Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Thousands of COVID-19 safety checklists & contact tracing forms created –
397% increase in projects created
Monday 18th May 2020, Auckland, NZ – A surge of construction projects has been created in preparation for the lockdown lift in New Zealand, signalling a welcome return for the workforce. Today, data from Fergus job management software revealed that new work projects created in New Zealand in the last three days of April were at a record high – a 397% increase compared to the period between 25th March and 27th April 2020.
Since the industry returned back to work under Alert Level 3, more than 42,000 forms and 32,000 checklists have been created. As the industry prepared for the lockdown to be lifted, more than 10,500 contact tracing forms and 4,700 COVID-19 internal health and safety checklists were created on Fergus to help protect against more cases, with hundreds added per day across Australia and New Zealand.
Dan Pollard, Founder, Fergus job management software, has seen record numbers of tradies retooling with his webinars, as well as creating projects to start after lockdown.
“New Zealand tradies saw a welcome huge surge in jobs as lockdown lifted with a record number of new work projects created ready to start on April 28th. We’ve also seen hundreds of tradies retool with our webinars that give tips to adapt after lockdown. These include advice on how to quote remotely with videos, help manage cash flow and generate leads to keep trades businesses thriving. Customers have also created thousands of contact tracing and Covid-19 healths and safety checklists.
“Having run trades businesses throughout previous recessions, this one has been different as job losses and businesses closing happened very quickly upfront. There has also been some financial assistance available to help keep things afloat, unlike the Global Financial Crash where credit wasn’t available.
“Hopefully, New Zealanders will start to see an uplift sooner than previous recessions. To avoid further restrictions and maintain thriving trades businesses, it is of utmost importance to keep strict health and safety checks and contact tracing forms maintained. Business owners should also keep an eye on consent numbers to track the industry progress and concentrate on customer experiences to keep winning business and cash flowing.”
Trades businesses have experienced an extremely difficult time during Level 4 lockdown whilst only allowed to work on jobs that jeopardised health and safety. During most of April, job creation numbers on Fergus were down 48 percent year-on-year. However, if they focus on continuing to win new business, reassure customers, follow new practices with social distancing, remote quoting and contact tracing forms, they are set to enjoy a strong post-lockdown recovery.
“Medium-term the impact of COVID-19 on tradies will be in the area of new starts in both residential and commercial construction as a flow-on effect of any broader economic slowdown. Governments will look at investment in infrastructure projects as we exit the crisis. While the work appears to be there for tradies at present, a lot of this will be backlog and tradies need to stay on top of their game in order to keep winning new work.”
About the Fergus App
Fergus is a cloud-based SAAS platform enabling end-to-end operations management for small to mid-sized trades and service businesses around the world. It helps these businesses manage costs, keep jobs on track and find profitability. Its core features include real-time workflow and staff communication, as well as tools for quoting, scheduling and resource planning, time sheets, invoicing, GPS and workforce tracking, meeting health and safety requirements. Fergus has integrations with Xero and MYOB accounting software, as well as a number of trade suppliers. For more information, please visit: www.fergus.com
