Bob's story

Bob Sternberg has spent over 30 years running various businesses. He currently owns a certification business in Toowoomba QLD. In 2010 at the AIBS conference he won an iPad and a one year subscription to Buildaform.

Bob has been a true trailblazer and has embraced moving his business electronically and is now using Buildaform and the Buildaform iPad app to do inspections. We asked Bob to share his thoughts on going electronic and the many benefits to him and his business.

What were the biggest challenges to your business prior to going electronic?

"We had been operating a word based data base with limited recording and reporting capability for sometime. The data base was not accessible remotely for any follow up with clients on the road.

I knew I needed to upgrade to a more efficient system. The biggest concern I had was finding a system that was portable and allowed access remotely given our flat management structure and various office locations. Such a system would also need to offer security of our client data. "

What were your concerns about going electronic?

"Again security was a major concern for me. I was hesitant about accessing my data over the internet. Since using Buildaform I have not had any issues and realised in many ways my data is more secure than whatever it can be in office. There are no more worries about computer crashes or the possibility of the office being disrupted or damaged in some way, as we experienced with the recent flooding. As long as I have access to the internet I can access all my data and is all backed up and managed entirely by Buildaform.

Cost was another concern. I was concerned about spending large amounts to get set up and was unsure as to the true value the system would provide.

And time. I run a busy business, so we don’t have a lot of time to go to training courses or spend hours learning a new program. "

Why did you choose Buildaform?

"Given the past 15 years of practicing in the private Certification industry it has been a quest of mine to find a system to enhance the technological advancements that are rapidly becoming available.

I had won the one year free service and it was the incentive I need to give a new system a go.

The most important thing that set Buildaform apart from any the other systems I looked at, was the trust that I could fully rely on total security of my data. I also liked the relative low set up cost. The fee structure of the system is a pay-as-you-use, which worked perfectly for me from a cashflow perspective. Plus I didn’t have to buy any hardware as I already had a computer and was using the internet.

I have been through all of the cost analysis exercises with the competitors and there was always something just missing in the portability of these systems for our line of work.

The fact that no off site tutorials, courses or training was needed was a huge bonus. I have looked at other systems and have calculated that with other complicated systems the expenses of just doing the hardware fitout , servers and expensive training off site would pay for the equivalent of two years of files with Buildaform. "

Does it work well on the iPad for you?

"The minute I picked up and loaded the iPad I was able to navigate the web, but I found to be truly portable, I needed a 3G iPad for the remote areas of South Eastern Queensland.

With an iPad and 3G connectivity now when we go to site and complete an inspection the paper work is done on site in minutes rather than needing to write and send reports to clients back in the office.

Homeworthy Inspection Services operate two offices in the area and are looking for like-minded Certifiers to come on board with our business model in all local Government areas. We now have the technology to achieve those goals and communicate with our offices and clients alike, so that has been a major step for us in growing the business. "

How easy was it to get started?

"Simple - the whole process took under two hours. The excellent tutorial backup Alison and Grant gave from day one, put us ahead of the game instantly. And some quick minor tweaking of the browser to enhance the iPad functionality kept downtime to a minimal while we were learning the system.

Both offices ran a telephone conference with Alison over a two hour period and then we were up and running! With other systems, I would have had to pay for days of training.

Buildaform has provided us with excellent feedback and we have had no downtime in operations since coming online. "

What benefits have you seen since joining Buildaform?

"Buildaform was of immediate benefit to my business operations and brought our business to the leading technological edge straight away, ahead of the rest in the game.

As an added benefit, my customers are very impressed by our ability to now immediately issue all reports and certificates to their email from the sites.

We have no hesitation in telling the Certification world about the only system truly designed for our profession involving complex workflows, process and auditing role in the building industry."

 

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Case study

• Case study: Read how Buildaform has tranformed Building Approvals Group business.