Digital job sheets are a game-changer for field service management businesses. Gone are the days of juggling piles of paper and struggling with lost or misplaced information.
Now, with the click of a button, tasks are organised, tracked, and updated in real-time. But what does this mean in practice? How does this digital innovation translate into tangible benefits on the ground?
In this blog, we're going to delve into real-life case studies to explore just that. We'll examine how businesses, from small to large, have transformed operations with digital job sheets.
What are digital job sheets?
Digital job sheets are tools used to manage and track work in the field service management industry. Think of them as a digital version of the traditional paper worksheets you might be familiar with.
But instead of pens and paper, all the information is entered and accessed electronically.
What's the big deal? Well, digital job sheets make life a lot easier for everyone involved. They help field engineers know exactly what needs to be done, and when. Managers can keep an eye on progress without endless phone calls. And the office staff? They get accurate, up-to-date information without having to decode messy handwriting.
The result? More time saved, fewer mistakes made, and a smoother, more efficient way of working.
Whether you're an engineer on the road or a manager at the office, digital job sheets can help you get the job done right. And as we'll see in the upcoming case studies, this can have a massive impact on how a business operates.
Case study 1: Enhanced efficiency for CC Infrastructure Services (CC-IS)
First up, let's take a look at CC Infrastructure Services (CC-IS), who specialise in surfaces and industrial coating. Before using digital job sheets, they relied on old-fashioned paper forms. It was time-consuming and led to lost paperwork, confusion, and delays.
“Prior to BigChange our entire mobile operation was paper-based” commented Andy Izzard, Technical Director of CC-IS.
“We produced weekly folders with hundreds of worksheets which were physically driven from our Head Office in Dorset to our Primary Operations Depot in London. Each regional team would then collect their paperwork, together with any equipment or material required, before heading back to where the paperwork was distributed to the relevant crew. Completed project folders were dropped off at the same time before making the return journey down the M3 for client invoicing and payroll. This whole process took around 8-man days, not to mention 2 reams of paper and around 900 miles!”
Then, they switched to digital job sheets and the change revolutionised their way of working.
“Using BigChange, all worksheets, timesheets, delivery notes, expenses claims, fuel receipts, etc. are produced with just a few clicks and electronically transmitted in a matter of minutes”
Suddenly, everything changed.
Since implementing the BigChange job management system, which incorporates a mobile workforce app, customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, financial management and business intelligence, CC-IS has virtually eliminated paper from its mobile operation.
This has allowed the company to deliver more projects with the same administrative resource, supporting growth and meeting customer service levels. Everyone knew what was happening without chasing up calls or sifting through stacks of paper. Progress was tracked easily, with updates sent to the office in real-time.
What did this mean for CC-IS? They were able to respond to customers faster, manage more jobs in a day, and even reduce overtime. Frustrations that used to slow them down were gone. They found that digital job sheets not only saved time but also boosted the quality of their service.
Using BigChange, CC-IS now provides clients with a detailed digital job card, including before and after photographs, providing evidence of completed works in real-time. This speeds-up invoicing and reduces queries - and therefore improves cashflow. If additional work is flagged whilst a team is onsite, a quote can be calculated, shared and agreed without additional downtime.
It's not just about getting rid of paper. It's about a smarter, more streamlined way of working. Health and safety is a priority at CC-IS and compliance is mandatory. Using the BigChange app, operational teams are guided through risk assessments and other H&S paperwork whilst on-site.
Plus, the flexibility of the BigChange system means CC-IS can adapt worksheets and other paperwork to its own processes and procedures, ensuring continued compliance with accreditations for ISO, RISQS, Constructionline and CHAS.
“We were recommended BigChange and once we had seen the way it could impact our business we haven’t looked back and we in turn recommend it to other businesses,” Andy Izzard continued. “One of the real benefits of BigChange is the flexibility to make it our own; our previous system didn’t allow us to customise workflows or documents without a huge cost and a significant time delay but BigChange is different. With BigChange we own our processes and procedures rather than them owning us.”
And for a business like CC-IS, that made a big difference.🙌
Case study 2: Improving communications for Hodge Clemco
Next, let's explore Hodge Clemco, the Sheffield-based manufacturer and supplier of surface finishing equipment. With 120 staff spread across two main sites, communication was a real headache. Information got lost, messages were mixed up, and coordination was a constant struggle.
