipment means that you can respond instantly to urgent job requests

And it’s not just field workers who benefit from job tracking software. Huge numbers of repetitive tasks, such as notifying customers with confirmations, sending updates, issuing financial documents and chasing payments can all be automated, meaning you need less administrative staff whilst remaining hyper-efficient!

#5 Better Decision Making

So what can you be doing with all of the administrative time that has now been freed up? Simple. It allows you time to focus on strategy.

Job tracking software can provide you with a wealth of data that you can sort and filter.

On an overview level, this data can be used to identify areas where your business could improve efficiency, reduce costs, or increase revenue.

On a granular level, job tracking software can be used to track the performance of specific employees, for example, to identify any areas where they may need additional training or support.

Final thoughts

Job tracking software is a powerful tool that can help businesses of all sizes and industries to:

  • increase efficiency
  • improve communication
  • increase accountability
  • better manage resources
  • make better decisions

It will provide you with the kind of personalised business intelligence and reporting that you simply can’t achieve in other ways.

It helps keep different departments and sites aligned with your business goals.

Job tracking software can give you real competitive advantage right across your business. Are you ready to hear more?

Why not contact BigChange for a chat about ways that job tracking software can help fast track your business growth.🚀

BigChange Underpins Expansion Plans For UKDP Solutions

Posted on by Martin Port

Off-mains drainage expert UKDP Solutions, is pinning ambitious expansion plans on its use of a BigChange job management system. The specialist drainage company has already transformed the management of its field operation using BigChange, with engineer’s mobile devices and vehicle trackers live-linked to a central management system. This has meant a 30 percent gain in operational efficiencies, as engineers spend less time completing paperwork, and boosted customer service with real-time access to service updates and automatically generated ETAs. UKDP is also saving tens of thousands of pounds per year in office rent as the cloud-based system has allowed remote working, introduced during the pandemic to be continued.    

“We have ambitious expansion plans and BigChange will play a big part in them, as it allows scalability at any pace, due to the continuity it provides and the transparency it offers,” commented James Warren, Technical Director at UKDP Solutions. “We have proven that BigChange works and I have no doubt that regardless of the challenges we face, it always will.”  James Warren, Technical Director at UKDP Solutions

It is estimated that around 5 percent of UK properties are not connected to mains drainage relying instead on systems such as septic tanks, sewage treatment plants or cesspits. Located in mainly rural areas, UKDP offers a range of services to these properties, including new installations, inspections, surveys, repairs, and routine maintenance and emptying. A team of directly employed Field Operations Managers (FOM), armed with tablets running the BigChange mobile app, cover the whole of Britain using a mixed fleet of Ford and Peugeot vans.

UKDP selected the BigChange job management platform system, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence, to replace a number of disconnected systems including a standalone office suite, online calendar and email server. Using BigChange, UKDP has digitised all previous systems and processes and created a library of over 40 customised worksheets covering every job type which engineers complete onsite leading to an increase in productivity of 30 percent.

Real-time tracking allows UKDP to issue accurate arrival times and update customers of any delays. This visibility and accessibility of information also means any member of the office team can answer queries, at any time, it also provides a valuable input for time / cost analysis by providing ‘time on site’ transparency. This transparency is extended to other areas of the business including financial reporting. With all job costs and invoices on the system UKDP can assess the profitability of individual jobs and produce detailed reports in a matter of minutes.

“We have fully immersed our entire operation in BigChange and, as cheesy as it may sound, the more we have put in the more we have got out,” Warren continued. “It took some time to get all our documents and workflows on the system but it was the best thing we have ever done. We are now exactly where we need to be to start the next stage of our development and BigChange has been, and will continue to be, an integral part of our journey.”James Warren, Technical Director at UKDP Solutions

5 Signs Your Business Is Ready For Job Management Software

Posted on by Martin Port

IT’S INEVITABLE. AS FIELD SERVICE BUSINESSES GROW, KEEPING TRACK OF EVERY ELEMENT OF A JOB CAN BECOME JUST THAT LITTLE BIT TRICKIER.

Plus, the more jobs there are to manage, the more communication tends to break down, updates are slower, human error is more prone. All this eats into profit margins.

And this is where job management software comes in.

In this blog, we’ll look at the top reasons field service businesses take the plunge. But first, let’s start with a quick definition of what exactly job management software is.

QUICK DEFINITION: WHAT IS JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?

Job management software is a tool that allows field service businesses to easily and efficiently track jobs and specific tasks.

How?

Backed by the right cloud-based tech, the tool gives all employees quick and easy access to complex project schedules, real-time tracking, reporting and even invoicing. So, whether your staff are in the field or in the office, everyone is kept up-to-date – instantly.

The efficiency and productivity benefits are endless… For example, it provides real-time updates of customer information, speedy and accurate automated invoicing, better forecasting, and so much more.

In fact, there are so many benefits that we’ve written an entire blog on it 👇

📕 Read more: How does job management software actually save your field service business money?

Now, if you’re not sure if you’re ready for job management software, making the leap can seem unnecessary. After all, you’ve successfully run a business without it.

So let’s look at telltale signs that now really is the time to change.

TOP 5 SIGNS YOUR FIELD SERVICE BUSINESS IS READY FOR JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

For decades, field service businesses have successfully operated using a manual approach to job management.

But going paperless ultimately saves businesses money (more on this here).

