DW Forklift Services has implemented a BigChange job management system to reduce its administration and management resource, and improve the efficiency of its nationwide service operation. Field technicians, armed with BigChange tablets, are now live connected to the back office, improving the flow of information which has improved onsite productivity by 20 per cent. The BigChange system has also allowed routine administration to be reduced by 50 per cent and, with 24/7 visibility of operations and automated ETA alerts, customer service has been boosted.
Based in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DW Forklift Services specialises in maintenance and repair of heavy-duty forklifts and port equipment. Operating throughout the UK, and worldwide, DW Forklifts works with brands such as Konecranes, Baumann and Hyundai. Established in 2007, mobile technicians, each armed with a BigChange tablet, are on call 24/7 travelling the UK in specially equipped mobile workshop vans.
DW Forklifts implemented the BigChange job management system, which incorporates customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, resource management, job finance and business intelligence, earlier last year. Before BigChange, the administration side of the business was mainly manual, relying on paper and pen and the specialist knowledge and skills of only one or two members of staff.
“We had looked at job management systems before but couldn’t justify the cost,” commented Darren Walker, Managing Director and founder of DW Forklift Services, “BigChange is different! Because there are so many aspects to the system, it has already paid for itself and we have literally just scratched the surface of what it is capable of.”
By digitising service histories, technical documentation and equipment certificates, DW Forklifts has reduced this reliance on individuals making essential information available when and where its needed. This online library has improved field efficiencies allowing engineers to complete more jobs whilst onsite rather than waiting for paperwork to be emailed.
The administration of the mobile operation including quoting, production of job cards, scheduling of work and fleet management, for example, could take up to 4 hours a day and DW Forklifts was on the brink of hiring an additional staff member to take on this and other duties. Since implementing BigChange this burden has been slashed to just one hour a day, freeing up back-office time, which is now being redeployed with a focus on business expansion and customer service. The integrated tracking has also led to additional savings as it has eliminated the need for a third-party system.
“We are an engineering company run by engineers,” continued Darren. “That means we are the best possible people to do the job but possibly not the best people to run a business. With BigChange all that has changed. We now have the tools and support in place to run the business as it should be run and we can concentrate on providing a first-class service to our clients.
“I know that so far, we have only taken baby steps with BigChange but we are already seeing the impact with a reduction in time spent generating, completing and circulating unnecessary paperwork and an improvement in engineer productivity. As we explore other features of the system, including stock control, the CRM and financial management, I am confident that we will continue to realise tangible benefits and we will be supported at every step.”