PTSG’s revolutionary software systems
Clarity was born out of a collaboration between some of PTSG’s leading industry specialists, who had the vision that PTSG would continue its rapid growth through a combination of acquisitive and organic growth. The ground-breaking, all-in-one software system was introduced to improve organisational performance, and was developed as a way of future-proofing that growth. It improves the customer experience while making our engineers’ work safer and better. And no matter how much bigger the Group becomes, Clarity’s functionality will be just as effective – no more investment is needed.
Clarity is used both by front-end operatives working on location at the buildings we serve, and by back-end administrative staff in our headquarters in Castleford, West Yorkshire. The system is made up of four key components: ClarityOFFICE, ClarityWORK, ClaritySALES and ClarityPORTAL.
ClarityWORK is an advanced mobile app that provides PTSG’s engineers with everything they need to do their job safely and efficiently, including sat-nav, real-time engineer location tracking and a job recording and submission facility.
The system is changing the way PTSG works. From speeding up the process of receiving an order and allocating it to an engineer, to providing real-time traffic updates and automatically re-routing our engineers’ journeys to avoid any delay, the system creates unbeatable efficiency. We are also able to generate worksheets, certificates and invoices in seconds, so that as soon as our work is finished, our customers can carry on with theirs. It also keeps customers closer to the work undertaken on their behalf, including quickly identifying other necessary remedial, repair and renewal work.
The company’s ‘man in a van’ solutions can mean that some employees are not only working in very challenging circumstances, but also in isolation. Lone working is potentially problematic for people with a pre-existing mental health issues. Clarity, is operated by the on-site engineer using a tablet, and the information is instantly relayed to office headquarters and to clients via a secure online portal. While this has dramatically improved clients’ visibility of their job, as well as communication within PTSG, it has the added effect of giving lone workers a vital point of contact at all times. This is proving crucial for their physical safety and mental well-being.
Clarity is currently being rolled out in PTSG’s lightning protection systems offices in the north west (Stoke and Manchester). This means 80+ engineers and 16 office staff will be trained in using the system. Later in the year, our software engineers will roll out Clarity within the offices of Guardian, the electrical compliance business acquired in October 2018. Part of this process will be the integration of Clarity and TraQ-it, Guardian’s interactive online portal, ensuring they work seamlessly together for the best possible results.
TraQ-it
TraQ-it® is an interactive online portal that was developed at a significant cost after several years, by Directors at Guardian Electrical Compliance.
TraQ-it® is a truly interactive web-based reporting system. Like PTSG Clarity, it was developed over a period of several years, giving assurance that records are always current, accurate, consolidated and with a version history capability. As a result, the level of testing and therefore the costs can be justifiably reduced.
In the field of electrical testing, any duty holder who has a responsibility for electrical safety has to manage a huge number of documents. The storage, accessibility and consolidation of documents often presents problems, as does the updating of records, management of deadlines and sharing of information with colleagues. There is also the ‘green issue’ and our collective responsibility to develop a sustainable process to protect the planet and save energy.
Records of inspection and testing can be uploaded to the client’s customised website on a daily or weekly basis, dependent on the inspector’s progress on site. For the more complex sites, reports are often transferred to a data repository, where results can be reviewed, prior to final uploading.
Distribution boards, for example, inspected and tested several times over a number of years will produce several sets of records. These are automatically stored in chronological order on the website, ensuring management have a complete history of the particular distribution board and therefore a complete audit trail.
Features of the interactive website include:
- Results available by the end of each day
- Search and filter functionality for easy access to switchgear and distribution boards sorted by location, site or reference etc.
- Search and filter functionality for easy access to PAT failed items, individual descriptions, locations etc.
- Built in email alert functionality
- Fully flexible and customisable data views
- Capability to upload associated records and drawings
- Capability to upload your archived records
- Version history of records for management audits
- Capability to print records to local printers
- Remote hosting for data recovery