“Before BigChange we relied on carbon copied worksheets, which meant we had to wait for the completed paperwork to make its way back to head office and then had to manually enter the details for quotations, invoicing, payroll, customer reporting, etc, etc,” commented Andy Peart, Sales and Service Director at Hodge Clemco. “This was time consuming, labour-intensive, and had the potential to introduce errors into our systems.
Enter digital job sheets.
“Using BigChange our engineers automatically receive job sheets which are completed, using the mobile app, whilst on-site and are instantly available for the back-office team to access,” he continued. “This means we are currently about 80% paperless, and improving all the time, we have doubled the number of engineers we employ without having to add any additional support staff and we are hitting KPIs for quotations and customer reporting.”
With this shift, Hodge Clemo found a solution to their communication hiccups. Engineers had access to job details right on their devices. Managers could oversee tasks and make adjustments without confusion. Everyone stayed on the same page, even though they were miles apart.
The effect on their work was clear. Jobs were completed more smoothly, with less back-and-forth. Customers noticed the difference, praising the prompt and well-coordinated service.
And within the company? The stress of miscommunication eased, replaced by a system that kept things simple and clear, and Hodge Clemco were quickly able to re-engineer many of its workflows. Feedback from site visits is automatically shared with back-office staff in order to produce quotations within a defined timeframe. Once accepted, jobs are scheduled and worksheets, together with supporting site and equipment histories, are issued to the engineer.
Completed job-sheets including, where required, time and location stamped photographs and customer sign-offs, can be accessed, in real-time, by the back-office support team and are used to inform customer reporting and produce invoices, stock updates and more.
For Hodge Clemo, digital job sheets were more than a convenient tool; they were a bridge connecting every part of the business. The result? Better teamwork, happier customers, and a more unified company.
“As we introduce different elements of the BigChange system, we realise more and more benefits,” Peart concluded. “Each feature has the potential to improve efficiency, boost productivity and raise our customer service levels and, as we continue to roll BigChange out across the Group, these will have a significant impact on the growth and profitability of the business.”
All thanks to a switch from paper to pixels.📲
Case study 3: Scalability and compliance for Quora Group
Now, let's turn to Quora Group, a £10 million turnover, mechanical and electrical building services company. The North Tyneside company started out in 2005 servicing and installing gas boilers but has grown from a father-and-son operation into a thriving business with more than 50 direct employees in four divisions and so scalability and compliance were top priorities.
But managing these aspects across various regions and numerous teams was becoming a logistical nightmare.
That's when they discovered the potential of digital job sheets, which allows them to implement job scheduling and reporting digitally, eliminating the need for mobile engineers to visit the office to pick up or drop off job cards. Rugged mobile devices are also used to record job completion, including photographic evidence.
By adopting the BigChange technology, they were able to streamline processes on a grand scale. Tasks were assigned and tracked with ease, regardless of the location. Crucial information was updated and shared consistently, keeping everyone aligned.
But what about compliance? Digital job sheets made that more manageable too. Every task, every procedure, was logged and recorded with precision. Audits were no longer a daunting task, but a straightforward process. Compliance became an integrated part of the workflow, not a cumbersome add-on. Craig Firth, director and co-founder of Quora Group, said:
“BigChange is definitely a sales tool for us and has helped us to grow the business. We work primarily in the public sector, with contracts predominantly in healthcare and education. In these environments there is a high level of compliance and documentation required. BigChange enables us to offer a far higher level of service in terms of digitised, evidence-based compliance and reporting than a company that still uses a paper-based system. It has been a big advantage for us in terms of winning and delivering these public sector contracts.”
The outcome for Quora Group was impressive. They found they could grow and adapt without getting tangled in red tape. Their operations became more agile, more responsive to change. And all those detailed regulations? They were met without a fuss.“The ability to adapt the work sheets is a great feature of the software,” said Craig.
“We have just won a big contract for a local authority, and that includes specific documentation that they want us to use. I can create a worksheet in BigChange and provide them with a document that is exactly what they want.”
Digital job sheets, in this case, were not just about efficiency; they were a strategic asset. They enabled Quora Group to be both nimble and compliant, giving them an edge in a competitive market. The lessons from this case study are clear: no matter the size or complexity of your business, digital job sheets can make a real difference.📈
Case study 4: Reducing costs and environmental impact for A&S
Next up,meet new build after-care specialist A&S who have successfully diversified into the Private Rental Sector (PRS), doubling its business to a £5m turnover in 2 years. A&S have a pool of 100 tradesmen using mobile devices to connect in real time with the office.
That's when they made the switch to digital job sheets.
