Heatforce, the Cardiff-based national heating company, has used the latest mobile technology to boost its independent customer service rating by 25 percent in just 6 months.
The mobile resource management system from BigChange has seen Heatforce service engineers and electricians equipped with mobile devices running a mobile workforce app linked to vehicle trackers.
Field operations are synchronised with a BigChange central management system with real time information boosting customer service through improved scheduling and faster call-out response, together with instant digital communications backed by detailed proof of work records. The system has also improved office efficiency, driving performance and increased company profitability.
Heatforce had previously relied on a number of separate systems, spreadsheets and paper records that led to an enormous administrative burden as the company expanded. BigChange is an all-in-one platform CRM, job scheduling, mobile app and vehicle tracking solution that eliminates paper and can be accessed anywhere, anytime via the web.
“We were inundated with paper and with separate systems it was proving increasingly difficult to manage operations so we knew we needed to completely overhaul everything,“ said Jake Maddocks, Company Director, Heatforce. “BigChange has completely transformed the way we work; having everything in one place with live information at our fingertips gives us a level of control way beyond our original expectations.”
Heatforce is a specialist in heating systems, installing and maintaining boilers for domestic and commercial clients such as local councils and housing associations. With a fleet of 60 vehicles tracked by BigChange, the company provides contract maintenance and emergency 24/7 call out services.
“With BigChange, office efficiency has already increased by 25 percent. In addition, improved job scheduling means less miles are being travelled and productivity is up; especially as engineers don’t need to come to the office as often. We’ve also increased contract win rates thanks to the added capability BigChange gives us and, despite the lockdown challenges of recent months, the system has actually enabled us to increase our profitability,” Maddocks comments.
Heatforce is particularly successful in their home region of South Wales where they have won major contracts looking after 8,000 properties for local councils such as Caerphilly and Vale of Glamorgan. Heatforce is also expanding into electrical services and green energy, with increasing installations of solar power and ground source heating systems.
“We particularly like the way the system can be so easily configured. That means we can offer more services and quickly adapt to the needs of different customers; BigChange is becoming pretty crucial to our plans to expand into new areas,” says Maddocks.
With the COVID-19 pandemic BigChange has proved invaluable in allowing people to work from home. With some staff receiving notifications to self-isolate their work could continue seamlessly by simply logging onto the system at home. Management were also able to keep a tight control on the business using a handy BigChange management app.
With the fleet fitted with vehicle trackers Heatforce has also taken advantage of BigChange software that tracks driver performance. With incentives being offered for higher scores the company has seen a 20 percent improvement in driving performance.
About BigChange:
Launched in 2013 with a mission to free business from inefficient processes and time-consuming paperwork, BigChange is driving productivity for companies of all sizes across more than 60 industries. Trusted by 50,000 mobile workers and back-office personnel at 1,500 organisations around the world, BigChange employs 170 people and in 2020 won over £20m in new contracts.
Valued at £100 million BigChange recently secured significant investment from Great Hill Partners, the growth-oriented private equity firm behind Wayfair, ZoomInfo and Notonthehighstreet, to drive further growth and innovation.
The award-winning BigChange system is an all-in-one business management solution that includes CRM, job scheduling, and invoicing synchronised in real time with JobWatch, a mobile workforce app with vehicle tracking, together with a customer portal and booking app.
In 2020 BigChange was awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation, one of the highest business honours in the UK awarded for the company’s contribution to international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity. Recognised by Best Companies with a two-star rating, the company has also featured in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and was named in the 2018 Deloitte Technology Fast 50. For more information visit www.bigchange.com.
