For plumbing companies across the UK, efficiency and customer satisfaction are the bedrock of a thriving business. From emergency call-outs to scheduled installations, every minute counts. While the right tools and skilled technicians are vital, a powerful, often overlooked, ally is GPS tracking technology. It’s no longer just for large haulage firms; it’s an essential tool for optimising operations, enhancing safety, and elevating customer service in the dynamic world of plumbing.
At BORIS Software, we understand the specific needs of businesses that manage field-based teams and fleets, including the plumbing sector. Our robust Workforce Management solution, especially its powerful GPS & Fleet Management capabilities, is designed to help you run your business smarter by cutting through chaos and manual processes.
What is GPS Tracking?
In simple terms, a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking system uses satellites to pinpoint and track the real-time location of an object – in your case, your plumbing vans and even your teams. These devices collect and transmit live location data, often integrating with management systems to offer advanced features like route optimisation and geofencing.
Why is GPS Tracking Indispensable for UK Plumbing Businesses?
For plumbing businesses, GPS tracking offers a wealth of benefits that extend beyond simply knowing where your vehicles are. It’s about smarter operations and happier customers.
• Happier Customers with Accurate ETAs Plumbing emergencies demand swift responses. With GPS fleet tracking, you can provide spot-on estimates for arrival times, offering instant peace of mind to customers. Your dispatchers can track the driver’s location as they approach, saving them from endless calls asking, “Is he coming sometime this century?”. The ability to let customers track your vans on the way is a great way to make them happy and keep them satisfied with your service.
• Lower Labour Costs for Your Business An often-unintended benefit of using GPS fleet tracking is the reduction in the number of hours drivers spend on the road. This allows your plumbers to finish their workdays faster, saving your business money on overtime payments when jobs run over due to long driving distances, circuitous routes, or time stuck in traffic. Over the course of a year, these savings can significantly add up.
• Significant Reduction in Fuel Costs Fuel costs are a serious consideration for any plumbing company with a fleet. GPS tracking allows you to work around slow and stalled traffic while still finding fuel-saving routes from one job to the next. This saves your business both time and money.
• Improved Dispatching Ease Dispatchers face the tough job of balancing job priorities with knowing where all vans are at any given time, and which is closest in time and distance to the next emergency. GPS tracking systems can sort out these details with just a few clicks, freeing up personnel to handle other important business while ensuring drivers and customers are properly taken care of.
• Enhanced Team Safety & Lone Worker Support For plumbers working on their own, especially outside standard hours, safety is paramount. BORIS’s GPS tracking contributes towards providing safety support to lone workers with the ability to identify their route history and location if communication is lost. It allows you to track both “the man and the van”.
• Ensuring Fleet Health & Compliance Proactive maintenance is crucial for extending vehicle lifespan and avoiding costly, unexpected breakdowns. GPS trackers can provide data to help with maintenance issues. Regular vehicle audits provide assurance that your vans remain fit for purpose and safe to use. A robust system also helps ensure your business meets industry regulations by providing compliance tracking and reporting tools.
Introducing BORIS: Your Partner in Plumbing Business Management
Just as GPS technology is revolutionising the plumbing industry, BORIS Software provides the powerful tools you need to implement these vital advancements within your organisation. Our GPS & Fleet Management module is a core part of our comprehensive solution, helping you to oversee the condition and location of your vehicles, as well as the location of your teams for safety.
Here’s how BORIS simplifies and strengthens your plumbing operations:
• Comprehensive Tracking Capabilities: BORIS enables you to track both “the man and the van”. You benefit from GPS tracking devices, live data capture, speed & mileage traceability, and route history. Our system provides live maps and traffic conditions to help you assess distance and time to site, allowing you to update clients and partners about any delays.
• Enhanced Team Safety: For lone plumbers or field operatives, BORIS contributes to providing safety support with the ability to identify their route history and location if communication is lost.
• Optimised Fleet Management: Utilise geo-fencing to create virtual boundaries for your vehicles, allowing you to review operative site access and geographic territories. You can also categorise vehicles and customise tracking times for tailored insights.
• Digital Vehicle Safety Audits: Ensure your fleet is always roadworthy with regular vehicle audits. Bespoke app templates can be used to monitor how each driver maintains their vehicle, log its contents, and record its condition, especially during transfers between plumbers. Our digital forms can be supported with vehicle drawings to accurately mark up damage or areas of concern for repair and maintenance.
• Proactive Maintenance & Compliance: Employing asset management principles, you can record the full specification and lifetime service history of your vehicles. Our PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance) module allows you to create a cyclical maintenance system for auto-scheduling MOTs and servicing across your fleet. BORIS also includes robust compliance tracking and reporting tools to ensure your business meets all industry regulations.
• Seamless Digital Processes: BORIS allows you to manage timesheets, expenses, holidays, and clock-ins effortlessly with streamlined tools. Our digital forms are instantly uploaded to a host portal for review, cutting through chaos and potentially saving you over 10 hours a week and reducing costs by over 20%.
• Accessibility & Adaptability: BORIS is accessible on iOS, Android, and web browsers for seamless use anytime, anywhere, putting your business firmly in the palm of your hand. It is scalable and customisable, suitable for businesses of all sizes.
The Road Ahead
For plumbing companies aiming for peak efficiency, superior customer service, and robust safety protocols, GPS tracking isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. By embracing cutting-edge tools like BORIS, your plumbing business won’t just keep up with the competition; you’ll be well-positioned to lead the way in efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction.
Ready to revolutionise your plumbing operations, enhance safety, and streamline your processes with advanced GPS tracking? You can book a free demo today to see how BORIS can simplify every step and drive your business forward.
