BigChange Mobile Workforce App Doubles Productivity at Gritting Operator AA Salt

Gritting company AA Salt has doubled the productivity of its gritting operators following the introduction of a cloud-based mobile workforce system from BigChange.

The productivity gains, which are due to improved routing and job scheduling using BigChange Schedular software and greater efficiency through the elimination of paperwork. As part of the system the fleet is also fitted with GPS tracking so gritting operations can be monitored 24/7 and this, coupled with live status reports from gritting operators, has allowed AA Salt to boost customer service.

Still a family-run business, AA Salt was founded in 2002 to provide gritting services across the Hereford and Worcester area. Today with a fleet of 14 vehicles, the company specialises in providing commercial gritting and snow clearing services to an area that now extends from the West Midlands to Gloucestershire.

Ben Tanner comments:

“As demand for our gritting service increased we knew we had to automate more”

Sales and Operations Director, AA Salt explained:

“When the Beast from the East hit the country in 2019 we had just started using BigChange. Without the system we would never have coped with the demand and BigChange has basically allowed us to double our business.”

Tanner added:

“Productivity gains have been very substantial thanks to BigChange. Through work optimisation and digital reporting we reckon we are saving 5 minutes per job and reducing driving time by a total of 4 hours each night. From just 100 jobs a night we can now do up to 450.”

AA Salt clear and grit private roads and estates such as car parks at retail sites, universities and industrial estates. Jobs are scheduled and allocated in BigChange and allocated with jobs sent directly to gritting operators’ tablets. AA Salt has mapped and geofenced each site and using the BigChange JobWatch app, operators can see job specifications and notify of any issues with time and location referenced photographs on location.

AA Salt has seen a significant improvement is customer service as a result of the real time data now being received. Now all gritting reports are live and accessible to customers through the JobWatch web portal. Previously records of work done was very limited and the company did not have the job reporting capability required by some potential key customers.

Tanner continued:

“We needed to take the business up to the next level and BigChange has given us the capability to offer reports on par with larger competitors,”

The system has also given AA Salt greater confidence in expanding the business whilst retaining high levels of service. Now winning contracts with national facilities management companies and landowners, the company occasionally relies on contractors for out of area work as far afield as Winchester and Nottingham.

Tanner concluded:

“Previously we were too nervous to outsource work but that has changed with JobWatch. Now if we need to contract out the contractor can use exactly the same JobWatch app on their mobile phone so we can have the same level of control and seamless reporting to the customer.”

Hatton Traffic Management is rolling out the latest mobile technology as part of a resource management system connecting field operatives to fleet controllers in real time.

Supplied by Leeds IT company BigChange, the system is already providing significant improvements in efficiency and service with a switch to digital working and the elimination of paperwork.

Based in the North East, Hatton Traffic Management operates nationwide from 10 locations and provides complete range of traffic management systems for anything from motorway closures to city wide event traffic management, rail crossings and portable traffic light control. Working with local authorities, event organisers, highways agencies and many of the UK’s largest infrastructure companies, with clients from Balfour Beatty to the BBC.

With the rapid expansion of the business in recent years, Hatton Traffic Management has expanded its portfolio of services to include permanent sign supply and installation, mobile elevated work platform services, and equipment hire and sales. Hatton is also one of only a limited number of companies in the UK offering both temporary and permanent Vehicle Restraint Systems (VRS).

Simon Watton, Software Developer, Hatton Traffic Management says:

“As the company expanded we outgrew our previous IT system and began an exhaustive search for something that would handle our diverse needs. We found systems were very good at one thing but were unable to handle other aspects of our work; we really wanted a single system to manage everything. It soon became clear that BigChange was the only supplier that offered the flexibility we needed,”

Once quoted work is accepted, schedulers at each location automatically receive job details for their region.

Watton says:

“That’s a really useful feature.”

“Each depot simply has visibility of their jobs but centrally we see the whole picture.”

Hatton currently has 107 field operatives and once jobs are scheduled and allocated, the appropriate operative receives the job on their rugged tablets. The tablets run the BigChange 5 in 1 app called JobWatch which replaces traditional worksheets and an array of cumbersome paperwork that operatives used to have to carry and complete.

Hatton operates a fleet that include hybrid cars, euro 6 drop side vans and impact protection vehicles. All vehicles are equipped with dashboard cradles for the tablets that provide routing and navigation. On site tablets are unclipped and used for risk assessment ensuring operatives complete a safety and procedural check list before proceeding. The tablets are used for photographing the site on arrival and throughout the job through to the final off-hire equipment collection.

Darren Ryan, Regional Manager, Hatton Traffic Management says:

“Previously it took ages to get back all the paperwork but now it’s all digital everything is much faster and our operatives don’t need to come into the depot before starting a job.”

Watton adds:

“There are so many variables in traffic management and any number of different parties are involved introducing factors beyond our control. BigChange gives us – and our clients – a level of visibility that really has transformed our service and made things a lot easier to manage.”

The BigChange solution is entirely cloud-based providing easy access anywhere, anytime and this has made roll out nationally straightforward. The fleet is also equipped with BigChange satellite trackers so Hatton always know where everyone is so customers can be kept informed. Historical tracking data – linked to the worksheets and photographs is also proving useful for handling customer queries and as a check for invoicing and timesheets. JobWatch is also used for vehicle checks and to assess driver performance with the flagging up of excessive idling, speed and harsh braking.

Watton says:

“Our work is very diverse and different clients have different guidelines and procedures. This is where the BigChange solution is particularly good as we can tailor workflows, worksheets and anything else depending on the type of job and customer requirements. We also like the fact that the system is being continually evolved.”

JobWatch also provides access to a document library giving operatives instant access to all documentation relating to a job; vehicle cabs are no longer cluttered with reams of paperwork.

In terms of benefits the system is still being rolled out nationally but for those now implemented Hatton reports significant benefits in efficiency, service and cost savings.

Watton says:

“It’s too early to quantify savings but BigChange is clearly providing big improvements in efficiency. Just the fact that operatives can go straight to site is saving on miles and fuel and allowing more jobs to be done on any given day. Ridding everyone of paperwork has similarly boosted productivity – both in the office and in the field.”

Tom Bailey, Managing Director of Hatton Traffic Management comments:

“As a family-owned and family-run business, we pride ourselves in being able to adapt quickly and provide innovative solutions to client’s operational needs. With the BigChange system now being rolled out nationally we have in place the latest generation technology that is already providing significant benefits to our efficiency and service.”

Category: Highways