BigChange Helps Union Technical Achieve Government Retrofit Standards

Whole house energy efficiency company Union Technical, has achieved international accreditation and compliance with the latest government standards using field service management software from BigChange.

The retrofit contractor, which works with energy companies, housing associations and local authorities across the UK, recently achieved ISO accreditations for its working practices. Using the BigChange complete Job Management Platform, Union Technical is also one of the first to adapt and comply with the new Industry Standards PAS 2035.

Suzanne Coyle, Director of Glasgow-based Union Technical commented:

“BigChange has been part of our journey for many years and has helped us transition from start-up to nationwide service provider with a team of over 100. In the last 18 months the impact BigChange has had on our business has been exceptional.

She continued:

“BigChange helped us respond to the challenges of COVID and the impact this had on day-to-day working practices, using BigChange, our field-based teams were able to conduct initial home visits, site surveys and installations, capturing photographs and non-contact signatures without risk to themselves or the homeowners. 

“BigChange was also an integral part of our ISO success and has been fundamental in our ability to adapt to and comply with the new standards for retrofit projects, which came into effect this summer and are designed to protect the customer as our industry scales-up to deliver services to around 27 million homes over the next thirty years.”  

Using the single platform CRM, Job Scheduling, Vehicle Tracking, Mobile Workforce App and Online Portal, Union Technical manages every customer interaction. From identification of households that could benefit from energy efficiency measures through first point of contact to installation, every communication is recorded, and all data logged, in real-time, to the central BigChange system. Field staff, armed with tablets, follow prescribed workflows to assess a property’s suitability for improvement considering potential risk factors and individual circumstances. 

Using BigChange’s plumbing and heating engineer software, customer service advisors review captured information and make an initial assessment before booking a full, whole-house survey. Data captured at this stage is then reviewed by the Retrofit Co-ordinator and used to assist in creating a design specific to that property detailing the improvement requirements and options. BigChange is also helping Union Technical evaluate and monitor works and create custom reports for both internal management and stakeholder engagement. 

Coyle concluded:

“We continue to take a whole-of-house, whole-of-lifetime approach to our services and BigChange does it exactly the same, from start to finish, for every job at every house, BigChange helps us capture the right information, at the right time and makes it easy to access and easy to report on.”