BUSINESS AND TRAINING
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recorded and filed in the client file so all information is in one place
and any controller can pick it up. The entire system is automated: the
moment a client phones the system recognises and links the phone
number to the file,” says Preston.
The company is also proposing to expand its business in water
management, by establishing a 24/7 water monitoring service whereby
it will know whether a client has a water leak before the client itself
knows. “In this case the technology now also exists, and that’s the way
we’re going,” says Preston. “In the evenings we have our plumbers at
home on standby and calls are diverted from head office to the homes.”
Preston explains that its licensed plumbers are incentivised to grow
their own client base, effectively running their own operations. “The
better he does, the better we do.” It also means they are also willing to
be on standby.
Each team having a tablet means any team can quote for a job, but also
get it instantly double-checked through Burgess’ control centre in real
time before being handed to the client for approval. They also invoice via
their tablet and sign off job cards by tablet.
In addition to its systems and control centre, the company also has a
dedicated training centre, primarily for training on its own system and
tablet. “We’re trying to become completely paperless – a challenge is
the networks on sites. One moment we may have a signal and the next
we don’t because off power outages or because of where our plumbers
are working.”
An efficiency that comes from astute management
Preston attributes its advanced systems to the maturity of the business.
“We’ve been in business for 42 years and have consistently invested
in it over that time. Others haven’t been in existence long enough to
emulate what we have. We have been through busy times and built up
capital in the company – we didn’t spend it. The owners and directors
just draw a salary, and excess profit is ploughed back into the business.
One reason we are successful, is necessarily technical in nature but
because we are able to carry a book/offer credit. We can carry large
client accounts because clients are offered extended payment terms
almost no other plumber can match. We’ve come a long way since
operating out of a garage 42 years ago.
“By the end of a day, we have a schedule of all the jobs logged,
where they’re at, how many are still outstanding, and what hasn’t
been invoiced or paid. Our plumbers are equipped with POS devices
such as Yoco for immediate payment, wherever possible. The system
can accommodate multiple payment options to allow the client to
pay anyway they want. We also moved the entire system offsite so
that everything is in the cloud: there isn’t a server in the office. This
reduces the risk of theft, lightning strikes, or fire. All phones are Voip
(internet based), and each mobile phone becomes an extension. The
system is run on a fibre internet connection with the highest available
speed of 100Mbps.
“If our offices are destroyed, all we need is a mobile phone to be back in
action. There’s no downtime, and we have backup systems by means of
a radio system and generator,” PA
October 2020 Volume 26 I Number 08