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Category: Case Study

BigChange Powers Environmentally Friendly Working for EV Charging Experts

McNally EV
Posted on by Martin Port

McNally EV, installers of electric vehicle charging points is using mobile workforce management technology from BigChange to power paperless working and reduce unnecessary mileage.

From lead management through to job completion reporting and invoicing, the cloud-based, 5-in-1 solution, provides a single source for all information needed to run the mobile workforce. Accessible from any internet-enabled device, BigChange is improving efficiency, boosting customer service and reducing the environmental impact of the business.

“We are committed to making the world greener by providing the infrastructure to encourage and make accessible the use of electric vehicles, and BigChange is helping us on our journey, using BigChange, we don’t need to produce unnecessary paper copies of work schedules and job completion reports and our installers and engineers are able to access relevant client records and technical documents, including photographs, through the mobile app. This makes them more efficient and is contributing to a reduction in mileage.” 

Nicky McNally, Managing Director of McNally EV.

McNally EV is a Yorkshire-based, family run business which has been specialising in the installation of both commercial and home electric vehicle chargers for more than 10 years. Working independently and with national partners including the Shell group, McNally EV has installed over 9,000 electric vehicle charging points across the UK and is committed to improving EV infrastructure for all drivers.

“We trialled a number of systems but BigChange is the solution that consistently works well for us, the BigChange CRM functionality allows us to keep track of customers past, present and future, meaning our customer interactions are always informed and up to date. Our engineers can also check and allocate stock remotely, which leads to further gains in efficiency and is improving communication within the business.”

McNally EV uses the single platform CRM, Job Scheduling, Mobile App, Tracking and Customer Portal from BigChange to support all aspects of its business. Engineers working in the field can access work schedules, client records and stock levels whilst back-office staff and management have complete visibility of the mobile operation 24/7 from any location, allowing them to react to changing circumstances and keep customers informed.

“Being cloud-based is also an important factor for us, as an essential business, we needed to operate as normal throughout the recent lockdowns, and BigChange allowed us to maintain business as usual. BigChange is also extremely adaptable to the needs of our business, allowing flexibility in the way things are organised.” 

McNally Van Fleet

BigChange Mobile Technology Lifts Productivity for AFI Group

Posted on by Martin Port

The AFI Group, specialists in powered access equipment, is boosting the productivity of its nationwide team of engineers and drivers with workforce management technology from BigChange.

The cloud-based, 5-in-1 solution enables AFI to build custom workflows underpinned by job-specific documentation, contributing to a reduction in engineer call-outs. Improved planning and visibility have already boosted driver productivity by 30 percent and AFI is looking forward to further benefits as it introduces BigChange to other parts of its business.

“Working at height is a professional skill and as such it requires professional equipment, expertise and knowledge and BigChange supports that, with BigChange, we build our own workflows which means we only ask relevant questions and perform applicable tests; for example, if we are inspecting an electric machine why check fuel levels? It sounds obvious, but every question that doesn’t need to be asked or test that doesn’t need to be undertaken is time, and therefore money, saved.”

Chris Jowett, Group IT Director at AFI Group Services

Jowett Continued:

“This also leads to quicker fixes for our customers, we are only six-months into using BigChange for our engineers and we have completely re-written our breakdown workflows. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in the number of faults that can be fixed over the phone, meaning a customer can be back up and running, in a matter of minutes, without waiting for a site visit.”

AFI provide high-quality powered access machine hire and sales, industry-accredited training and health and safety courses to ensure that anyone working at height is doing it safely and professionally. From only three UK depots and 270 machines in 2002, AFI has expanded to 20 locations in the UK and six in the Middle East. AFI now has a fleet of more than 6,000 powered access machines, a team of 200 plus engineers, drivers and operators and provides training for more than 30,000 people each year.

AFI introduced BigChange to replace an existing workforce management system. By providing a single platform, CRM, Job Scheduling, Mobile App, Vehicle Tracking and Online Portal, BigChange has combined a range of functionality that AFI used to access from disparate systems. Planning for operators and engineers is now undertaken for the whole of the UK from central offices and management have complete, real-time visibility of every vehicle. AFI is also transitioning other aspects of transport management to BigChange, including PMI (Preventative Maintenance Inspection) scheduling, MOT and tax reminders and DVSA checks.

