Balancing the juxtaposition between traditional application and technological advancement is a fine art. Whilst construction is everchanging in its practices and focuses on-site, it’s much easier to be blind to the software breakthroughs and push the focus to the communication and customer journey front.

This year we decided to take the plunge.

Remote working and the requirement for enhanced communication meant that spreadsheets and legacy systems had to go and a minimized paper trail can only be good; operationally, organisationally and environmentally.

The research and comparison phase was a lengthy and involved process. We had a wish list pulled from various teams’ frustrations. After much consideration we decided that the structure and personalisation allowed by Big Change’s JobWatch software was perfect for us as it allowed the team to effectively manage workflows and operatives in addition to enjoy an encompassing high-level view of an entire job, from receipt of claim to invoice.

I’d like to quickly explore the top 3 features that made Big Change the front runner for a small company with big ambitions and even bigger deliverables.

1. The ‘Timesheets and Expenses’ feature is revolutionary for us. Our operatives and subcontractors can now submit all expenses and timesheets at the touch of a button. Before this, we were reliant on staff having off-the-tools time to email across their hours worked or fuel receipts meaning our accounts team spent unproductive hours chasing these documents.
2. Top companies have top level reporting software. A one stop shop for various departments to pull key ‘Reporting and Performance’ information was a must. With JobWatch we can; monitor trends and SLAs, produce up-to-date statistics and figures ahead of meetings and anticipate future trends using the analytical tools.
3. The Fleet Management side of JobWatch helps us avoid potential missed renewals with our vehicles, whilst the Live Tracking aspect improves dialogue with clients. Through using the GPS tracking software, we can alert clients to any delays and advise them when they can expect the trades to arrive on site. Communication with policy holders is key to our business model and anything that assists us with improving this is of paramount importance.

As I’m sure many businesses are aware, implementing a brand new state-of-the-art system is a time and labour-heavy process. For a small business to allocate valuable internal resource in the name of looking to the future is something that we’ve grappled with since making the decision, but we know that it will pay off.

We want Signature to be leading the line with this, to show that a small family business, focused on making each client feel like their job is the only one, can make a seismic shift that others can follow; proving that whilst there may be some teething problems, size and resource is no excuse to not be a market leader.