BigChange rids rental leader Elliott of millions of sheets of Paper

Posted on 21 November 2017 by Martin Port

Elliott, the UK market leader in the portable accommodation hire sector has implemented BigChange’s all-in-one Mobile Workforce Management platform across its Loohire portable toilet division, as part of a full rollout across the business including tankers, service and the delivery and collection fleet.

BigChange technology will save Elliott millions of pieces of paper annually and has significantly improved back-office administration. Technicians receive their work orders instantly on the BigChange app with paper job-cards and proof of delivery worksheets replaced by job-specific electronic workflows that guide technicians at every step including risk assessments. Technicians no longer need to return paperwork to the back-office, saving a huge volume of previously manual back-office processing.

Adam Dimmock, Director of Loohire at Elliott commented:

“Implementation of BigChange Technology is part of our 2020 strategy; to continue to grow our market leading position in terms of scale and transform ourselves to become the market leaders in safety, service and relationship management. The BigChange system is ensuring we can exceed our customers’ expectations with innovative features such as a pre-arrival alert that customers receive ahead of arrival, allowing them to clear the way for our tankers on busy construction sites. The technology is driving us towards a 15% reduction in transport costs and we’re realising significant fuel savings thanks to dynamic routing and improved driver behaviour.”

The hire-specific turnkey solution from BigChange has introduced a paperless revolution, equipping mobile technicians with Samsung and Motorola Android tablets that manage receipt of job instruction, electronic proof of collection and delivery, site servicing, timesheets, electronic start-of-day vehicle walkaround checks and Health and Safety procedures. The system is also a rich vehicle tracking system providing real-time location updates, driver behaviour scoring and tachograph interface.

The system is fully-integrated with the Elliott Rental Management system meaning that planned tanker services, toilet maintenance, deliveries and collections are automatically pushed through to BigChange. On logging on to the app at the start of each day, drivers and technicians are guided to start their timesheet, conduct a walkaround check that meets DVSA requirements (recording, photographing and alerting any vehicle defects) and have instant access to their jobs for the day.

In the back-office, the system is enabling planners to respond faster to customer needs, intelligently allocating work orders based on real-time technician availability, skills and live location. This is significantly increasing productivity and enabling Elliott to maintain its position as the UK’s largest provider of portable toilets and efficiently provide same-day service from its hire branches nationwide to clients across the Construction and Events industry. Its portable loos are used by top-tier construction companies such as Carillion, Keepmoat, Costain and Wilmott Dixon and for flagship events including Glastonbury, Cancer Research UK events and the Olympics.

The workflow also effectively manages damages and chargeable items; photos captured at the point of delivery or collection are automatically relayed to the back office, allowing them to instantly raise an invoice for chargeable work. Photos are time, date and location watermarked, providing robust proof of condition.

The BigChange system is providing a detailed work and maintenance history for all rental assets, giving management visibility of productivity and utilisation across their operation as well as a real-world view of how long jobs are taking. The company are using the insight and data to create dashboards that will be shared with customers, giving them a transparent view of the service levels they are receiving.

Martin Port, founder and CEO at BigChange said: “We are proud to be playing a key part in the Elliott technology strategy. Our scalability, flexibility and ability to successfully integrate with Rental systems mean BigChange is the future of managing the mobile workforce in the Hire industry.”

BigChange JobWatch takes ALTIDA Crane Hire to New Heights

Posted on 31 May 2016 by Martin Port

Mobile crane hire company ALTIDA is improving the efficiency of its transport operations with a Mobile Workforce Management solution from BigChange. Used to schedule, route and monitor the company’s fleet of mobile cranes and lifting gear, the single platform back office, mobile app and tracking solution is already reducing administration, improving customer service and supporting financial control. With the significant management benefits provided by JobWatch, the system is set to underpin major expansion of the business being planned later this year.

