Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th July 2024 Issue no. 1124

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Clearground Building Cleaning achieves new heights with BigChange

Building cleaning company Clearground has used BigChange job management software to transform its business with a strategic move into high level access services.

Since implementing BigChange in 2020, Clearground has invested in both staff and equipment to further improve its high level building cleaning, and general maintenance and repairs provisions. Using real-time management information from BigChange, Clearground has achieved a 40% increase in turnover, a 45% increase in job profitability and a significant increase in jobs completed, since 2021.

"The opportunity for growth within the facilities service environment has opened up in the last few years," comments Claire Piercy, general manager at Wirral-based Clearground. "Overseas investment throughout the UK in private sector Co-living, student accommodation and managed offices, has resulted in demand for experienced and reliable facilities services companies.

“Working with a growing client base in the construction industry we have identified - and responded to, a growing demand for high level works and the resulting compliance requirements.

"Following investment and training in our high level rope access teams, and working in partnership with architects and developers, we're able to assist in the creation of safe and cost effective strategies to clean and maintain their assets, from the beginning of a project, including the installation and ongoing testing of mansafe, davit arm and anchorage systems.

"BigChange has given us the tools we needed to adapt. It has also ensured that we have access to real-time information that is easy to access, easy to use, and easy to share, to support both day-to-day decision-making and long-term planning in support of this strategic change in direction."

Clearground originally implemented the BigChange job management system, which incorporates a mobile workforce app, customer relationship management (CRM), job scheduling, live tracking, financial management and business intelligence tools in one system, to improve health & safety management across its operation. Since then, it has further incorporated its credit control function and a complete sales order process to generate live cash flow projections.

"Being able to view the journey of a job, from receipt of a sales enquiry through the quotation stage to job completion and invoicing, gives us a clear view of our current position,” adds Claire. “This and the automatic scheduling of PPM works ahead of time enables our service department to work months ahead to meet our client's exact needs.

"As we have evolved as a company, BigChange has evolved with us allowing us to respond to challenges and opportunities as they arise. BigChange continues to introduce new tools and functionality, in response to user feedback, and this has helped us achieve growth and security.

“Our BigChange champion and compliance manager Jane Vickers, loves testing these new applications and adapting them to our specific needs."

New functionality offered by BigChange that is currently supporting Clearground as it continues to adapt and expand includes automated quote generation and acceptance, complete with customer agreement to the company's terms of reference, and the use of 'Flags', which provides management with a snapshot of sales and work in progress, colour coded by stage from 'enquiry' to work 'booked with the client, and 'further works required'.

Additional features that are supporting Clearground daily include a customisable 'Favourites' view which allows users to create and save individual searches specific to their roles, as well as the ability for individual users to create their own bespoke workflows and templates.

"BigChange gives the senior management team a 360-degree vision of our business; empowering our staff to introduce their own ideas into the system, yet retain control of a busy and fast changing service operation," concludes Claire. "This has been a contributing factor for our continued growth and profitability."

Based in Wirral, Merseyside Clearground has continued to provide its core services of drainage throughout the UK, high level access cleaning & repairs, window cleaning and industrial deep cleaning. Working with long term and new clients, including Legacie Construction and Grahams, Clearground has solidified its position within the facilities services market in the North-West of England and has recently invested in a Ruthmann-Steiger TB300, a flagship Mobile Elevating Work Platform with unprecedented access ability to meet demand in the growth of high level cleaning & maintenance works.

https://clearground.co.uk | www.bigchange.com

30th May 2024