Benchmarking success at Site Safe - Faster processes, better visibility - with ecoPortal.
Site Safe is a small not-for-profit with big goals – changing the health and safety culture in the construction industry with training, education, and resources.
Around 2010, they introduced auditing services for construction sites, sending qualified health and safety experts to visit sites, and documenting issues or improvements in a written report.
The audits are now a ‘gold standard’ service for members of the construction sector, providing valuable safety feedback and helping improve industry standards over time. But, as the audit process grew more complex, the technology used to deliver it failed to keep up – and Site Safe needed to look for another solution.
Slow processes and out-of-sync systems
Site Safe’s audit process used technology that wasn’t fit for purpose and involved almost twenty separate steps.
Site Safe’s Head of Technology, Tim John, explains.
“We had to send a PDF form to a customer who enquired about a site safety review. They’d fill in the form by hand, send it back, then an admin person would liaise with an auditor to see when they were available. They would then be invited on a calendar, and the auditor would be given details by email. They’d rock up with the iPad, create a new review from scratch with a minimum set of details about the site, contractor etc. At the end of the review, the auditor would be responsible for emailing the review duration, travel and report writing time to the finance team so an appropriate invoice could be generated. The invoice to go back to the regional manager for approval before being sent to the customer.”
The process took several days – if not more – to complete. When Site Safe decided to implement a new type of review, with built-in benchmarking and more complex questions for clients, it was obvious that new software was needed.
The older site review software also wasn’t designed to integrate with Site Safe’s core business app – Microsoft Dynamic CRM – which led to errors and confusion when data wasn’t synced across platforms.
They needed a system that could be fully integrated with MS Dynamic and shared with clients.
“We didn’t have a full picture. We needed it to be open to integrate [with the] CRM. And we wanted a platform that we could show to the client. They could log in and see their site review and benchmarking in infographic format,” says Tim.
Searching for new solutions
After looking at proposals from half a dozen vendors, the Site Safe team chose to work with ecoPortal. It ticked the boxes of integration with their CRM, offered more efficient process management, and even looked better than their old system – which makes a difference when sharing data with customers.
As Tim explains, the decision was also partially driven by hardware.
“The existing system was only on an iOS platform, so the team had to carry around iPads just for this one function. With ecoPortal, our auditors can use a variety of devices such as any phone and even a Surface Pro instead.”
ecoPortal wasn’t just a newer product, it was also purpose-built for auditing – unlike the older system. It offered more features and straightforward integration, eliminating the syncing and data-loss issues of the past.
Streamlining the site review process – and more
Moving site reviews into ecoPortal has cut that multi-step, multi-person process way down, saving time and money. Because Site Safe is an industry-led non-profit, they’re not out to make money from health and safety reviews, but like any organisation, they have ongoing expenses and are always looking for ways to manage costs.
“We’ve saved several hours in administrative costs, not to mention streamlining our processes and improving our service to customers” says Tim.
Reviews are requested and booked through the Site Safe website. A locally based auditor is assigned the review and it is scheduled into their calendar. The auditor completes the on-site review and the report is automatically saved as part of that client’s record in CRM. Because the user interface is sleek and easy to read, Site Safe can share reviews with clients on-site as well – making the whole process more transparent.
The ability to integrate with the CRM system has been a positive change for Site Safe, too.
“That’s been a tremendous win for us,” explains Tim.
Now that data is shared between the ecoPortal system and the CRM, the team gets a holistic view of each client, without having to search out other data.
Clients can now log in to the system to see their past reviews and look at their progress over time. Because they can access their documents, they can print off or email their recent reviews to share with staff members – far quicker and easier than needing to request one from Site Safe.
“It gives them far more functionality over their data than they had before; complete self-service !” Tim says.
Expanding the ecoPortal relationship
Site Safe’s audit system has gone from clunky and time-consuming, to sleek and efficient – and better for clients
The new system only went live in mid-May, so there are still tweaks to be made and features to find. The review process may be pared down even further.
And, as Tim explains, there’s already a plan to expand their use of ecoPortal. The organisation is now looking at other features that could be used in different areas of the business.
“This is the tip of the iceberg in terms of our relationship with ecoPortal. There’s already a plan that this will be expanded.”
Key benefits for Site Safe
- Site review process streamlined – from a multi-step process involving several people to a short, one-person job
- Site reviews are sent to clients much faster (around 72 hours)
- Reduced admin and time costs
- Clients can log in to access their data and documents
- Data is shared between ecoPortal and the CRM program, giving staff a holistic view of each client and preventing data loss
When you’re ready to plan the right health and safety software for your business, you can try a demo or get in touch with the team at ecoPortal.
