James Harris
Client Services Manger – Spotless

“Spotless currently utilise Verified to assist in monitoring our electrical service delivery to the Coles Group. We find it an effective tool for managing electrical defects detected during PM visits, confirming compliance levels and numbers if items tested and for annual certification of essential services.”

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Jay Panditharatne
Director Engineering Services for CB Richard Ellis

“Verified saves you time and money, it’s as simple as that. Managing the essential services documentation used to be a very difficult and time-consuming task. With Verified, we only worry about our essential services when we receive an email advising us that there is a fault or a contractor has missed a test. That saves us a lot of time and effort.”

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Graeme Wishart
Manager Risk Engineering at the Coles Group
2003

“Coles Myer conducted a trial of the Verified System last year. The trial identified a number of opportunities to improve the reporting efficiency of essential services maintenance and we are now rolling out the Verified system across the Group.”

Verified at Holmesglen

 

For background purposes please offer some information about yourself and your role at Holmesglen TAFE?
John Thomson (JT): My title is Manager – Property Services and Security and I look after all day-to-day operations of all buildings across 3 campuses. I’ve been in this position here for 6 years and in the TAFE system as a Facility Manager since 1990. We currently have a team of 17 permanent staff, and utilise 129 contractors on performance-based contracts.

Describe the circumstances that led to Holmesglen’s decision to utilise Verified?
JT: We originally had discussions with our building surveyor and they suggested we look at Verified as a way of better controlling maintenance relating to Safety Measures. After an initial appraisal we decided to implement a 3-month trial using our incumbent fire contractors, and (did they hate it!) weren’t they reluctant to use the process. We persevered with the constant roadblocks put up by the contractor because we knew their performance was in question. We then linked payment to the results, not to use as a penalty, but as a performance tool to ensure we got what we paid for. The results converted me! The first year’s Verified report showed that we were almost there and it was the first time at Holmesglen that anyone had had any more than a letter (from the contractor) to say that they had done all the inspections - knowing full well that they couldn’t have. So we’ve moved from fantasy to fact. It became very easy.

What would you say is the most appealing or beneficial aspect of Verified for Holmesglen?
JT: The speed in which you get information back. For example our contractor would do his job on a Tuesday and would fill out his paperwork, which might have problems. He’d then put them back in his van, do the rest of his week’s work, then drop a bundle of papers on his supervisor’s in-tray whenever they have their next toolbox meeting. Then he’d start his weekly routine again. Or perhaps he’d forget to do it and it’d be a fortnight or three-weeks or if he’s too busy, a month, before any of that information got back to his office, (who would) where it could take another month to read it, then another month to get back to you. So conceivably you’re three to four months down the track before finding out this critical information is at fault and you really need to fix it the day the guy is there - or the next day. Using Verified – BANG - it comes back electronically and hits the desk of the key players, then away we go. We’re placing jobs with them before the contractor’s supervisor even reads the paperwork. So I’ve been in their office and told them, “Get rid of all your marketing people. You don’t need them. All you need is a system like this that writes back to you and says this is what’s wrong”. Ok, it doesn’t interpret any of the (written) comments but you receive a scanned pdf file version so you can read it. Then straight away, the next day, you know you’ve got a problem there that you can quote on, and immediately do that. Now if they did that with all their customers they wouldn’t need a marketing department because it’s sustainable – it just rolls on like a big juggernaut!

Was Verified simple to implement at Holmesglen?
JT: From my point of view it was. Verified is a pretty simple system from a client perspective. All we have to do is read the reports.

Would you recommend Verified to other companies and institutions?
JT: I’d recommend it to anyone. I’ve been marketing this within the TAFE system because most have been convinced they should outsource to a third party provider or Building Surveyor to check paperwork! Verified does all this automatically at a fraction of the cost.

How has Holmesglen’s statutory compliance become easier to achieve as a result of using Verified?
JT: The integrity of the system is ones of its strong points. No one can tamper with or change the result. On a scale of one to ten we would be a 9.5 using Verified, without any sweat from me. That’s what we were after, a system to take care of all the critical maintenance dockets. So from my point of view this was a godsend.

Has contractor service delivery improved as a result of using Verified?
JT: Bar having someone standing over them, it’s virtually impossible to prove first-hand if the contractor completes the work. But one thing that Verified does is it gets them on site and doing the job. And if they’re not there, or it hasn’t been done, it shows up. Also, our key account manager has been given access to Verified (via a 3rd Party License). So he logs on before I meet with him for our performance meeting and he prints off the Verified reports and if it looks a bit wrong he’ll go and see the people in his (department) organisation. By the time I see him for our meeting he’s got a list of things he’s started or completed. Verified is very professional. Because it's statistics and they don’t lie. It’s completely based on data the contractor has sent in, so not even I can interfere with it.

Is Holmesglen well-suited for Verified’s application? And if so, why?
JT: Absolutely. Because it’s basic from our side. It’s a simple formula. It’s a simple process. You fill out a book, you tick the box, you put your date, put your time then you send it. There is very little room for error.
Could you see application for Verified in other services besides fire/essential safety measures?
JT: Yes. Definitely mechanical services. We have heard of the positive results from Verified HVAC. We could also use it for electrical testing, cleaning, general preventative maintenance etc.

Do you find the Verified staff friendly and helpful?
JT: Feedback from my staff has always been positive.

What one word comes to mind when you think about Verified?
JT: Professional.