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We talk to Eric Knappett, a director of Conserv-A-Tech Home Improvements, about how customer support underpins a positive Business Pilot experience.

Keeping on top of your workflow is vital for any business, as if one part gets missed or overlooked, then it can affect many other moving parts, according to Knappett.

He says: “We employ all the installation teams and a full-time building team to carry out our projects. And when running any successful business, all aspects of the process need consistent monitoring.

“The first management system I used years ago was a T-card system with a previous company, where we moved these T-cards around on a wall. While we’ve moved on and kept up with technology, I actually know people today who run window companies using that same old T-card system.”

 

Outlook was bleak

Knappett says he originally used Outlook Calendars as a booking system when he started Conserv-A-Tech, colouring them in like a T-card system and moving elements around appropriately.

He adds: “The problem was I was the only one that could see them. I did try to share those calendars with other people in the business but it wasn't very successful.

“As a result, other people in the company didn’t know what was being scheduled and no-one had complete visibility, so it was difficult to stay on top of all the different projects on the go. Especially those who worked remotely.

 

CRM even bleaker

“I realised Conserv-A-Tech needed a CRM system where all employees could log on to a centralised system. Unfortunately, our first experience with a CRM system wasn’t very positive as we paid about £2,000 up front to basically build a database platform. There was no support, kept in the dark and left to our own devices to try and make this thing work.

“Now that we are with Business Pilot, we pay per month and we get regular updates and training. It’s as though we aren’t actually subscribing to the product but investing in the ongoing development of the software. And that means it is always up to date.”

 

Transparency

Business Pilot provides transparency. It is cloud-based and sp be accessed from anywhere either on a desktop, tablet or on a phone on the App, which is ideal for colleagues who work remotely and for fitters who are always on site.

As it integrates with lead generation tools, supplier ordering systems and accountancy software, everything is available at your fingertips. Users get unlimited document storage, so there is no need to keep a paper-based archive.

“Paperwork is almost a thing of the past,” says Knappett. “No more ring binders and box files in the archives. As long as everything is uploaded to Business Pilot, I know that if I have a customer's contract number or name, then I can have everything in front of me.”

This interconnectivity, Knappett says, helps make his company operate more efficiently than it did with other systems. And thanks to the investment Business Pilot made into ongoing training, his colleagues have quickly adopted the CRM software.

 

You can watch a discussion between Eric Knappett and Kim Holloway (pictured centre and left) from Conserv-A-Tech and Business Pilot’s MD Elton Boocock here.

 

 

www.businesspilot.co.uk

 

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
13th August 2024

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