Conditioned Environment Mechanical Services (CEMS) is a multi-disciplinary company, specialised in mechanical building services for design and build projects. It provides air conditioning, ventilation, plumbing and heating services for a range of sectors including commercial, residential, healthcare, retail and education.
CEMS came to Archdesk looking for a solution that would help them address its challenges
The pain points were:
- Outdated software that could no longer assist the company’s growth
- Multiple tools and accounts to manage all subsidiary companies instead of one centralized solution
- Project management and budget control that could not be properly done
- The absence of access management needed to control admissions
- Lack of flexibility and client support in the outdated software that held back the company’s progress
The needs:
- One software able to manage all subsidiary companies
- A tailored solution flexible enough to grow with the company and be adjusted when needed
- High quality of project management and budget control
- Management solution restricting the access by described criteria
- Working integration with accounting software
The Solution Journey
To be able to achieve the level of management needed by CEMS, we had to prepare a solid plan. The key factor here was cooperation. We worked together to set up and thoroughly analyse all processes used by the company to deliver their projects. Each department had its own requirements that had to be taken into consideration. The main challenges were:
- Creating 5 separate accounts for all subsidiary companies that would be intertwined and connected so that it was possible to manage them with one central software
- Preparing a forecasting element connected to project management providing projections based on uploaded documents
- Invoicing tailored to company needs and seamless integration with external tools (like accounting software)
One of the main reasons we were able to deliver high results was the engagement of Conditioned Environment Mechanical Services itself. It is always important to cooperate in order to prepare the best possible solutions, but the level of mutual support was admirable. CEMS were lucky to have an experienced, engaged Champion that made sure the solutions proposed - fits the needs.
The Results
In order to fulfil CEMS’s needs, we implemented 4 main solutions, followed by extensive training with each company’s different department, to ensure smooth implementation.
Project Management
By managing projects in Archdesk ERP they gained full control over all projects (of all subsidiary companies) in one place. What it means is that the admins are able to manage all the companies easily and have all data in one place. Dividing the accounts allowed to add different employee groups to separate accounts at the same time managing all financial matters from one place.
Financial Management
Having all documents and all processes tracked within one software made it easier to manage all activities connected to procurement, quotations, valuations and invoicing. There is no possibility of losing data anymore, and access is granted based on responsibilities inside the company.
Budget tracking
The crucial part was setting up specific dashboards that allowed to analyse data much faster and easier. It became possible to better control planning, the budget spends and reporting.
Integrations
An important factor of implementation was to integrate with external software f.ex. Accounting software Xero. This gave the opportunity to control even a bigger part of operations from one central place, making it easier to manage.
Key Achievements
- Well structured system that fits with the company, tailored and flexible, able to grow with it
- One central of operations for all connected companies
