Founded in 1942 by Cliff Robinson and now run by its third generation, Robinson Contract Services is one of the region’s most established and trusted contractors, it offers excellent customer care and high quality products, with knowledgeable and experienced operators.
About Company
Robinson Contract Services provides nutrient mapping and soil analysis, haulage and spreading services. This work requires around 45 employees to operate alone, whether that’s on the agricultural side working in the fields, or driving distances by themselves.
Robinson’s drivers frequently work late nights and weekends, times when there is frequently no one to man the phones at head office. Similarly, those working out in the fields operate without the presence of colleagues or supervisors nearby.
For these reasons, it was essential to safeguard these workers by setting them up with the Protector™ system. With this in place, should an incident occur, they can get in touch with a chosen contact who can escalate the alert to emergency services if necessary.
What were their goals?
A lack of reliable tracking data was one of the main problems with Robinson’s previous provider. When a device was misplaced while out on the road, the company could only pinpoint a position within 15-minutes from its last location.
Thankfully the incident only involved a device. If Robinson had needed to pinpoint the location of a worker in this instance, they would have only been given a vague idea of where they might be. When it comes to the safety of lone workers, every minute is crucial.
Additionally, Robinson struggled to easily locate the correct data regarding particular incidents with their previous supplier. Whether it was insights into total user engagement or their most recent safety incidents, they found that the solution was extremely time-consuming.
This had two substantial downsides. First, it was difficult to know who was using a device and when and, second, it was creating more work for them at a time when they had other projects to focus on.
Finally, with plans to increase the number of lone workers out in the field in the near future, an agile and scalable safety solution was vital for the team at Robinson. Its previous provider had been unable to determine basics such as whether their devices were working or not on a given shift. This caused problems for team members who weren’t necessarily tech-savvy.
When devices are difficult to use it’s natural for a workforce to be hesitant to use them. This can become a huge issue not only for the safety of individual workers but also for Robinson who will see a lack of return from their investment.
What did they do?
Vatix’s lone worker devices collect location data every 2-3 minutes, which means a more precise location can be determined and any situation swiftly dealt with. It also ensures that should a worker be injured or a device be lost in the field, an accurate location can be determined.
Vatix prioritises consistent live tracking to ensure that there is no missing information. Not only does this mean that we help save time searching for the lost device, but we actually shave down over 10-minutes of potential search-time in the event of an emergency.
For Robinson, managing a moving workforce, the time saved is immeasurably valuable.
Working with Vatix also helped Robinson save administration time by allowing them to keep a better track of who is using a lone worker alarm, where they are, and which alerts can be classed as false alarms or tests. This greatly reduces the time needed to manage the system and associated devices, freeing up time for them to focus on other important tasks.
The reporting function has also been a huge help for Robinson when it comes to understanding the overall activity coming from applicable devices. This includes how engaged users are and the possible reasons for this, as well as ensuring that alarms are in working order and able to be used correctly.
Both ease-of-use and a tailored service have also been important for fostering engagement among Robinson’s employees. The seamless functionality of the devices, for example, means that everyone can operate them no matter how experienced they may be.
Results
Protector™’s user-friendly design has saved the company time and allowed it to seamlessly adapt to changing circumstances with Vatix’s help. When an issue with the software or associated devices occurs, for example, specifications can be changed and issues resolved quickly. This allows the partnership to continue smoothly throughout the contract.
Working with Vatix has already helped the team at Robinson Contract Services to scale their lone worker safety operations from 24 devices to 45, and seen a marked improvement in satisfaction amongst the employees using the solutions.
“People have said to me, it’s easy to use and easy to understand. I have found that most people seem to be using the devices and not having any issues, so that must say something. The reporting goes through to certain people so that they can check if everybody has their devices turned on, or if they’re using them regularly. We can see if somebody has done a test, or it’s gone off accidentally. It’s quick and easy to get on to as well. It’s not an effort to look for anything.”
Kay Baker
Projector Coordinator