Let’s look at the most common areas manual-based processes start to create strain on field service businesses and ultimately hold them back. Here’s what we’ll cover:

  1. Costly delays
  2. Job tracking issues
  3. Compliance, communication and team collaboration
  4. Sales and customer experiences are suffering
  5. Too many software solutions draining time

#1: Costly delays

Field service businesses relying on manual processes can hit unnecessary costs and delays.

Why?

Because they don’t have quick access to a centralised platform to input customer information and it can then be tricky to organise the right stock, mobile workforce resources and vehicles.

The result? Businesses often aren’t able to achieve first-time fixes (because of not having the right part/credentials) and they can’t respond quickly to new client requests, call-outs and scheduled servicing.

Ultimately, this impacts revenue streams and also the standards of customer service.

📲How job management software helps:

Essentially, it provides instant access to information so that employees can see key information such as engineer and site locations, client job records, relevant suppliers and prices, and team availability. User access, of course, can be limited.

This instant information transfer whilst on the road means fast response times for urgent jobs and a greater likelihood of smashing SLAs.

And fundamentally, with the right software, Managers can be better prepared in the first place. Using the software as a task management tool, they can quickly sort exactly what they need to save time and money on things like return visits by organising the right people and the right equipment for each job.

#2: Job tracking issues

Manually tracking scheduled service agreements and ensuring engineers are allocated within SLAs uses significant admin resources… And it leaves businesses open to missed appointments.

Plus, manual processes mean businesses often have to dig information out from multiple sources to create one view of job progress. This is rarely up-to-date.

📲 How job management software helps:

To sum up, it automates this entire process.

The result? Teams receive automated notifications and warnings when service agreement visits are approaching SLA deadlines. Or, when job sheets are complete, allowing for swift invoicing. And this level of reactive ability can help win new business and negotiate better terms on renewals.

What’s more, real-time oversight enables more accurate future planning.

Plus, it enables quick access to key job and financial information for high-level reporting for Managing Directors and shareholders.

#3: Compliance, communication and team collaboration

Manual communication such as job reporting and engineer handovers can be easily affected by logistical issues such as working hours, or even internal conflict.

This means that there’s a delay in key information being passed through to the back-office teams. And this impacts a wide range of things: everything from stock orders, to invoicing, to financial reporting.

To add to this, this issue is compounded when field service businesses work with other external contractors to complete jobs — especially when they need to adhere to regulatory standards.

📲 How job management software helps:

Job management software creates a central project view. It provides one single point for all information by allowing multiple users to upload, view and documents — like job records and invoices — in real-time, available 24 hours a day.

Plus, with some project management software contractors can get managed access to this centralised platform. This means they have all the information they need but the field service business can limit the user’s access. So better external team collaboration too 👍

You can also automate job sheets and mandatory fields to ensure engineers complete jobs within the guidelines of certain accreditations and legislations. This can be a deal-breaker for new business opportunities and really help you stand out against the competition.

#4: Sales and customer experiences are suffering

Often, field service businesses that use manual processes see a lag in response times and customer service.

That’s because of the issues flagged above like difficulty tracking jobs. 

Without things like invoicing, job scheduling and inventory management being managed in one central place, businesses can expect errors and delays — which can impact customer satisfaction and retention.

📲 How job management software helps:

Ultimately, job management software is a powerful tool for streamlining processes both internally and for the customer, and for improving forecasting and planning.

Here are just a handful of ways it does this:

  • Easily access quotations once submitted – no discrepancies in quotes between sales and accounts.
  • Sales teams can quickly quote profitable prices – with easy access to stock costings to identify margins.
  • Sales teams forecast better – with real-time updates, they can see how they are performing against targets and forecast future sales.
  • Minimise stock delays and disruption to customers – by ensuring smooth relationships with suppliers through prompt payment and knowing exactly what you need for forthcoming jobs.
  • Access the latest information – with both real-time customer updates and stock information in one place, you can easily keep customers updated, particularly handy when they call in. Better still, with some field service management software, additional features like client portals allow customers to view job updates, track engineers and self-serve to book appointments.
  • Track customer feedback and communications – with some CRM systems you can even automate personalised feedback forms.

#5: Too many software solutions draining time

Multiple software solutions for accounts, stock management, sales orders and more wreaks havoc in any business and make it difficult to manage finances — everything from forecasting, to budgets, through to payroll.

And they can cause teams to work in silos, rather than collaboratively because employees just can’t see what other departments are doing and the impact on the business.

📲 How job management software helps:

Put simply, it allows field service businesses to gain easy, quick access to a variety of financial and working documents, like job sheets, through a single online portal. With some job software solutions, this can even be remotely accessible via mobile applications or tablets so it’s easy to update on the go.

The result? Real-time notifications for quick and better decision-making. And saving hundreds of admin hours manually inputting or even duplicating data input.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT JOB MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Just a quick one to bear in mind before launching in: Not all field service management software is the right software for your business.

If you want a solution that can support growth, here are the key features to look out for:

✅ An all-in-one solution – that covers multiple business needs like job tracking, scheduling and invoicing.

✅ Easy integration with your other tech – to enable swift invoice issuing and allow prompt payment.

✅ Accessible 24/7 – and from anywhere, and any device so engineers can use it out in the field and outside of office hours (keep an eye out for cloud-based tech).

📕 Take a look at this handy checklist to learn more: 5 tips for choosing job management software.

Ready to add BigChange to your shortlist? Get in touch for a personalised demo and one of our field service specialists will talk you through how it can help your business grow.