Managing government and large ongoing maintenance service contracts can be a challenge for Australian trade service businesses. If work orders, on-site operations, and invoices are handled inefficiently, businesses can experience slow response times that may lead to the termination of contracts.
WorkBuddy is a field service management software that helps businesses stay on top of maintenance- and government-type contracts. The software can accept contracts from community housing agencies like Hume Housing, Bridge Housing, Evolve Housing, Link Wentworth, Women’s Housing, and Mission Australia. Plus, WorkBuddy is compatible with head maintenance contractor systems including Ventia (BroadSpectrum), Spotless, and Lake Maintenance.
Here’s how WorkBuddy allows businesses to better coordinate with public housing and head maintenance contractors.
Integrated work order processing
Traditionally, public housing agencies and their head maintenance contractors send work order requests over phone calls or emails and other written formats. The field service business that receives the request will then have to manually enter the data into their database and set up the jobs for field technicians. This process not only takes up a lot of time, but it also usually leads to data entry errors and on-site mistakes.
WorkBuddy resolves these problems with efficient work order processing. When a business receives work orders, WorkBuddy instantly identifies the task and registers it in the company’s database as a new job that’s ready to be assigned to subcontractors and technicians. What’s particularly convenient about WorkBuddy is that it’s compatible with various electronic files that public housing agencies and contractors often use. The app processes work orders sent in emails or attachments in PDF, XML, HTML, XLS, and CSV formats, so there’s no need for tedious data entry or phone calls.
What’s more, relevant information such as the client who authorised the work order, job scope, material requirements, deadlines, payment terms, and other specifications are captured into the database. Key decision-makers review this information and determine whether the company has the time and resources to complete the task.
Fast job scheduling
With WorkBuddy, businesses can automatically schedule jobs to subcontractors and technicians depending on their qualifications, service areas, and availability. For instance, if a housing provider in the Hunter area requires electrical maintenance on a Tuesday afternoon, WorkBuddy will search the company roster for technicians who match those requirements. The technician assigned will then get notified on their WorkBuddy mobile app, where they can also review work order details and optimal routes to job locations.
By giving field technicians on-the-go access to job schedules, businesses can significantly cut travel time between job locations and the dispatch desk. As long as field technicians have WorkBuddy on their mobile devices, they’ll get real-time updates on new work orders that require their expertise and where they need to be. This enables businesses to quickly react to schedule adjustments and ensure technicians can get to work right away.
Job forms and checklists
WorkBuddy lets businesses use job forms to ensure field technicians conduct their tasks according to the head contractor’s standards. These forms could include workplace safety procedures, site inspection checklists, and general maintenance to-do lists. Businesses can customise new forms for highly specific work orders, but WorkBuddy also provides a wide selection of checklists that apply to many field service jobs. In fact, WorkBuddy can provide templated forms and checklists to technicians as soon as routine work orders are received, reducing the time spent on planning the job.
Fast invoicing
Businesses can streamline billing processes with head contractors by integrating WorkBuddy with popular accounting software like Xero, QuickBooks, or MYOB. With these integrations, field technicians can record billable hours, inventory costs, and other work-related expenses on WorkBuddy. The accounting component can then automatically calculate invoices against service rates, goods and services tax, cost centres, and material costs. Since everything is digitised, businesses invoice head contractors as soon as the work is done.
Client portal
WorkBuddy’s portals bridge the gap between head contractors and the field service businesses they subcontract work to. Through contractor portals, agencies or contractors can fully monitor all assigned work orders in a centralised dashboard. These portals drill down into key information like the technician/subcontractor assigned to a work order, overall job progress, safety compliance, and costs.
Contractor portal
The contractor portal makes it easy to stay in sync with head contractors. Field service businesses can send up-to-the-minute job progress reports, checklists, photos, and expenses to keep head contractors informed. Also, WorkBuddy portals come with instant messaging features so public housing agencies, field service businesses, and technicians can seamlessly discuss crucial work order details.
Recipient created tax invoice (RCTI)
In general, tax invoices are issued by companies that provide construction goods and services. However, in certain cases, the receiver of construction services such as public housing agencies and head maintenance contractors can generate invoices on behalf of subcontractors. These invoices are known as RCTIs. With RCTIs, subcontractors don’t have to set up new systems and issue a separate invoice to the public housing or head maintenance contractor. This leads to fewer discrepancies between parties and ensures subcontractors have the correct pricing. When agencies or contractors send over an RCTI, WorkBuddy can instantly process and store in a central database, making it easy for field service businesses to make accurate tax claims.
Overall, there are boundless efficiencies businesses can enjoy when using WorkBuddy to coordinate with public housing agencies and head maintenance contractors. If you’re interested in incorporating WorkBuddy into your operations, call us today.
