From order sheets to triplicate job cards, health and safety assessments to equipment certificates, in the space of just 9 months Lothian has gone from 100 percent paper to 90 percent paper free with Field Service Management Software from BigChange. The time taken for routine management tasks has also been slashed by three-quarters and engineers’ efficiency in the field boosted by 20 percent.
“The difference between our offices now and at the start of the year is unbelievable. Before, when you walked in, you were greeted with rows of filing cabinets, piles, and piles of folders – each crammed with reams of paper, a large printer that took up half the office, and even a franking machine. Now, it’s all gone!” Stuart Strawhorn, Operations Manager, Lothian Vulcanising Services
Using the BigChange job management system, which incorporates a mobile workforce app, customer relationship management(CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, financial management, and business intelligence tools in one system, Lothian has virtually eliminated paper from its installation and service operation. Customer details are entered into and maintained using the CRM function, ensuring the correct point of contact for correspondence and communication, and routine jobs are automatically allocated and planned, in advance, using intelligent scheduling algorithms.
All paperwork associated with and required to undertake a job is produced, completed, and shared through BigChange including method statements, risk assessments, equipment certificates, service histories, and of course workcards. This has dramatically reduced Lothians' reliance on paper; saving time, money, and the environment. Lothian has also seen a reduction in the time and resources required to complete routine tasks such as pricing and parts ordering.
“Before BigChange my ‘Monday tasks’ as I called them, by which I mean routine weekly jobs such as timesheets etc, used to take all of Monday and pretty much all of Tuesday. Now, most weeks, I’m done by lunchtime on Monday. And I am not the only person to notice change; across the business people are spending less time churning out and moving paperwork around so they have more time to focus on getting other jobs done and making sure our customers are happy.” Stuart Strawhorn, Operations Manager, Lothian Vulcanising Services
Lothian also uses other aspects of the BigChange system including the live monitoring interface which shows the location of engineers and status allowing management to respond intelligently and in a timely way for emergency call outs and fleet management tools including live tracking, vehicle checks, and driver behaviour reports. As the company moves forward with its BigChange journey plans are in place to integrate with the company’s Zero accounting software and introduce digital timesheets.
“I had used BigChange before so knew the impact it could have on a business but even I am surprised how far we have travelled and how much we have changed in just a short space of time. We are by no means at the end of our BigChange journey we are just getting started, but by focusing on one thing at a time, doing it well, and then moving on to the next, we are transforming our business.” Stuart Strawhorn, Operations Manager, Lothian Vulcanising Services
About:
Lothian Vulcanising Services, the trading name of Rublane Ltd, was established in 1991and offers a range of conveyor belt services including the manufacture and installation of systems and components such as custom-built conveyors, drums, rollers, and scrappers as well as a routine service and maintenance and a24-hour call-out service. Operating 5 teams of engineers, Lothian completes around 30 jobs a week, servicing clients in the quarry, waste, and processing sectors such as Breedon, Tarmac, and Biffa.
