Putti built a custom end-to-end portal platform for Kitset Assembly Services, managing 250,000+ products across franchise operations. It features automated job allocation, Xero accounting integration, and a technician-facing Android app.
Summary
Founded in 2014 in Christchurch, Kitset Assembly has changed the way people think about flatpack products. While originating in furniture assembly, Kitset Assembly has since expanded, providing services for kitchen installations. Operating out of five countries, the demand for their assembly service has never been greater.
Kitset Assembly sought a comprehensive solution to streamline their operations and improve communication among their franchises, technicians, and clients. This case study highlights the successful implementation of a robust software solution that addresses Kitset Assembly's key requirements, including scheduling, invoices, quotes, messaging, client management, and product information.
Challenges
Before the implementation of the solution, Kitset Assembly faced several challenges.
Inefficient job management: The lack of a centralised system made it difficult for franchises and technicians to manage and coordinate jobs effectively, resulting in scheduling conflicts and delays.
Communication bottlenecks: Franchises struggled to communicate efficiently with their team members, leading to miscommunication and delays in addressing customer queries and concerns.
Solution
To address Kitset Assembly's challenges, we designed and developed a comprehensive software solution that focused on two key areas: job management and communication.
Intuitive scheduling system
We created an intuitive scheduling system that let staff at all levels view, edit, organise, and create new jobs without training. This system provided a centralised platform where franchises and technicians could access and manage their assigned tasks. Key features of the scheduling system included:
Real-time visibility: Franchises and technicians could view the current status of jobs, enabling them to plan and allocate resources effectively.
Quick job creation: Franchises could create new jobs in a few taps, assign technicians, and set deadlines, ensuring a streamlined workflow.
Edit and update functionality: Staff could make necessary changes to job details, such as rescheduling or reassigning tasks, allowing for improved adaptability and responsiveness.
Sophisticated job distribution system
To optimise job distribution and maximise efficiency, we developed a sophisticated system that allocated jobs among franchises and contractors based on various factors, including franchise location, job value, and technician availability. The key components of this system were:
Location-based allocation: The system took into account the value of each job when distributing tasks. This ensured that franchises and contractors received assignments appropriate to their capacity and expertise, promoting effective resource utilisation.
Technician availability: The system incorporated real-time data on technician availability, allowing for intelligent job allocation. By assigning tasks to technicians with suitable availability, the system optimised scheduling and reduced delays.
Algorithmic optimisation: We implemented an algorithmic approach to job distribution, considering multiple factors simultaneously to achieve the best possible assignment decisions. This algorithm was continuously refined based on data analysis and feedback to enhance its accuracy and effectiveness over time.
The sophisticated job distribution system significantly improved operational efficiency by ensuring that jobs were allocated strategically, optimising resource utilisation, minimising travel costs, and reducing job assignment conflicts.
Customer feedback with NPS score
Understanding the importance of customer satisfaction and feedback, Kitset Assembly aimed to implement an extensive reporting system within the solution, focusing on capturing customer feedback and measuring Net Promoter Score (NPS). This feature enabled Kitset Assembly to gain valuable insights into their customers' experiences and measure their loyalty and advocacy.
The solution provided various channels for collecting customer feedback, such as email and SMS. Franchises and technicians could easily request feedback from customers and gather valuable insights about their experience.
By implementing extensive reports on customer feedback with NPS score measurement, Kitset Assembly gained a deep understanding of their customers' sentiments, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their services. The insights derived from these reports helped them identify opportunities for enhancing customer satisfaction, address any potential issues promptly, and foster long-term customer loyalty and advocacy.
Integration with Xero for accounting
To streamline the financial management process, we integrated the solution with Xero, a popular accounting software. This integration synchronised key financial data, including invoices, purchase orders, and payments, between the solution and Xero. The following functionalities were implemented:
Invoices: Franchises could generate and send professional invoices directly from the solution. These invoices were automatically synced with Xero, ensuring accurate and up-to-date financial records.
