Problem
Inefficient Data Management and a Lack of Structured Workflows
Edward and his engineering team are working in the niche world of Cryogenics, where they buy and sell oxygen and nitrogen.
To expand on their business offering, they started purchasing and developing businesses back in 2018.
As they had to manage multiple businesses, they realised they were now struggling with their operational workflows from juggling so many tasks.
His team was managing everything the old-fashioned way – through multiple spreadsheets and doing manual work by writing everything down with a pen, instead of focusing on providing value for their customers.
Apart from that, their existing processes were not well-defined, which led to more and more confusion as they acquired more businesses.
Edward knew that in their line of business, they needed to ensure that all necessary steps were followed in the exact order and there should be no errors or oversights in their project management workflow.
Q1
Solution
Started Building Solutions inside SmartSuite to Streamline Task Management and the Inspection Process
The first solution that Edward built on SmartSuite with our help was what he calls a ‘’Battle Rhythm’’, a half-hour meeting every morning that he and his team go through every day that has all operational and critical tasks at hand.
This task management grid view serves Edward and his team as the agenda for the day, where they can assign tasks and keep track of progress.
Edward now had a workflow set in place, which is why we started replicating that process for their concrete cooling business.
But they did not want to stop there. Edward and his team at CIS set up a Form that their on-site engineers need to fill out when they are inspecting their tanks from their phones, with information flowing to their SmartSuite workspace.
This Form also helps Edward to guide their field technicians through their tasks to ensure that the steps are followed during inspections and operations to minimize the risk of oversight.
Apart from that, they were also able to set up automations that trigger alerts based on specific criteria, such as thresholds being met during inspections, so the relevant person could be notified immediately.
Q2
Results
Streamlined Data Collection that makes CIS's life Easier and Less Manual
SmartSuite’s Forms and automations have made Edward’s and his on-site technician’s life easier by enabling technicians to input data directly into a structured format to reduce the time spent on manual data entry and minimize errors.
Apart from that, CIS’s automation of trigger notifications based on the data entered (e.g., if certain thresholds are met during inspections, there’s an automated alert) has made it easier for them to spot issues early on and has facilitated faster response times.
Last but not least, Edward was finally able to centralize all of their multiple businesses’ information into a single platform, where all information related to inspections can be easily accessed and analyzed.
This has helped him and his team to improve their collaboration since everyone in his team has access to the same, up-to-date information.