The pros of cloud-based management systems
Maintaining its customers’ vehicles has become a breeze for one manufacturer since it adopted a cloud-based management system. CVW finds out more.
Angloco, the Leeds manufacturer of firefighting and rescue vehicles and equipment, has found a cloud-based job management system and mobile app invaluable as it went through a recent growth spurt. The company has doubled its production capacity and increased turnover by nearly 100% since it introduced the six-in-one BigChange system.
“Using BigChange to support our service team has meant that we can achieve sustainable growth whilst maintaining the highest standards of service,” commented Ian Coyle, service operations manager at Angloco.
“We have all but eliminated paper from our mobile operation and this has improved the speed with which we can react to changing schedules, the quality of the service we provide to our customers and the efficiency of engineers working on the ground.”
Angloco is one of the biggest players in its sector, not only supplying all the fire services in the UK but also exporting vehicles to more than 70 countries and fulfilling a multi-million-pound contract with the Ministry of Defence. To keep on top of all these commitments, it introduced 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.
End of the paper trail
This has enabled Angloco to produce routine service schedules up to a year in advance, taking into account staff availability, skills and client location – all thanks to intelligent algorithms. Real-time tracking of engineers’ vehicles ensures adhoc requests and emergency call-outs can be accommodated efficiently and in a timely fashion and automatically generated alerts and notifications ensure the customer is kept informed at all times.
By replacing paper worksheets and job cards with end-to-end digital workflows, Angloco has greatly reduced the time and resource taken to manage its rapidly expanding service team. Engineers are guided through daily vehicle checks, ensuring early warning of potential defects or forthcoming deadlines such as insurance or MOT.
Schedules are sent directly to the engineer’s tablet, complete with all necessary paperwork, while onsite staff can access an extensive library of reference information including manuals and wiring diagrams. During the course of a job engineers can share photographs with back-office staff if additional support is required before digitally capturing customer signatures once the job is completed.
This automation has made life a lot easier for the service team, as Claire Smith, service coordinator, recalled. “We were continually churning out paper that needed to be in the right place at the right time for the engineers to complete their jobs. We produced it, we filled it in, we copied it, we filed it, we scanned it and we emailed it,” she said.
Improved customer service
Reducing the paperwork leaves the customer team free to focus on its main task, she believes: “Now everything is digital. It’s accessible 24/7 from any internet connected device, it’s easily consumable on-site and it’s shareable with customers,” added Claire. “This means we can focus on our role of ensuring we provide the best possible service at all times.”
Angloco has been designing and building special purpose firefighting and rescue vehicles for more than 45 years and has a wealth of experience and capabilities. The majority of vehicles are specially designed and custom built for each customer, according to their individual requirements. It also supplies firefighting and rescue equipment and accessories, including: hydraulic rescue and extrication equipment, portable fire extinguishers, fire hose, branch pipes and nozzles, foam equipment, waterway couplings fittings and adaptors, electrical equipment and accessories, and pumps.
In support of its products and vehicles, the company has a dedicated after-sales service and spare parts department which, in addition to carrying out on-location commissioning and training, provides servicing and major refurbishment projects overseas at customers’ premises, as well as throughout the UK.