BigChange also powers a seamless, paperless flow of intelligence with improved access to and sharing of equipment or site-specific documentation using the mobile app whilst automatically generated alerts keep customers informed when a machine has been delivered, serviced or repaired and is ready for use. 

Jowett concluded:

“The support we receive from BigChange is second to none, we have a dedicated account manager who truly understands our business and has helped us get the maximum return on our investment which is really helpful as new functionality is released every two weeks!”

AFI Group Office shot

BigChange Technology Helps Millane Contract Services Keep on Top of Workforce Health and Safety

Millane Contract Service employee holding a BigChange mobile device
Posted on by Martin Port

Millane Contract Services is using BigChange mobile workforce technology to bolster workforce health and safety. The cloud-based, 5-in-1-system BigChange is being used to monitor driver behaviour, complete on-site risk assessments and ensure the company’s maintenance engineers are free from COVID symptoms and ready for work.

The BigChange system is also helping the multi-discipline building, roofing and maintenance company automate communications between staff, management and customers, which in turn is boosting job completion rates, speeding invoicing and improving cashflow across the Essex-based business.

Stephen Rickwood, Maintenance Manager at Millane Contract Services commented:

“Driven by the Board, we initially looked at BigChange last year.”

“At the time trade was impacted by the lockdown, as many of our customers are in the retail and hospitality sectors, so in a way that gave us breathing space to look at better ways of working and what’s important to our business.”

Rickwood continued:

“The main drivers for implementing BigChange were workforce wellbeing and business preparedness.”

“BigChange will help us ensure our workforce is happy, safe and well, and that our business is as ready as it can be for whatever the future throws at us as we return to the new normal.”

A family run business headquartered in Basildon, Essex, Millane offers a national service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The maintenance division, comprising a nationwide team of field-based service engineers supported by contract managers and a dedicated helpdesk team, provides both planned and reactive maintenance for brands such as Pizza Express, The Range, Cosy Club and The Entertainer.  

BigChange provides a single platform CRM, Job Scheduling, Mobile App, Vehicle Tracking and Online Portal. Using the system, Millane has introduced a range of ‘start of shift’ checks for each remote worker ensuring they are ready to work and free of COVID symptoms. Vehicle and equipment checks are also in place and BigChange is being used by management to improve driver behaviour with alerts for idling, speeding and harsh braking, for example. The BigChange mobile app, can also be used to prompt engineers to complete on-site risk assessments and access previously completed method statements.

Rickwood concluded:

“Although our initial focus was our workforce and ensuring the business was ready to bounce back after lockdown, we know BigChange has so much more to offer.”

“We are excited to explore the full potential of BigChange and build on the processes and benefits already in place.”

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Digital Transformation at Sheffield City Council

Sheffield City Council
Posted on by Martin Port

When it comes to the digital transformation of public services, Sheffield City Council has taken a pioneering approach to improving how key services are delivered, working in partnership with BigChange.

BigChange’s cutting-edge mobile workforce system, has already improved the efficiency, compliance and performance of several key services, as well as the day-to-day experience of service users and council employees.

This report details how Sheffield City Council, working in partnership with BigChange, has transformed how several of its services are delivered:

  • Smart job scheduling and vehicle tracking has improved the efficiency and quality of Sheffield’s Special Educational Needs Transport service, and saved thousands of hours a year.
  • Digitising compliance checks in facilities management has improved coordination of inspection teams and made reporting more manageable in the field. 
  • By employing smarter logistics in social housing maintenance, Sheffield has reduced driving time and CO2 emissions, and achieved a 33% increase in on-time deliveries.
  • By replacing paper-based reporting with a digital solution, Sheffield has made flood-protection inspections faster and more responsive.
  • BigChange helped Sheffield establish an outstanding Covid-19 PPE distribution scheme, enabling a small team to coordinate the delivery of over 20 million PPE items to 500 contacts a month.
  • Sheffield is leading the way in remote workforce management for cleaning services, enabling a team of three people to coordinate and support the activities of 124 cleaners, remotely.

Click here to read the full report

Sheffield City Council employee holding a mobile JobWatch device