A1 Loo Hire Achieves Growth & Paperless Working with BigChange Field Service Management Software

A1 Loo Hire recently completed a project to integrate BigChange with its rental management software inspHire. This combination of systems has allowed the company to achieve its goal of paperless working whilst maximising benefits already introduced by automation including operational efficiencies and better customer service.
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Industry:
Equipment rental and hire
Company size:
Mid-Market
Location:
Wokingham
Growth
600%

Increase in depots

Sustainability
100%

Paperless working

Problem

A mid-market company recognising the need for more environmentally friendly and sustainable operations

Solution

Paperless administration, better fleet management, and more intelligent route planning and scheduling.

A1 Loo Hire was founded by Clive Owen in 2004 and from humble beginnings has grown organically from a single depot covering a limited area around Berkshire and West London to seven depots covering virtually the whole of the South. Supplying sanitation equipment, including portable toilets, shower units, and welfare facilities, A1 Loo Hire services the construction and event sectors.

Since implementing the BigChange job management system, A1 Loo Hire has achieved notable growth and was included in the E2E Profit 100 Track, designed to showcase the very best of British companies profiling companies with an operating profit of more than £5 million who continue to flourish despite challenging economic and business environments. As part of this process, Clive Owen was personally invited to the House of Lords to participate on the esteemed panel of the E2E Profit 100 to discuss Brexit, corporate tax, and other topics.

“BigChange, integrated with inspHire, allows us to provide an ‘Amazon’ type customer experience that our customers have come to expect.

“We can tell them when their delivery or service visit is scheduled to take place, and we can update them as the schedule unfolds – which is also good for us as it means it is more likely there will be someone onsite to take delivery or give us access to units that need servicing, and it allows us to record proof of what we did, where we did it, and who signed for it.

“This paperless capture of evidence means we have the information we need at our fingertips to answer customer queries, and this has dramatically reduced the back-office resource required and the number of credit notes we issue.” Clive Owen, Director, A1 Loo Hire

A1 Loos is also utilising BigChange fleet management tools, with daily vehicle checks, the system’s job scheduling features, and optimised route planning. Further efficiencies are achieved through the integration of location technology what3words which allows for the more precise identification of locations and non-addressable sites. BigChange estimates the use of what3words can save up to 30 minutes per driver per day spent trying to find exact locations.

A1 Loo Hire employs 110 full-time staff serving the event and construction sectors across the Midlands, South West, South East, including London, and South Wales. With a stock of around 8,000 plastic toilets and 170 trailer units, the company also provides shower units, welfare facilities, and specialist solutions including waste tanks, sanitiser pods, and freshwater supply equipment. Making between 4,000 and 5,000 delivery and service visits every week, A1 Loo Hire operates a fleet of around 80 vehicles ranging from pickup trucks for trailer deliveries and 3.5-tonne trucks for service call-outs to a tractor with bowser and 2,000 and 3,000-gallonvacuum tankers.

“In the early days of using BigChange it was all about doing as much as possible with the resources we had but we always knew it wasn’t just about working smarter it was important to work towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable operation.”
Clive Owen
Director, A1 Loo Hire
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