Gas Smart Heating Ltd has rolled out a high tech mobile workforce system as part of a paperless management system.

A specialist in domestic heating and plumbing, Gas Smart Heating has equipped its field engineers with tablets running jobWatch, a 5 in 1 app supplied by BigChange. Incorporating vehicle tracking with real time job reporting via the tablets, the system provides Gas Smart Heating with a complete end to end business solution.  

Headquartered in Brighton, Gas Smart Heating provides reactive gas and plumbing maintenance including boiler and appliance installation. Formed just 5 years ago the company wanted to introduce the latest technology to underpin further expansion. The BigChange system has replaced existing software and paper-based systems, eliminating paperwork throughout the business.

“As we began to grow and recruit more engineers, we realised we needed a much more professional system in order to match larger service providers such as British Gas,” says Steven Cahalane, Director, Gas Smart Heating.  “We really needed a single system that would do everything and it was clear from the outset that BigChange offered something that fitted the bill exactly.”       

Gas Smart Heating use JobWatch to log incoming calls, schedule work with jobs sent electronically to the assigned engineers’ tablet.  With real-time data from the job, the office is always kept in the picture and can quickly resolve any issues - with invoices generally raised on the day of job completion.

“In implementing the BigChange system we wanted to get in early with the latest technology and as state-of-the-art software it gives us a crucial competitive edge in the market.  With JobWatch we are probably 25 percent more efficient; without it we need more office staff and I would be overwhelmed with administration tasks and paperwork.  In fact, without it we simply wouldn’t be able to compete,” comments Cahalane.

BigChange matches the functionality of systems costing hundreds of thousands of pounds used by national utility firms. This allows new independent players like Gas Smart Heating to enter the market and match the levels of service provided by the traditional suppliers.”      

Operationally, JobWatch has been implemented to provide information on appliances and job history information so engineers have visibility of previous faults and work done.  The system also manages stocks and parts purchasing so engineers no longer face delays on jobs waiting on parts.  

As part of JobWatch vans are fitted with satellite tracking.  Previously engineers were being called to check on their whereabouts but the system has eliminated that by providing email or text ETA alerts to keep the customer informed on the day.  Customers are also able to track engineers progress via a link they receive by Gas Smart heating.