How Technology Helps Water Treatment Firms Secure More Business
Old fashioned, inefficient, paper-based systems are one of the major reasons water treatment firms are failing to secure tenders. With the move to digital technology, customers now expect online systems that make paperwork and reporting a breeze. So what can you do to keep up with the competition?
In this article, we explore a tailor-made IT solution for the water treatment industry. One that’s solving all these challenges and more than paying for itself by helping water treatment firms secure more work.
Lost Tenders Leave You Feeling Sore
Bidding for work is stressful and time-consuming. And if you don’t secure the business, all that time and effort is washed down the drain, stunting your sales pipeline and revenue stream.
Data from the Centre for Economics and Business Research shows that public sector tenders cost each supplier £5,800 on average. Even if your bids cost less than this, time is money with failed tenders leaving you emotionally and financially washed out.
Then there’s the value of the lost work to factor in. With water treatment contracts tending towards the long term, it’s not just one year’s revenue you’re missing out on. You’ve probably kissed goodbye to the opportunity to service a client for five, ten years or more.
That adds up to a whole lot of lost opportunity.
Tenders opportunities; electronic document management and digital reporting
With the increasing drive towards lessening environmental impact, reducing carbon footprint and waste, public and private centre organisations are increasingly insisting on electronic document management and digital reporting. This often times forms part of the PQQ; without an electronic system in place, suppliers are unable to even qualify in some cases.
The benefits of non-paper based communication and reporting systems are win-win; management information and PPM tracking is available instantly in real time, while at the same time reducing unnecessary wastage, going some way towards lessening environmental impact. Local authorities who have a mandate to reduce carbon footprint, as well as organisations who take their corporate environmental policy seriously, are likely to insist on this type of communication with their suppliers through their tender opportunities.
Introducing SiteUnify
SiteUnify has already helped organisations win tenders. Niall Phillips of Hydraclean Ltd:
“We had just moved onto the SiteUnify platform and were starting a tender process for what was, and still is, our largest tender opportunity to date. We were able to not only describe the SiteUnify system in the PQQ, but also demonstrate its operation to our client. Their reaction to the system was a huge deciding factor for them in awarding us the tender”.
SiteUnify was developed specifically for the water treatment industry. It enables remote workers to use mobile devices to capture site visit information using online forms. And it automatically updates your databases and feeds into your management reports in real time.
Designed to align with your firm’s particular workflows, it empowers your business to move away from antiquated, risky paper and into the twenty-first century bringing these benefits:
- Always on, even without wifi – data can be entered into the system even if the engineer isn’t connected to the internet. As soon as they’re back in range, the data is uploaded to your database without the need for administrative input.
- Reduce the time spent on administration – difficult-to-decipher handwriting and lost paperwork are no longer a problem as engineers type directly into the online form. Freeing up your administrators to take other work forwards.
- Provide a consistent and enhanced service to your customers – an online site visit system brings your clients into the digital age and means they can prove compliance with detailed data trails that will keep the auditors happy.
- Help your customers achieve and maintain ISO standards – digital document management systems enable you and your customers to demonstrate adherence to ISO9001 and ISO14001 standards.
- Real time access to management data – want to know exactly how many jobs are approved? Need to know how your team is progressing against the job list? Access all this and more with real-time reporting. Then accurately allocate resources and invoice immediately.
Don’t just take our word for it. Research from Deloitte found that switching to digital systems increases productivity, enabling workers to:
- complete their jobs more efficiently
- collaborate and improve communication within and between organisations
- reduce risk by protecting confidential information and backing up data offline
Of course, any business person worth their salt will want to understand the cost implications. Our customers regularly tell us that SiteUnify pays for itself within the first year thanks to faster invoicing, reduced administrative costs and more tender wins.
SiteUnify is ready and waiting to take your water treatment business into the modern era. With a wide range of benefits – from driving administrative efficiency and minimising risk to enhancing customer service and helping your clients achieve or maintain ISO status – you’ll soon be adding value to your tenders. And securing additional work for your pipeline.
To find out more about SiteUnify, read our next article which sets out five simple steps to implement this productivity-driving software in your water treatment business. Or get in touch with Dave on 0161 871 7509 or at websites@doublezerosolutions.co.uk to discuss your firm’s needs.