Case Studies - Fast Fixx

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Case study

Fast Fixx Catering Engineers – Replacing a 30-year-old Access database with a cloud-based SQL system

  • Field Service
  • Web & App

Fastfixx, a major catering repair firm in Glasgow, who for the last 30 years had been using the same archaic access database system. Since their current developer was retiring, they braced themselves for a substantial update.

Fast Fixx Catering Engineers Case study

Our solution

Fast Fixx were afraid that a new developer would not understand their system

I had Tentacle solutions design and build a new office data system for the company .They have provided an excellent system which has improved the efficiency of our service and sped up our ability to produce fast and accurate invoices.The system has a few minor hic ups but resolving issues has been made easy with the fast response time in which Tentacle address the problems.I would recommend Tentacle to fellow associates and will continue to be using there services for the considerable future. Jim Reid

Tentacle’s team spent six months analysing the client’s business model, day-to-day operations and then designing and developing a bespoke database system that would tick all the points on the client’s wishlist and more.

Tentacle’s approach was divided into two parts:

Analysis

During the first month, Sadia led the Tentacle’s analytical team to learn how the old access system worked, how all the various job roles in Fastfixx operated day to day, what “wishlist” improvements Fastfixx wanted in the system. Identifying all the possible potential security risks in the current system was an integral part of the analysis.

Design and Development

Once the team had completed the analysis, designers and developers devised a functional spec to solve the issues and bring Fast Fixx into the modern technological era. In the next couple of months, Tentacle Solutions completely revamped a vast and complicated mess into a sleek, cloud-based web SQL system. The new SQL cloud-based system provided all the functionality of the old one - including Sage invoicing, except now it worked. Our developers went an extra mile and provided an HTML5 mobile system for their engineers that made it easier to collect their day sheets on their mobiles. It allows for flexibility to quickly and smoothly transition into working from home for the engineers.

To put the end product in real-life context: Fast Fixx’s office staff have a fast and efficient admin system capable of working anywhere in the world and on any device. The daily engineers’ movements, part requests, and reports can be tracked

The engineers’ workflow has been drastically optimized - they open their apps in the morning to get their job assignments along with a map detailing the best route to each job. When engineers detect they need a part for a job, the system will instantly alert the parts team in the office:

1. Then send an order to the supplier

2. When the order is delivered, the engineers are then tasked in their daily jobs to visit the parts department and pick it up

3. They will then be scheduled to visit the location and continue with that job

To the joy of Fast Fixx’s management and accountants, the new system easily integrates with their Sage accounting system and also some larger clients (e.g. Glasgow City Council) web portals for invoicing.

Technologies we used

ASP. NET / HTML5 / SQL / VB / ThunderBolt / Windows Server

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