20 • INDUSTRYNEWS
PROUD SPONSORS
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Putting Online
Bidding in Reverse
The YouKwoteMe.com website has been designed
to stop the current speculation in relation to the
submission of feedback and to solve the issues
related to traders paying for leads from people that
do not exist (or are simply looking for an estimate).
»»DESIGNED BY PASCAL BAPTISTA, A
professional that has worked in the
construction industry all his life and who
truly knows and understands how big
organisations operate, he has applied the
same principles to domestic clients and
local builders.
“I’ve been working in construction for
over 15 years now. Looking back, I was
always surrounded by mechanisms where
the selection process for main contractors
had been developed for what is now a two
stage process.
“The first one is what we call the prequalification process. This is basically a
quality, financial health and capacity on a
written ‘questions and answers’ assessment
of the organisation. Also, as part of this
process, the same companies are subject
to additional credit checks, historical
growth, financial stability, health and
safety performances, rules and policies,
experience and any other category that
may be relevant to the work to be carried
out.
“The second process does vary
depending on clients and projects but
it ultimately becomes an assessment of
having the right balance between time, cost
and quality. This is basically when a quote
is submitted, as the quality aspects were
assessed at the first stage.
“We are now left with time and cost. In
general, these last two are directly linked
and can have a huge influence on the final
quote.
“We have replicated these processes
built-in the website, all in a unique
location. Traders undergo an initial
checking process to determine if they
qualify for the YouKwoteMe.com Approved
Trader Stamp. This process includes the
collection of credentials, credit, past work
done and any other relevant experience
and feedback collected. From this point,
clients can be assured that our Approved
Traders meet minimum standards. The
second step, ‘Pricing’, depends entirely on
the client and the quality of information
provided to the traders when the job is
listed.
“There are many websites out there,
some of them have actually created a
strong foundation. But there are issues
such as missing the point when trying to
sell leads based on a text message; traders
going through the checking process and
receiving feedback but with no guarantee
they will ‘win’ the job, receiving a call or
finding out the reasons for losing a job due
to lack of communication from the client.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAR/APR 2016
Sponsored by ABUS
“Again, with YouKwoteMe.com the
loop is fully closed. Traders will receive
jobs notifications, view jobs online with
a combination of text, pictures and
documents, once they’re at a job and want
to do the job, this is when they make the
bookings online and start to reverse bid or
submit quotes via the YouKwoteme.com
website.
“When clients list their jobs online,
they have 30 days to decide if they want to
go ahead or not. Once works starts, both
traders and users are protected with the
YouKwoteMe.com contract. This contract
is very simple and can be summarised in
one line, ‘Do the works in accordance with
best practices whilst following manufacturer
instructions and as stated in the job detail’.
Every construction step can be recorded in
the Daily Diary Log showing progress with a
combination of text and photos.
“Any time there is a change, two boxes are
completed stating details of the change, if
it has a cost/time impact, how much it will
cost and how long it will take. Once this is
submitted the client receives a notification
and if approved the works can proceed with
the change. This simple process makes it
clear to both parties. At the end, there is a
2-way feedback rating where not only can
the clients dictate which traders can bid
on their jobs but it gives the opportunity
for traders to give their thoughts about the
client (which will later influence the way
future jobs are priced). In addition, the
handover documentation, the operations
and maintenance manuals, Health and
Safety files can be saved online for future
references. When there is a disagreement
between client and trader, they can raise a
Dispute. If the issue remains open for more
than 30 days or needs escalating, we will
assist in helping to resolve the problem.”