Atula Technologies has been working with SFE Services to build a software solution to be used out in the field by HVAC engineers. SFE Services provides air conditioning and mechanical ventilation (HVAC) services, including installations and maintenance, to companies across the UK. The company had been using Microsoft 365, emails and paper forms to keep track of projects, resulting in hours of extra admin for engineers. SFE Services appointed Atula Technologies to create a bespoke digital solution to bring the internal processes onto one platform and improve the efficiency of the business.
In the early stages, SFE Services met with Atula Technologies with the aim of producing an app that engineers can use on their mobile to fill out paperwork – which will get shared on the business’s database in real time. Up until this point, SFE Services was managing diaries on Microsoft 365, while engineers filled out Word documents after the completion of a job, which were emailed to the head office. This meant that nothing was being done in real time, with travel and further jobs causing delays to paperwork. The office then needed to process the reports manually to send to the client. SFE Services sought to streamline the process with a tick box question sheet for each project.
After a couple of detailed, enquiry led meetings, Atula Technologies took a brief to create a well-rounded solution. Delivering the project involved multiple revisions as the software evolved with clear communication aiding the process. SFE Services is currently in the last phases of testing the system and hopes to roll it out by spring. SFE Services is estimated to see its admin work halved.
SFE Services main contact at Atula Technologies was Soumya Dinesh, co-founder and managing director. While members of the team worked to develop the software in the background.
One of the reasons SFE Services appointed Atula Technologies was its clear approach to delivering bespoke software, with a clear focus on what a business in a particular sector needs and leaving off all the fluff. SFE Services had been having difficulty with its processes for the last five years and has found no ready-made HVAC specific industry software on the market. Multiple other developers had proposed solutions, which were found to be too generic and not designed specifically for the needs of a HVAC business – with functions the company did not need.
Sophie Davenport, co-founder and managing director of SFE Services says: “Talking to Atula Technologies it was very much about what we wanted and how they can make that happen – rather than us fitting into a pre-made system.
“It has been an extremely positive experience. I think it is a really scary step for a business to look into investing in bespoke software if you are not in the world of IT. You do have a real concern for your costs, with a fear of being ripped off. You may not 100% trust the individual. Atula Technologies completely put our minds at ease. We felt that we got a real personalised service – you get the impression that no project is ever the same. It was also nice to work with a female in the tech space and to see Atula Technologies flourishing in a male-dominated industry.
“Once we roll out the system this month, we are expected to see a time saving of an hour to two hours each day. It will also result in cost savings – producing real time data.”
With the new system, SFE Services has real-time visibility of their engineers, as well as their completed service reports. These streamlined operations allow SFE Services to provide better customer service to their clients while making it easier for the engineers to complete their jobs.