SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY
The Difficult Truth
Ab Initio ’ s Rhonda Ridge , creator of the AdminBase installer management system , gives a candid view of the difficult truth installation businesses are facing , and explains how the right tools can make all the difference when implementing change .
When you ’ ve been in business for a while and survived your fair share of market peaks and troughs , you could be forgiven for thinking you have everything figured out . You ’ re still here , so your formula for success must be working . This may be true , but only up to a point . Sometimes change can be so significant that your old faithful strategies are no longer relevant . What worked in the last recession , won ’ t necessarily work this time around . The difficult truth is , we are currently in a climate of unprecedented challenges . Covid and the war on Ukraine are still impacting the economy , while the cost-of-living crisis has filtered through to the home improvement market with reduced spending . The result of which means businesses need to switch things up to stand out from the competition and survive .
To build stability that will weather the storm you need impeccable teamwork but with built-in flexibility to quickly adapt to new circumstances . Businesses need to be agile . To achieve this , you need your entire team to have a far greater awareness of all aspects of the business at any given time . That is why one of the must-have tools for installation businesses now , is an all-encompassing installer management system .
The devil is in the detail
The AdminBase installer management system was designed and created over 20 years ago to help installation businesses closely track performance in all areas , at a glance . It has been popular for a long time , but in the current climate is becoming indispensable . Practicing what we preach
with our own agile development tactics , new features are being added to the system all the time to ensure users have everything they need as market conditions change . One of the most recent features we have added is the AdminBase Task Board – an online job board that helps installation businesses easily keep track of the detail at every stage of every project .
The AdminBase Task board allows you to use cards for specific actions that need to be completed on each project , just as you would on a physical job board . People and deadlines are allocated to individual tasks . The benefit of moving a job board like this online , is that everyone in the business can see what needs to be done to achieve a particular goal at any time of the day , from any location . They can also see how their actions impact on the project as a whole . This improved visibility and accountability is a great way to bring teams together and improve productivity .
Information at your fingertips
Used as part of the AdminBase system , users can drill down into individual actions in the Task Board to find more information relating to that job . For example , if a team is booked to go on site to start an installation , they can double check that all the materials they need have arrived and the client has confirmed the installation date . The Task Board facility also blends seamlessly with the AdminBase checklist system to provide an overview of sales and installation pipelines at a glance , allowing teams to adapt quickly to fill any gaps , or allocate more resources to any bottlenecks .
Working together should probably be the theme of 2023 , whether it be with suppliers , customers , or peers , but pulling together as a united team within a business has never been more important . With the need to be more agile as we continue to be subjected to new challenges , installation businesses need a tight structure with teams that work seamlessly together and have the ability to act quickly as and when needed . They need to monitor the progress of every job that is undertaken , employ clear and concise communication channels , and quickly act on any issues that arise . The AdminBase installer management system provides an excellent foundation to do all of this and a lot more .
www . abinitiosoftware . co . uk
60 FEBRUARY 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM