Gas auditing goes mobile for local authorities and housing associations
QGas has been using TAAP’s customised mobile software applications for completing their gas installation forms, filling in servicing documents, and issuing safety records for a number of years.
QGAS is a well established gas audit company specialising in providing a wholly independent and objective quality auditing service for organisations in the domestic gas industry including Housing Associations, Local Authorities, manufacturers, and gas service and maintenance companies. Its services include on-site post completion technical audits and provision of summary and analysis reports, work in progress audits, paper audits, office systems/process audits, and Landlord Gas Safety Certification.
The Directors and auditors of QGAS have extensive knowledge and experience of the gas industry both with British Gas and in the private sector, all are ACS certificated, and registered with the Gas Safe Register.
Before mobile devices & TAAP’s job allocation software
Their daily process consisted of filling in all audits and records on paper forms, which was both labour intensive and created problems because of handwriting and inconsistent information. The jobs were created within a spreadsheet and a printed running sheet was allocated to each auditor which contained a week’s work.
The auditing forms were triplicate sheets so that a copy could be stored by QGAS, one could be given to the client, and another could be given to the client’s service provider. The data recorded had to be duplicated by typing it into an Access database by a member of the admin team, so the details took time to be saved on to the database.
The solution
Initially, when TAAP was chosen to supply the solution, they worked in tandem with the existing IT supplier, but over time it became apparent that the TAAP technology could provide the secure web portal as well as the mobile front-end which would help to improve efficiencies in the business and add an additional element of customer service.
TAAP has replicated the forms used by QGAS - servicing, new installations, and gas safety records on the mobile device, so when the engineer opens the job on the handset, the form displayed reflects the job type they are undertaking. This job type is previously defined by the company administrator who allocates the jobs to the auditors using the secure web portal.
Inspection Reports via the web
As all the information is sent from an engineer’s mobile device to a secure web portal, the details of each job are visible by the company’s operational staff. Once they have approved the quality control inspection report, these are available on a separate client web portal so the data can be viewed for each audit inspection undertaken.
Because of the instant data transfer, a client is able to view the report almost immediately after being completed, which cuts out any delays which used to exist between completing paperwork and filing or replicating the relevant form. Reports can also be emailed to customers as a pdf file.
Benefits
Since implementing the mobile-based system, QGAS have been able to leverage a new competitive edge to win more business, comply more quickly with changing legislation, reduce administration time and effort, and provide improved levels of customer service.
If your business needs to create efficiencies by automating forms and paperwork by making them available on a mobile device, talk to TAAP. Call us on 0845 230 9787 or make an enquiry.
