Installer speaks to Greg McClelland, co-founder of Onetrace, about why he built the platform and how subcontractors are using it to manage job records, compliance and workforce activity.
Q: How did Onetrace come about as a business?
A: I used to own a fire protection company. One of the requirements is that passive fire work has to be evidenced and heavily documented to make sure it has been carried out correctly. This includes things like marking up GA drawings, taking photos, and keeping detailed records.
We were working on a project once, over a 12-month period. As the project was nearing completion, we realised that all the drawings had been lost. This was a nightmare, as it created compliance issues and had financial implications as well.
Off the back of this problem, I called my now business partner, who is a software developer by trade, and showed him the whole process that fire protection companies had to follow, which at the time was very manual. I asked him: “Can you digitise the whole process?”
While he was developing the system for my business, the Grenfell Tower disaster happened. I knew straight away that companies across the industry would soon be asked for documentation from their previous jobs.
At that point, I had a cloud-based system where we could document everything properly. So when I was going for projects and tenders, I could say that we could evidence all the fire-stopping work through this system. You could see clients’ eyes light up when they realised we could solve the compliance issues that had arisen after Grenfell and take that headache away.
Following a project with a main contractor where the digitised reporting stood up to investigation after a live fire on a building, I said to my partner that we should take the solution to market. So we officially launched Onetrace in 2019.
Q: How does Onetrace work? And what are some of the key benefits for customers?
A: Ultimately you are digitising business operations. When operatives are installing something on site, they can follow a checklist, take photographs and attach everything to the relevant drawings or job record. You are centralising all that information. You can capture and evidence all that on site and it builds your reports in the background.
Working out on a construction site, it is not always the best environment as things can be forgotten and then that leads to return visits. Onetrace has advantages where you can include a QA system to make sure everything’s being captured on site.
We’ve got workforce management tools as well. So when guys turn up on site, they can clock in, clock out, record their time and use GPS tracking. So there’s no disputes over what time they turned up, what time they left, and where. That’s a major advantage.
It gives everyone a little bit of visibility of what’s going on on-site, especially when you’ve got a number of operatives. Basically, it streamlines a business’ processes and ways of working, which ultimately allows owners and managers to focus on other areas of the business.
Q: Why do you think businesses would be hesitant about embracing digitalisation?
A: There’s a number of things. People don’t see the value first, and they don’t like change.
If something’s been working for them for years, they can’t fathom using new software, which is another cost. But once companies start using it, they see the difference. Their guys do start using it, and they see the value.
So it’s just about adopting that change, really understanding how much software can help them streamline their businesses to make life easier for them.
Q: What kind of customers are you hoping to speak to from the heating and plumbing world?
A: Any plumbing or heating company that has a workforce, we could offer them value with our software.
If you’re a one person operation, it’s easier to keep track of everything yourself. But if you’ve got five, ten or more guys going out installing across different sites, you’re going to encounter problems. That’s where having a central system for job records and workforce activity becomes useful.
Q: Does the software suit newer technologies such as solar, battery and EVs, especially for clients that need more handholding because the technology isn’t as well established?
A: In our system, the forms are completely customisable. So this is why it’s relevant for all types of trades.
So if you’ve got an electrician going out and doing an air source heat pump, you would customise a form to suit the requirements for that install. He’d go through the checklist for that type of job, take photos of the install and record everything in the form.
So at the end of the day, you as a director or the manager can have a look, see who has done what, confirm it’s been done compliantly and can sign it off at that point.
The trade doesn’t matter, because you can make sure to capture all the information the client needs. Even attaching things like the install specifications for newer technologies, or the rates breakdown for the work where things are price-sensitive.
Q: Can you talk us through some of the top features of the platform?
A: We’ve introduced a planner so you can schedule all your operatives and see how work is allocated across the week. And as simple as that is, it is the key to making sure your subcontracting business is running efficiently and making sure the way you organise your labour is cost-effective.
With rates and materials, you price any element of work that you’re carrying out. So, if you have a carpenter installing doors, you can see the running cost for that work, and a running total of revenue generated. Construction is a very cost-driven, program-driven industry. So you want to know exactly how much money you’re generating as accurately as you can. So instead of waiting until the end of the month, you’ve got visibility on the day.
Q: What are the pricing options?
A: The pricing’s very straightforward, it’s a flat rate based on the number of people in the team who’ll be using it, and what they need.
So if you need Traceability for the compliance record for some of the team, and workforce management for others, you can do that.
Q: Why should tradespeople book a Onetrace demo?
A: The world is getting more complicated, construction is becoming more regulated, and keeping proper records of work is more important than ever.
If you don’t look after your business in the right way for you, you’ll end up adapting to someone else’s process. And that might not be the best way for you. Having your own digital records in order so you know exactly what’s going on, so you have visibility over your own work gives you control and power.
And it means that when clients ask for evidence—which they increasingly do—everything is already there.
