How FWSR grew from 5 to 71 team members

Based in Victoria, Australia, FWSR Group provides a wide range of essential services, including installing and maintaining fire safety equipment, training, and much more.

"We do everything from fire equipment to gas detection to accredited training," says Managing Director Grant Ogilvie. "We offer our customers a whole gamut of safety advice, training, maintenance and installation."

FWSR has branches in Melbourne, Shepparton, Mildura, Wangaratta, and Bendigo. "We've grown significantly," says Director Mark Pinney. "When we originally started on Uptick, our staff numbers were five, and now we have 71 staff."

Leaving paper behind

"Before we signed on to Uptick, our systems were very paperwork driven," says Grant. "Our business covers a large area, both metropolitan and regionally, so having multiple technicians with a lot of paperwork created office headaches."

"We had paperwork everywhere. It would take weeks for it to come in," adds Systems Manager Jo Ogilvie. "Now, the information's live and we can send it out immediately. You can actually see the job finished within a couple of minutes of it being done, and it can be invoiced virtually on the spot."

The field team took to it quickly too: "Our technicians have found it a lot easier to use the mobile app, because all the information is actually on there for them," says Jo.

Rob Gray, Mildura Branch Manager, uses Uptick both in the field and in the office. "I start my day by scheduling my own work that I need to get done, but I also have a look at what my service technicians are up to, and what they've scheduled in for the day."

Full visibility for clients

"The benefit of the app is it allows us to take photos of all the assets," says Technician Chris Katsouranis.

"It's easy to use. It documents where the assets are, so any new technician can find them. It allows the technician to locate and assess any defects on that asset. It also allows the client to locate and find assets throughout the site, to confirm if that asset's been maintained, and also when it's been maintained."

And that matters at audit time. "A lot of our clients are audited periodically," says Bendigo Branch Manager Scott Murdoch. "For them to, at a fingertip, enter their client portal and get the information that's required reduces the need for communication back and forth between us and the client."

Mark sees it as a big opportunity for fire businesses: "The defects you find and present within the inspection reports are there for your customers to see."

For Grant, this level of visibility is why Uptick stood out straight away. "Uptick was an obvious choice for us, for one reason: transparency," he says. "It is a very transparent system for both us and our clientele."

Better margins, less travel

Mark feels the decision to move onto Uptick has been transformational for the business. "Without doubt, Uptick has assisted us with increasing revenue, has assisted us with increasing our client base, and has also increased our margins across the board, because we are going to those sites when we're in the area and we've reduced travel. So we are utilizing the tool to its full efficiency," Mark says.

"The ability for us to drill down into our productivity has been a game changer," adds Grant. "We can look at asset service by technician. We can look at property service by technician."

"The investment in Uptick is pivotal. Without investment, you can't innovate. It's a user-friendly system for both techs, companies and customers. It'll revolutionize your business."