“Prior to the introduction of JobWatch we relied on paper – paper planning, paper maps, paper time sheets, paper service reports, paper invoices,” commented Shane Stephen Hill, Group Operations Manager at Chesterfield based ALTIDA. “With JobWatch this is now all automated. A schedule is created, routes produced and communicated to drivers via their PDA’s. We can monitor vehicles and driver behaviour, accurately record onsite activity and answer customer queries promptly. This is reducing back office administration, improving the efficiency of our mobile operation and supporting business growth.”

ALTIDA uses JobWatch to schedule and route its fleet of mobile cranes, lifting gear and supporting service team. By automating the scheduling and communication of hire contracts and service requests, ALTIDA has reduced back office administration and improved route planning, allowing drivers to amend and share sometimes otherwise unmapped or hard to find locations with other drivers. This is already realising improvements in efficiency and reducing unnecessary mileage.

With real time monitoring of vehicles and driver behaviour, ALTIDA is also able to respond quickly to queries or requests from either drivers or customers, and accurately record onsite activity for more precise invoicing. The automation of timesheets and invoicing is also improving cash flow through the business, as the accounts department no longer has to wait for driver operators to return to base to get timesheet information.

“Although we are already achieving a return on our investment, we are just scratching the surface of the enormous functionality offered by JobWatch,” continued Shane. “With the ongoing support of BigChange, especially the 24/7 RoadCrew team, we know we have the management processes and infrastructure to support growth and an expansion in services offered.”

BigChange founder and CEO Martin Port added, “ALTIDA is an ambitious company with exciting plans for the future and we are delighted to support them as they continue to grow and diversify.”

Nixon Hire Boosts Mobile Workforce Productivity by 20 Percent with BigChange JobWatch

Posted on 10 March 2016 by Martin Port

Plant and equipment specialist, Nixon Hire, has transformed its customer service and boosted the productivity of its mobile workforce using JobWatch from BigChange Apps.

Following the implementation of the Mobile Workforce Management solution, Nixon has seen a 20 percent increase in productivity across its mobile workforce. The leading provider of plant, tools, accommodation units, portable toilets and site equipment has also boosted customer service, with a significant increase in On Time Arrivals and a rise in the number of jobs completed at first attempt.

JobWatch from BigChange Apps offers a paperless way to plan, manage, schedule and track Nixon’s mobile workforce. This powerful web-based platform combines back office software, mobile apps, fleet management and real-time vehicle tracking in one simple to use system.

“With the support of JobWatch, every one of our fitters has boosted their productivity by around 20 percent. This allows us to further absorb company growth and efficiently deploy the current resources we have before we look at recruiting additional resources,” commented Graham Wood, Group Logistics Manager at Nixon Hire. “We get to where we need to be, when we need to be there, and we do what we say we are going to. This is also improving our customer service levels – evidenced by an increase in On Time Arrivals by more than 10 percent and a rise in First Attempt Job Completions by more than 5 percent.”

Since the introduction of JobWatch, paper forms and schedules have been replaced with automated electronic workflows that ensure the back office is completely in sync with the mobile workforce. Nixon Hire’s engineers and delivery drivers receive work orders instantly via the JobWatch smartphone app, ensuring they have to hand all the necessary information to complete the delivery, service call or collection. This is also reducing the requirement to return to the depot to collect work order paperwork or order parts.

The JobWatch solution, which links to Nixon Hire’s existing MCS-rm hire management system, has also allowed Nixon Hire to centralise the booking of service and maintenance requests. This gives customers a single point of contact. Work orders can be allocated intelligently – taking into account engineer skills, proximity and existing jobs, for example, minimising customer wait times and ensuring first time fix.

BigChange founder and CEO Martin Port added, “JobWatch is adding tremendous value and return on investment for Nixon Hire, and the results really speak for themselves. The system has given the company a truly flexible and scalable solution that is a real source of competitive advantage.”

In addition to the boosts in productivity and customer service, JobWatch is supporting Nixon Hire’s duty of care for its mobile workforce with enforced daily vehicle checks, driver behaviour monitoring and motivational encouragement.