HCIP Ltd have over 30 years of experience in the interior fit-out and refurbishment field, working on large and small projects. Based in West Yorkshire, their core team has 13 fulltime members of staff. They also have between 50 and 80 subcontractors working at any one time, enabling them to take on work across the country.
As part of a series of interviews with our clients, we spoke to Luke Chambers, Director at HCIP, about why HCIP chose to work with PlanRadar. He told us how they introduced the software to their projects and how it’s changing the way they work.
What kinds of projects do you work on?
HCIP specialises in interior fit-outs and refurbishment. While we do work on new-builds, most of our projects have been refurbishments, especially of offices. We’ve worked with a range of well-known brands on their office fit-outs. Our mission is to complete all of our projects on time and to the highest standard, making sure that all of our clients receive a professional service.
What problems or challenges led you to try PlanRadar?
We had received some feedback from customers that our snagging process could be improved. We had previously been using Site Audit Pro for that purpose but found that the service left gaps in our recording. As a result, we couldn’t always prove that we’d completed snagging. It was important for us to find a solution that could create complete reports or logs for our clients. We considered a few other tools before deciding on PlanRadar, downloading them onto smartphones and briefly testing them. However, when we first tried PlanRadar it was immediately clear that it had the capabilities we needed for snagging and more.
How easy did you find it to introduce PlanRadar?
For the first couple of weeks, we leant quite heavily on Rob Norton, the sales consultant looking after our account. He helped the directors in the office to set up the forms and reports we initially wanted to use on-site. His support, particularly during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, was really useful. Since the beginning of October, we’re beginning to do more customisation to get more out of the system, but the support has always been there when we need it.
In terms of introducing PlanRadar to the subcontractors on-site, we actually had far fewer issues than we expected. The majority of subcontractors were very happy to use the software and picked it up quickly. There are a couple who were less keen, but we occasionally remind them to use it and then they’re fine.
At what project stage did you first introduce the software?
The first project where we used PlanRadar was in Alderley Park. It was also our largest-ever job, in terms of financial value. It was a very large office fit-out with 30 to 40 people working on different elements on-site at once. We introduced PlanRadar at roughly the half-way point and I credit it with helping us achieve the best finish to a job that we’ve ever had. That site also stayed open during the COVID-19 lockdown and having a tech solution available was extremely helpful as we were implementing new health and safety measures and social distancing. We’ve since used PlanRadar from the beginning of about 2-3 jobs. It will be used on all of our projects, including ones already in progress, going forward.
What are the specific ways that HCIP uses PlanRadar?
We started by using it for snagging, and that works really well. However, it’s also opened us up to digitising other areas of our work. That ranges from progress reports and benchmarking to equipment registers and checklists. We’ve found that it’s generally raised the awareness that each contracts manager has of what needs to be done on-site, whether they are there in person or not.
What has been the key benefit of PlanRadar for HCIP?
While we were always going to use PlanRadar for snagging, and that functionality is a massive plus for us, a less-expected benefit was the way the software helps us with our jobs that are further away from our office in Yorkshire. We often take on work in the southwest of England, in the Midlands and around London. Using PlanRadar means that we always have a clear idea of what’s happening on those sites. That’s true even if we only visit in-person once a week.
Read more about HCIP and PlanRadar here, or visit HCIP’s website for more information about their projects and services. If you think PlanRadar could help your business, get in touch or try the software free for 30 days.