Using the BigChange mobile app, tradesmen manage all work on-site aided by on-screen workflows to ensure all the correct procedures are followed and information recorded. It is completely paperless and job cards are completed with accompanying on-site photographs, generating contra-charge reports at the click of a button. BigChange also has fully integrated vehicle tracking, providing time and location data, routing, customer ETA alerts and driver performance reporting.
Suddenly, those stacks of paper that used to clutter the office were gone.
Jobs were tracked electronically, cutting down on printing and waste. “BigChange has already delivered productivity gains of 20% within our after-care business,” said Sean Coldrick, Group Managing Director, A&S. “Now it has been deployed to underpin expansion into the private rental sector and manage new division in access services – helping us to boost turnover to £5m in just 2 years.”
And the benefits didn't stop there. The transition to digital job sheets made every part of the process more efficient. From assigning jobs to tracking progress, everything was more streamlined. The staff found it easier to manage their workload, and customers appreciated the quicker response times. “BigChange has allowed us to really streamline our mobile operations. Tradesmen are now much more self-sufficient; journeys to the depot are rare, first fix rates are improved and there are fewer wasted hours,” says Coldrick.
For A&S, digital job sheets were more than a cost-saving measure; they were a step towards a more responsible way of doing business. By cutting down on paper, they reduced their environmental footprint while enhancing their service.
A win-win that showed how a simple change can have a broader impact. BigChange allowed A&S to centralise all overhead facilities and gave them a foundation to provide the clients with reassurance. BigChange ensures all the key requirements are in place; H&S, tracking of jobs and vehicles, asset control and transparency with client login.♻️
Case study 5: Enhancing customer satisfaction for All Round Security
Our final case study, All Round Security, is a fast-growing business with clients including Heathrow Airport, Arcadia, Mitie and CloRound Secuud FM. As they grew, however, they noticed that maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction was becoming increasingly challenging.
“We are always striving to provide our clients with the best possible service and as our workforce grows we required a system that can tackle our needs” says Charlie Keegan, Contracts Coordinator, All Round Security.
Digital job sheets became their solution.
“With JobWatch, powered by BigChange, we have the system that we have longed for; offering real-time automatic updates, engineer tracking, 24/7 support and general ease of use”
By implementing the tech, All Round Security was able to keep track of jobs, feedback, and customer interactions, all in one place. Engineers had all the information they needed at their fingertips, and the support team could respond to queries swiftly and efficiently.
Customers began to notice the difference.
They appreciated the prompt service, clear communication, and personalised attention. With the flexibility of the BigChange mobile app - All Round Security sees opportunities to diversify. With simple creation of new job sheets and workflows, services that are currently sub-contracted, such as electricals, or new services requested by customers, could be easily added. Positive reviews started to pour in, and satisfaction rates soared.
But it wasn't just the customers who were happier.
All Round Security’s team found that their workday was smoother, with less confusion and more collaboration. They could focus on what mattered most: delivering quality service.
The BigChange app guides the engineer through the correct risk assessment procedures using workflows before proceeding with the job. Using the tablet, the engineer completes their Job Sheet and gets an on-screen customer sign off. Time and location stamped photographs are also taken as part of a complete audit of the job. “Having this comprehensive and real time information at our fingertips 24/7 has really revolutionised our customer service and work output,” says Keegan. “Not only can we dynamically allocate engineers to do more jobs but onsite we can be more productive through live interaction to resolve issues; the office and customer are much better informed.”
For All Round Security, digital job sheets were more than just a technological update; they were a catalyst for growth and excellence. They helped align the team, please the customers, and set the stage for continued success.
This case study paints a picture of how digital job sheets can be a driving force for customer-centric businesses. No matter how fast you're growing, they can help you stay focused on what truly counts: satisfied customers and a strong, united team. 🤝
Go digital with your job sheets
Digital job sheets are not just a fleeting trend; they're a key part of your field service management toolkit. As we've seen through real-life case studies, this simple shift from paper to digital can lead to improved efficiency, better communication, reduced costs, increased customer satisfaction, and more profit.
From small to large field service businesses, digital job sheets have proven to be a powerful ally. Whether you're aiming to streamline your operations, grow your business, or enhance your sustainability, they offer a flexible solution that can be tailored to your unique needs.
If you've been considering the move to digital, the experiences shared in this blog might just be the encouragement you need to take that step.
As we’ve just seen, it's a change that can bring real business benefits and set your business on a path towards greater success.
📲Talk to our experts for a personalised demo.
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