drain TRADER
We use Okappy for managing smaller jobs thatwe used to use job cards for. Nowwe've got about 20 different people using tablets to manage these types of jobs.
What made you get Okappy?
I started with the company just over 7 years ago and I have always been involved with looking after reactive/facilities maintenance. We started getting quite a lot ofwork from FMcompanies looking after the supermarkets up here. That thenwent to looking after the post and sorting office and various other commercial properties. Then about 2 years ago,we got a substantial size contact with the local council looking after all the council properties on the island. Often the islands can be slower to uptake to technology, butwe knew that on the mainland most of the managementwas being done digitally with handheld devices. A lot of the FMcompanies nowwant to have access to a system that gives them reference points for information around job timings and location, e.g. for when you're going on-site and sign onto the job etc. We knewthat digitalwas theway thingswere going, butwewere a bit hesitant to start with because of what the cost may be. In order to keep all the operativesworking on facilities maintenance jobs, going fully digitalwould require us to buy an individual tablet or iPad for each person, on top of buying the software and training program. So,we thought itwas going to be quite a costly thing. Then obviously with everything that's happened with Covid-19,we felt that nowwas the time to go as paperless as possible. Covid-19 pushed us to make the jump to digital a bit sooner, but it seems to beworking prettywell for us so far!
Before Okappy, were you paper-based, or did you have another kind of digital management software that you used?
We essentially used paper job cards with an excel-spreadsheet- based system.We logged all the job information thatway and did monthly reviews on the systemto seewhat jobswent out,what oneswe hadn't billed for yet, and what oneswere on hold etc. It was straightforward, but very time-consuming and therewas a lot of paper involved! A job cardwould be sent out and when it came back, itwould come back with other bits of paper from the different companies who had their own job sheets they wanted signed aswell. Youwere coming back with four sheets of paper! Then therewas the invoice to go on top of that! A paperless system seemed to be the best way to avoid this kind of excess movement of paperwork between people. It'sworked out reallywell for us so far!
How much time has it saved?
We're still in the very early stages, aswe’ve only had the system for 5 or 6weeks so far [July 2020]. During the first couple ofweeks,we were still running a skeleton crew back from reopening after COVID. I'd saywe've been using it in full swing nowfor about 4weeks. In terms of raising a job and sending job information out - it's been a massive time saver.We're still learning different things andwe've been really lucky that any questionwe've posed has been answered by the Okappy team pretty quickly aswell! I can't say that there's anything I've asked thatwe haven't been able to come to some sort of agreeable solution with. It'sworked verywell for us. We do have some people who are not so used to technology that are slower on the uptake, but even they've noticed that there's a massive difference in the time it takes to set up a job and send them out. It's definitely for the greater benefit long-term for us -
36 drain TRADER | September 2020 |
www.draintraderltd.com
without a doubt! I can only see it getting better and better for us as soon aswe get used to it.
Are you planning on using it to collaborate with subcontractors and other people in your industry?
Every different companywework for uses their own system for monitoring jobs, but it's something thatwe're going to possibly think about later. I think getting itworking for us first, beforewe start introducing any of our subcontractors is the bestway forward.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business?
Covid-19 was the tipping point for us going fully digital. If Covid-19 hadn't happened,wewould have eventually gone down this route, but probablywould have introduced it on a smaller scale with one contract at a time. We cover pretty much all the trades for the local council. That's around 200 different sites between all the schools, care homes and places like that.Wewould have possibly been using it on those contracts first and reviewed howitwould’veworked, before introducing it across more and more of the stakeholders thatwe work for. When Covid-19 came along it pushed us down the line of going as paperless as possible. We've introduced it across the whole company for every minor contract thatwe have. It's probably been a good thing in away becausewe're pushing ourselves into just bringing it across the board, which I think is quite important.
Has the experience of Covid-19 and having to adapt, and then implementing Okappy, made you think about any other ways of growing the business?
Wewere at that crossroads as a company anyway. The company was set up by 2 people and one of them actually just retired a few weeks ago. Our company structurewas changing and 2 new management people have come in.We had to change quite a lot of the systems and policies thatwe had. It's definitely a growth stage for us. We're putting money into having new vans and new machinery that's required.We've upgraded a lot of ourwelfare facilities. Butwe have to remember - it’s one step at a time.We’ve got operatives that are not so used to this kind of technology and it takes time to adapt.We're changing a system that's been in place for more than a decade andwe've got to be careful. But,we’re definitely adapting and looking to growin anyway thatwe can!
What’s the best thing about Okappy?
Iwould say the best thing about Okappy is just being able to get instant updates on jobs. I used to get upwards of 15 calls a day asking me for an update on a job and what's required, so being able to go in and just have all the information there, when they signed on, whenever the job's complete, photos of any parts that are required and whatwas done on the job - it's just brilliant! It's such a massive, massive time-saver onmy side of things.
Is there anything else that you'd like to share that we haven't covered?
Iwould just say that everyonewe've dealt with within Okappy has been extremely helpful. It's maybe a cliched thing to say, butwe've dealt with Joe and there've been a couple of different people that have helped us with technical issues. Joe was especially fantastic and did a lot at the start. I think it's a great system. Like I said,we're still learning and adapting to it, but I see it being very beneficial for us in the future.
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