Featuring G.B. Electrical

Brief Background on the Contractor

G.B. Electrical is an electrical contracting company based in Newcastle, 160kms north of Sydney. G.B. Electrical has diversified into specialist areas with 40 qualified field personnel and has gained a reputation for providing a high standard of workmanship and prompt service in residential, industrial and commercial markets.

Apart from normal domestic light and power work, G.B. Electrical also provides services such as Facilities Management, industrial services, installing and maintaining elevators and commercial catering equipment.

The Problem

For recording jobs and for invoicing, G.B. Electrical had a slow, cumbersome, paper-based system. Administration employees were overloaded with seemingly endless paperwork. The old system often caused frustration for staff in the field.

There was a lack of control and transparency through the system, there were cash flow issues and inaccuracies often effected revenue collection.

The company needed to come into the 21st century but the systems that Director Darren Andrews had examined were either inadequate or too complicated.

The IMS Solution

The complex nature of the G.B. Electrical business combined with in-house IT skill limitations, meant that the company needed a flexible system that was easy to use and could be adapted to each of the business units.

The IMS solution for G.B. Electrical was the smart phone system, ServiceTrack with an OH&S add-on. ServiceTrack is a powerful web based tool that allows service calls and projects to be centrally managed from time of log on, through to invoicing.

ServiceTrack was introduced gradually, one service unit at a time. With Field Staff receiving and using a smart phone instead of paper, the first week of implementation was very different for them. IMS service personnel were on hand to ensure all issues were managed. Yet, despite nervousness from some users, it took only 2 – 5 days for G.B. Electrical units to be running with minimal teething problems.

As an easy-to-use handheld interface, ServiceTrack enabled field service personnel to add resource information and close-off jobs ready for invoicing. Paperwork was eliminated and admin processes were streamlined.

The Benefits to G.B.

With the implementation of ServiceTrack, the management at G.B. Electrical very quickly realised that they had a great deal more control, that cash flow was decidedly better and that the time savings were huge.

Suddenly, jobs were better organised and all details were viewable by multiple staff. Invoicing accuracy improved significantly and control of inventory was much better.

G.B. Electrical estimates measurable gains as:

10% increase in billable hours
50-80% time saved in invoicing
80% time saved managing timesheets
60% time saved by field technicians doing paperwork.

“With ServiceTrack our staff time on invoicing has been cut by up to 80%!”
Greg Beeton Managing Director
G.B. Electrical

“The system met and exceeded expectations, we have been able to go a lot further with new modules than I first expected. The system as a whole works accurately and smoothly with little teething problems.”
Darren Andrews Director
G.B. Electrical

“This system is working well, as long as customers are happy I am happy”.
Adam Carlyle Field Technician
G.B. Electrical