The AFI Group, specialists in powered access equipment, is boosting the productivity of its nationwide team of engineers and drivers with workforce management technology from BigChange.
The cloud-based, 5-in-1 solution enables AFI to build custom workflows underpinned by job-specific documentation, contributing to a reduction in engineer call-outs. Improved planning and visibility have already boosted driver productivity by 30 percent and AFI is looking forward to further benefits as it introduces BigChange to other parts of its business.
“Working at height is a professional skill and as such it requires professional equipment, expertise and knowledge and BigChange supports that,” commented Chris Jowett, Group IT Director at AFI Group Services. “With BigChange, we build our own workflows which means we only ask relevant questions and perform applicable tests; for example, if we are inspecting an electric machine why check fuel levels? It sounds obvious, but every question that doesn’t need to be asked or test that doesn’t need to be undertaken is time, and therefore money, saved.
“This also leads to quicker fixes for our customers,” he continued. “We are only six-months into using BigChange for our engineers and we have completely re-written our breakdown workflows. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in the number of faults that can be fixed over the phone, meaning a customer can be back up and running, in a matter of minutes, without waiting for a site visit.”
AFI provide high-quality powered access machine hire and sales, industry-accredited training and health and safety courses to ensure that anyone working at height is doing it safely and professionally. From only three UK depots and 270 machines in 2002, AFI has expanded to 20 locations in the UK and six in the Middle East. AFI now has a fleet of more than 6,000 powered access machines, a team of 200 plus engineers, drivers and operators and provides training for more than 30,000 people each year.
AFI introduced BigChange to replace an existing workforce management system. By providing a single platform, CRM, Job Scheduling, Mobile App, Vehicle Tracking and Online Portal, BigChange has combined a range of functionality that AFI used to access from disparate systems. Planning for operators and engineers is now undertaken for the whole of the UK from central offices and management have complete, real-time visibility of every vehicle. AFI is also transitioning other aspects of transport management to BigChange, including PMI (Preventative Maintenance Inspection) scheduling, MOT and tax reminders and DVSA checks.
BigChange also powers a seamless, paperless flow of intelligence with improved access to and sharing of equipment or site-specific documentation using the mobile app whilst automatically generated alerts keep customers informed when a machine has been delivered, serviced or repaired and is ready for use.
“The support we receive from BigChange is second to none,” Jowett concluded. “We have a dedicated account manager who truly understands our business and has helped us get the maximum return on our investment which is really helpful as new functionality is released every two weeks!”
