As the UK braces for an onslaught of rain, ice, snow, and strong winds, businesses across the country are facing the daunting task of preparing for the severe weather conditions ahead.
The ability to adapt and respond swiftly to changing circumstances can make the difference between continuity and chaos. This is where a reliable Job Management System becomes an indispensable tool for businesses who wish to give top notch service, whatever the weather.
🚗 1. Comprehensive Vehicle Checks for Safer Journeys 🚗
With hazardous weather conditions on the horizon, ensuring the roadworthiness of vehicles becomes paramount. Poorly maintained vehicles caused more than 1,700 road casualties in 2021, which was an increase of 7% the previous year. Defective breaks were the biggest cause, with inappropriate tyres being a close second.
The cost of being involved in an accident isn't just human, it can have a financial knock on effect to your business as well. A van being taken off the road, increased insurance premiums and bad publicity can cost tens of thousands of pounds.
BigChange's platform provides vehicle check functionality out of the box, allowing businesses to customise checks to suit their specific needs. Best practice recommends vehicle checks are completed daily, however this doesn’t need to be a timely exercise, with BigChange's vehicle checks they can be carried out in a matter of moments, with results being available online immediately, and back office alerts triggered if a defect raised is large enough that it should result in the vehicle being taken off the road.
🕒 2. Schedule Assistant for Emergency Prioritisation 🕒
Your customers will have emergencies during severe weather, from leaky roofs, to boilers that fail to work, and everything in between, your ability to respond promptly will prevent your customers from ringing the competition.
There are times where you need to make the impossible possible, by finding time in a packed schedule.
This can mean disrupting your entire works schedule whilst time is taken to manually calculate an available slot.
This doesn’t need the case as BigChange's schedule assistant has your back In a matter of clicks you can find, and schedule new work to a qualified engineer, at a time that suits you and your customer.
🌍 3. Route Optimiser for Efficient and Sustainable Travel 🌍
As the roads become more treacherous, optimising routes is not just saving fuel and money; it's also about safety and sustainability.
Planning the most efficient route, reduces travel time, fuel consumption, and ultimately allows more jobs to be carried out in the same day.
In the past, this involved manually plotting jobs on a map, looking for the route that made the most sense, and starting from scratch if a new job came in.
No more with the BigChange Route Optimiser (that saves customer on average £10,000 a year!). In a matter of clicks, jobs are reordered appropriately. Need to fix a job because the customer wants to be first call? Don't worry, that’s easily done with just an extra click.
🚧 4. At-Risk Questions and Customisable Worksheets for Safety Compliance 🚧
Regardless of the weather, safety on the job is a top priority, however as conditions worsen, the chances of risks turning into a reality dramatically increases.
Risk assessments and method statements are tools that can help reduce accidents from happening by identifying possible causes of injury before the job starts.
In the past, these were carried out on paper forms, however with a 21st Century approach, they are done digitally, which brings with it several benefits.
BigChange's worksheets are fully customisable, allowing you to skip answering questions which are not relevant to the job you are completing. Whilst mandated completion stages ensure work cannot begin before the RAMS is completed.
Whats more, alerts can be set up to inform managers if a job poses heightened risks, enabling informed decision-making allowing you to protect your employees, and business.
🌦️ 5. Weather Forecast Integration Within Job Scheduling 🌦️
For many, jobs are weather dependant, and whilst schedulers may watch the weather forecast each day, remembering what the future holds for multiple areas can be challenging.
BigChange integrates a 5 day weather forecast right into the job scheduling screen, allowing you to see whether the weather will allow you to proceed as planned.
In the face of severe weather, preparation and adaptability are key. With BigChange, businesses are equipped with the tools they need to ensure safety, efficiency, and responsiveness. Our platform, enables our customers to not just weather the storm, but to remain unstoppable in all four seasons.
Jonathan Isaacs, Product Marketing Manager, BigChange
🌐 Empower Your Business with BigChange 🌐
As the UK gears up for challenging weather conditions, let BigChange be your guide through the storm.
Explore how our Job Management System can support your business in ensuring safety, efficiency, and resilience during severe weather.
Request a demo today and discover how you can turn the tide in your favour, even when the weather does not.
