Category: news

14th september 2022 – Specialist Project Logistics (spl), a specialist transport and delivery service for high-value items, has achieved a 40 per cent growth in business since implementing the latest job management technology from BigChange.

The cloud-based platform has allowed SPL to transform its paper-based operation with end-to-end digital workflows reducing costs and improving communications. The fully integrated CRM ensures every opportunity is managed to its full potential, helping the business secure more work, whilst automated scheduling improves the efficiency of the mobile workforce by up to 50 per cent.

“Prior to BigChange, we were completely paper-based, which meant vital information was not accessible, and the operation was not scalable,” commented Phil Dixon, Commercial Director at Specialist Project Logistics. “My remit was to implement a strategy for growth, and to achieve this, I knew I needed to provide a structure that allowed for the flow of information between the field teams, back office and management.

“BigChange provides this! From initial enquiry through the actual delivery process to invoicing and payment, every piece of information is recorded and centrally stored, meaning it is accessible whenever and wherever it’s needed. In addition, the CRM has transformed our sales process, so we are winning more business; the intelligent scheduling means we can do more work with the same resource, and the real-time tracking and updates mean we can respond to changes as they occur and keep the customer informed.”   

Phil Dixon, Commercial Director, SPL

SPL is based just outside of Doncaster, with easy access to the motorway network allowing them to provide a bespoke delivery service across the mainland UK. Operating a mixed fleet of trucks and vans, SPL specialises in the transport of high-end white goods, ensuring equipment is delivered in situ. Working alongside its sister companies General Catering Services and Jeros UK, for high street names such as J D Wetherspoons, Co-Op and Five Guys, SPL offers a complete solution including warehousing and consolidation, unpacking and positioning, and removal and disposal. 

BigChange job management platform, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence in one simple to use and easy-to-integrate platform, has transformed service delivery for SPL. Using the CRM to log enquiries provides intelligence for the management team for business development and ensures consistency of information once work is won. Drivers armed with tablets have access to delivery details and the flow of real-time information between field and office, including POD, complete with photographs and time/date stamps and continuously updated ETAs ensuring the client is kept informed. 

“BigChange is like one big encyclopaedia for our business,” Dixon continued,

“When the pressure is on, and multiple plates are spinning, BigChange is a steady hand ensuring nothing gets dropped! BigChange is easy to use – even for the least techy person, and the support from the BigChange team is excellent.” 

Phil Nixon, Commercial Director, SPL

31ST AUGUST 2022 – BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERING COMPANY FORTH, HAS IMPLEMENTED BIGCHANGE TO IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF OVER 10,000 COMBUSTION, AIR CONDITIONING, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ASSETS FOR CUSTOMERS, RANGING FROM THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD TO GLOBAL REAL ESTATE FIRMS.

A complete job management solution, BigChange is improving the efficiency of routine maintenance scheduling, ensuring compliance with strict servicing standards, reducing back-office resources and boosting customer service levels with detailed, customised reporting. Cost control features and automated invoicing are also contributing to FORTH’s rise as one of the fastest-growing building service companies in the UK.

“Prior to BigChange, the work of our engineers and the financial management of jobs was completed using a variety of tools,” commented Sarah Jones, Systems Process Manager at FORTH. “Whilst this was right for us as a much smaller operation, it did not provide the ability to manage specific servicing records, and consequent remedial works, of every asset we look after. It was also inefficient and hampered our ability to deliver specific servicing information to clients.

“Having looked for a solution for approximately two years, BigChange was the only one which combined all of the elements of job management we were looking for, together with strong asset and financial management capabilities.”

Sarah Jones, Systems Process Manager at FORTH

FORTH is a specialist, multi-disciplined mechanical and electrical service provider operating throughout the South of England, London and the Midlands. FORTH has over 60 years of experience designing, installing and maintaining HVAC and electrical plant equipment within the public sector, heritage, commercial and industrial spaces. FORTH is trusted by facilities and estate professionals in organisations such as Salisbury Cathedral, University Hospital Southampton and the Priory Group.

The BigChange job management platform, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, field resource management, job finance and business intelligence in one simple to use and easy-to-integrate platform, has had a big impact for FORTH. Routine tasks have been automated, and the ability to create detailed service standards has enabled FORTH to work directly with clients to create, report on and continuously improve the health of their assets.

The ability to access historical service records whilst on-site ensures continuity of service, and the speed and immediacy of completion reporting are boosting customer service levels and financial control. FORTH is also using BigChange vehicle tracking to monitor and improve driving standards

“BigChange is the solution that will enable us to scale our business to the next level, and we know we have made the best possible choice, both for our current and future requirements,” she concluded.

“The whole team has embraced BigChange, and we have been supported by them at every stage; there is always someone available, and they are always able to help!”

Sarah Jones, Systems Process Manager at FORTH

Leeds, 07 September 2022 – Plumbing & Gas Solutions is set to improve their efficiency, saving the company time and money, following the implementation of a BigChange job management system.

By automating workflows and connecting mobile engineers armed with tablets to back-office staff and management, BigChange is improving efficiencies, reducing outgoings and eliminating the potential for errors.

“Using BigChange we are changing our behaviours and therefore our culture,” said Darryl Taylor, the new Operations Director taken on to implement BigChange for Plumbing & Gas Solutions. “Management no longer needs to keep tabs on the workforce, engineers can focus on the job, not the paperwork, and our customers can engage with us when and how they want to. This will allow us to grow the business in a sustainable way to the benefit of our staff, our clients and our community.”

“Occasionally, paperwork that had not been correctly filled in or submitted was resulting in the odd job not being invoiced,” commented Carl Yeomanson, Managing Director of Plumbing & Gas Solutions. “This was not just costing us in terms of lost billing, parts would have been purchased to do the job, engineers were still being paid and we were using fuel and other consumables, to do the work. Due to the size of the projects we work on we know that in the first week of using BigChange we saved many hours of time scheduling jobs and had a more streamlined approach to our billing system!

“But the savings don’t stop there,” he continued. “There were other avoidable charges, such as lapsed vehicle leases, and we were not using our engineers to their maximum capacity.”

Plumbing & Gas Solutions was established in 2010 and was initially focused on domestic services; the company fitted the first bathroom for Homebase which was recently sold for close to £100 million. Having consistently grown, year on year, Plumbing & Gas now specialises in commercial and industrial reactive maintenance and retrofit projects, working for brands such as Centre Parcs, Stadium MK, Cranfield University and Bletchley Park. Plumbing & Gas operates a mixed fleet of vans and trucks and has the largest team of commercial gas engineers in the region

Using the BigChange job management system, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence, in one simple to use and easy to integrate platform, Plumbing & Gas now work smarter rather than harder.

Intelligent scheduling ensures the most appropriate resource is allocated to each task and ad-hoc requests can be accommodated, whilst engineers no longer have to physically check in at the office as there is a real-time flow of information between office and field, with job cards, completion reports and photographs available 24/7. Equipment specific service histories, certificates and maintenance records can be accessed, in just a couple of clicks, and the invoicing and payroll are automated based on vehicle tracking and digital reporting.

The BigChange customer portal allows Plumbing & Gas’ clients to self-serve with access to certificates, completed work reports and invoices and they can even book their own appointments based on continuously updated engineer availability. Plumbing & Gas is also utilising the features of the BigChange CRM to boost customer service by reviewing dormant clients and identifying additional opportunities with existing relationships.

Plumbing & Gas’ engineers are also embracing BigChange with guided vehicle checks, advanced routing and even driver alerts for speeding and idling, which is creating healthy competition, further reducing costs and minimising environmental impact.