Fergus Admin
Running an electrical contracting business means keeping jobs organised and running smoothly, and for JCE Contracting Ltd., finding the right tools made all the difference. Based in Frome, West England, JCE Contracting covers Bath, Bristol, Somerset, and Wiltshire. With Liam Brown as the Office Manager, the team has transformed the way they work thanks to Fergus, job management software designed for trades businesses.
Before Fergus, Liam described their processes as clunky and manual. Now, with better scheduling, easy access to job details, and streamlined enquiry handling, everything runs more efficiently. Here’s how Fergus has changed the game for JCE Contracting.
The Challenge: A Manual, Time-Consuming System
Before switching to Fergus, managing jobs was a real hassle for JCE Contracting. Liam summed it up: “Every job had its own computer file and a physical job sheet.” This system created a lot of headaches:
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Job sheets had to be filled out onsite, taken back to the office, scanned, and uploaded into folders.
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Job numbers were manually generated in QuickBooks and assigned to folders in Windows.
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Finding old job records was a nightmare. “Looking back a year or five years for an electrical inspection was a real struggle,” said Liam.
Scheduling wasn’t much better. The team used a big whiteboard in the office to track jobs, listing electricians on one side and writing in time slots for jobs. “If a customer rescheduled, we had to rub it out and rewrite it,” Liam explained. The system was slow, messy, and prone to mistakes.
The Solution: Fergus
When JCE switched to Fergus, everything changed. The software’s integrated calendar, job tracking, and enquiry management features replaced manual processes and brought all their job information into one place.
Better Scheduling
The Fergus calendar made the old whiteboard obsolete. “It’s like our old whiteboard but way better because it’s digital,” Liam said. Jobs can be dragged and dropped or rescheduled with a click. “If a job’s going to take longer, we just extend it on the calendar. It’s a huge improvement.”
Fergus Go, the mobile app for field staff, was another big win. Electricians now get their schedules and job details on their phones or tablets, no calls needed. “Instead of messaging them, they just check the app in the morning and know where they’re going,” Liam explained. This has saved heaps of time and cut down on miscommunication.
Easier Job Management
With Fergus, finding old job records is a breeze. “We just type in a customer’s name or the job type, like EICR, and it pops up instantly,” Liam said. The ability to quickly pull up past jobs has been a game-changer for repeat customers and staying on top of compliance paperwork.
Streamlined Enquiry Handling
Liam’s favourite feature is Fergus’ enquiry management. Before, enquiries came in from all over—Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, email, phone—and keeping track was a nightmare. “Now it’s all in one place,” Liam said. By adding enquiry forms to their website and social media, all new leads go straight into Fergus.
“As soon as an enquiry comes in, it pops up, and we can create a job from it straight away. It’s brilliant because it means we’re not juggling three different systems anymore,” Liam added. This has saved time and made sure no enquiry falls through the cracks.
The Results: A More Efficient Business
Switching to Fergus has made JCE Contracting much more efficient. Jobs are easier to schedule, track, and manage, freeing up the team to focus on delivering great work. “It’s just so much easier now,” Liam said. “We’re still getting the hang of some features, but even so, it’s already been a massive help.”
Liam also praised Fergus’ support team. “The support is fantastic. If I have a question, I just click the help button, type it in, and it gets sorted. If I need to talk to Tom, I can book a call and get help quickly. He’s always available when we need him.”
Looking Ahead
For JCE Contracting, Fergus isn’t just software—it’s a key part of their growth. By making job management simpler and enquiry handling smoother, Fergus has helped them work smarter and provide better service to their customers.
As JCE continues to explore Fergus’ features, they’re excited about what’s next. “It’s been a massive step forward for us,” Liam said. “I can’t imagine going back to the old way.”
If you’re ready to take your job management to the next level, Fergus could be the answer. Just ask JCE Contracting—a small change can make a big difference.