Payments: Franchises and clients could make payments within the solution, and the payment information was automatically recorded in Xero. This integration simplified the reconciliation process and provided a comprehensive view of the financial transactions.
By integrating Xero for accounting purposes, Kitset Assembly achieved enhanced financial accuracy, streamlined bookkeeping, and improved overall financial management efficiency.
White label online booking portal
Recognising the need to give partner customers a booking experience under their own brand, we developed a white label online booking portal within the solution. This portal allowed Kitset Assembly's partners to offer their own customers the convenience of booking assembly services directly through a customised and branded interface.
Custom branding: The portal was designed to reflect the branding elements and visual identity of Kitset Assembly's partners. Custom logos, colour schemes, and other branding elements were incorporated to ensure a cohesive and consistent user experience aligned with the partner's brand image.
Service selection and customisation: Partner customers could select from a range of assembly services offered by Kitset Assembly. The portal allowed customisation options based on their purchased products and the specific needs of the customer, such as selecting assembly preferences, adding additional instructions, or specifying delivery details.
Real-time availability: The portal integrated with the scheduling system, providing partner customers with real-time availability of assembly technicians. This ensured accurate scheduling and prevented double-bookings, enhancing the overall customer experience.
Confirmation and communication: Upon successful booking, partner customers received instant confirmation of their assembly service request. The portal also facilitated communication between the partner customers and Kitset Assembly's franchises or technicians, allowing for updates, queries, and any necessary clarifications.
Forms for technician completion
To ensure accurate and standardised data collection during job execution, we integrated a feature within the solution that automatically adds specific forms to relevant job types for completion by technicians. Customisable form templates were created to capture job-specific information such as equipment details, measurements, customer signatures, safety checks, and quality assurance parameters. Based on the assigned job type, the solution dynamically assigns the appropriate form template to technicians, who can easily access and complete the forms using mobile devices.
The forms include required fields and validation rules to ensure data integrity, and once completed, they feed straight into the job management system, associating the captured data with the respective job record. This streamlined process eliminates the need for paper-based forms, reduces administrative overhead, and provides standardised and accurate data for analysis, reporting, and compliance purposes.
Messaging system
We implemented a comprehensive messaging system that facilitated communication among all levels of users within the Kitset Assembly network. The messaging system included the following features:
Internal communication: Franchises and technicians could talk to each other inside their own teams, fostering collaboration and sharing of important information.
Client portal integration: Franchises gained the ability to directly contact customers through the client portal, enabling efficient and direct communication for inquiries, updates, and issue resolution.
Notification alerts: The system sent real-time notifications to ensure that messages were promptly delivered and attended to, minimising response times.
Benefits and results
The implementation of the solution yielded several benefits for Kitset Assembly:
Enhanced operational efficiency: The intuitive scheduling system enabled franchises and technicians to manage their jobs more effectively, resulting in optimised resource allocation and reduced scheduling conflicts. This led to improved overall operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Streamlined communication: The messaging system gave internal team members one channel to each other and a direct line to clients. This eliminated communication bottlenecks, reduced response times, and facilitated quick issue resolution, resulting in improved customer experience.
Improved collaboration: The centralised solution encouraged collaboration and knowledge sharing among franchises and technicians, fostering a sense of unity and enabling efficient problem-solving.
Scalability and adaptability: The implemented solution was designed to accommodate Kitset Assembly's growing network of franchises and technicians, ensuring scalability and adaptability as the company expanded its operations across countries.
Conclusion
By developing a comprehensive software solution that focused on efficient job management and streamlined communication, Kitset Assembly successfully overcame their operational challenges. The intuitive scheduling system and messaging platform gave franchises and technicians the tools to manage tasks effectively and stay in touch without chasing each other. As a result, Kitset Assembly experienced improved operational efficiency, enhanced collaboration, and increased customer satisfaction, positioning them for continued growth and success in their industry.
From day one, Putti provided guidance, vision and planning through their extensive experience.
