An automatic fire suppression installation company, Fireward Ltd, has rolled out mobile workforce management software. It’s providing real-time visibility to field operations. The app-based software, JobWatch has field-based engineers with tablets, replacing paperwork, and offering customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, tracking, invoicing and management reporting.
Formed in 2009, Chelmsford-based Fireward provides fire suppression systems for mobile and heavy plant machinery and equipment. The company installs, maintains and services systems manufactured by Reacton Fire Suppression Ltd. Fireward’s certified engineers install, maintain and service fire suppression systems across the UK. Engineers use tablets, for everything from risk assessment and post-fire reports to job checklists and vehicle inspections.
Edward Barnes, CEO of Fireward says; “Fire is often overlooked as a cause of disruption and as a serious risk to the business itself. The immediate physical damage is only part of the problem caused by a fire; the costs of operational disruption and reputational damage often far exceed the cost of the original damage. Without adequate protection, it can take just a matter of minutes to bring a company to its knees.”
“We were pleased to discover BigChange at a show back in 2016. We had been through a long and unsuccessful process trying to get three different systems working for our business and all had failed. Due to the ease of set-up, we were able to implement the system ourselves in just two weeks,” says Barnes. “With BigChange we now have a system that supports our business model providing many benefits in terms of efficiency, productivity and customer service”.
Fireward’s vehicles are fitted with BigChange trackers, showing the customer service team engineer locations and a record of arrival and departure times from site. The location and condition of plant and other assets are key factors in assessing the risk of fire and the tablets are used to record ‘time and location’ linked photographs. With the ability to capture a customer’s signature ‘on-screen’ via the app, there is proof of jobs completed, allowing for streamlined invoicing and resulting in fewer billing queries.
Barnes adds: “BigChange supports our company ethos, which we achieve with a modest team in place. JobWatch has not only allowed us to do five times more services a month but has allowed us to freely expand our business where we are now installing well in excess of 1200 new systems a year.”
With the Fireward engineers working remotely across the UK, they need to have the ability to manage their stock levels without causing downtime and potential loss of business.
