One thing we have learnt from 2020 is that what we think is about to happen, might just be the complete opposite of what is actually round the corner!
In January, we started hearing about a virus in China but even then had no idea of what was about to happen. By March, it was becoming clear it would be a big event, but even then did we truly know the size of what would happen?
And now today, do we know what tomorrow holds with Covid or in fact in other areas of our business?
The only thing that we can do is be as prepared for whatever comes our way as is possible. Easier said than done when we don’t know what that will be. However, there are things that we can all do to minimise the impact on our installation companies.
1. Know what is happening within the business at any moment
It sounds obvious, but lots of installers couldn’t easily tell you which jobs are making them the most money or more worryingly, which ones just hold no profit at all. If we are to build back up any cash reserves, we need to know where the money is being made.
Business Pilot’s reports allow you to see the real profit on any job. This includes all the way through the job, so as the profit gets eroded, it is all tracked and you get to see what actually happened, not just what you thought would happen when you sold the job.
2. Maximise your install time while you can install
We all hope that our region won’t see another lock-down (national or regional), but since we can’t say for certain it won’t happen, we need to get the most out of every install day. With a supply chain that is trying to cope with increased demand after a period of lock-down, it is even more important to get the scheduling of installs right.
Business Pilot’s interactive schedule board allows you to see in a glance which installs are ‘provisional’ meaning you don’t have a confirmed delivery date on product, and which are ‘confirmed’, with all products having a confirmed delivery date. This allows you to easily (drag and drop) move things around ahead of time to minimise last minute stress whilst maximising fitter time.
3. Make remote working the same as office working
One of the big challenges when lock-down was announced was how to run your office without being in the office. Let’s face it, before lock-down the old whiteboard, spreadsheets and even t-card systems probably worked well enough for you to not consider a fully integrated system. And very few staff were asking for more days working from home (flexible working). That all changed in March and along with the rest of the world, we are seeing a major shift in how people want to work.
With Business Pilot, you can do everything from any device, anywhere. This was always the way, but it took on more importance with the corona-virus arriving. Our users simply left their offices and continued to work ‘as normal’ from home. The thought of shutting the office again if required doesn’t phase them because they are not reliant on the office. Business Pilot allows you to work remotely in exactly the same way as you work in an office, whether the disruption is caused by a pandemic, a power cut, or just staff wanting to work from home a couple of days per week.
4. Keep your staff safe, and working
It goes without saying, the last thing you need is a breakout within your team. Whilst you can provide all the necessary PPE, sometimes having a process to follow make the difference. Built right into the installation app side of Business Pilot, the risk assessment tool ensures fitters have made the relevant checks before starting their work each day. This is all recorded against the install in your Business Pilot system and gives you an audit trail, which could save any later claim from a household that you didn’t follow Covid guidelines.
Throughout lock-down and now during the ‘return to work’, we have been supporting our users to minimise the impact of Covid on their businesses. We have so many cases of installers saying they don’t know what they would have done without the system. The reality is, they would have probably survived, it would have just been a lot harder. And that’s the point of Business Pilot. It saves you a lot of time and wasted money. It makes life easier and right now, that has to be a good thing.
We don’t know if this winter will bring another lock-down (locally or nationally), but we do know that cases are on the rise again and that’s before winter hits. Don’t leave it until its too late. Take a look at Business Pilot now and start to benefit from all of its features. It is a totally integrated system to help you run your installation business.
Remember, it has been built by, and is run by installers, for other installers. That’s why it is the most effective system available to help you during good times and bad.
