The Smart-Space menu of Services.
What do you need?
One of the things that always strikes us are the different levels of supply that our customers prefer. On one hand we have those who are simply looking for us to supply and install a temporary building. They might have had a building from us before or are in the kind of industry where they have in-house expertise. Conversely, we work with organisations of all sizes who ask us to take care of everything, from design and planning right through to maintenance.
How it all starts… Smart-Space has the kind of infrastructure that can manage exactly what the customer needs. It almost always begins with a site visit from one of the sales team, led by Jason Lynock, a conversation to establish what the building will be used for, a site survey and a quotation. Sometimes, at this point, regardless of the services required, the brief might change. We’ll know from experience what won’t work, pass planning or suit the intended application so we’ll advise accordingly.
A growing team… We’ve really grown the Smart-Space teams over the past few years so we have some excellent people who really know what they’re talking about. Just a couple of years ago we moved into great new premises and we’re already expanding out of it! We’ve built a second car park and are happy to let office and sales staff work remotely where it’s viable – it works really well, especially as our field sales team are mostly on the road visiting customers.
Sales expertise… The teams within the business dovetail to provide a comprehensive service. Our sales people have the experience to advise on your building type and size, working with you to arrive at the best solution. Shaun Stephens has been with the business for several years and his time-served understanding is incredibly valuable when it comes to advising our customers.
“Sometimes I can see exactly what the customer is asking for but know it won’t work for a number of reasons. It’s my job to find a solution that’s as close as possible to their vision but that will also tick all the boxes in terms of planning and health and safety” said Shaun.
Going to site… Then our site survey team look at the logistics in a little more depth, factoring in use, utilities, boundaries and any unique information that relates to the site. Planning permission is something we undertake regularly but equally can be managed by the customer if preferred. “We have planning expertise in-house and sometimes refer to a specialist if we need to. It’s something of a myth that temporary buildings don’t need planning – we usually know what will or won’t be acceptable although it varies from postcode to postcode” explained Will Mason, Smart-Space’s Project Manager.
Plans, plans and more plans… If a customer needs drawings we have skilled CAD designers who can show the building elevations from every angle – it’s very useful for the planning permission process and also customer’s own general project planning. Our projects team is incredibly talented and methodical. It’s an expanding group with a great pool of knowledge.
Bringing it all together… Matt Jarvis, our Operations Director, works closely with Matt Lymer who looks after the warehouse team and Russ Slater who manages the operations team. There’s a lot to do in terms of project co-ordination: from making sure we have the correct materials and installation supplies, installation teams scheduled (with accommodation if necessary), health and safety assessments and other paperwork, any plant or equipment needed and the appropriate vehicles. And, of course, all of that has to co-ordinate with the customer’s plans as well. When we’re working on a more complex site, such as a nuclear plant or airport, it can take some synchronising to bring it all together.
Making sure it adds up… Lee Brightmore and the finance team complete all the agreements and support the business with the financial admin that’s needed to ensure everything runs smoothly and makes sense for everyone. We have a highly flexible system that allows customers to change their contract if they need so it requires a thorough approach and attention to detail, which of course is their strength.
For aftercare… our maintenance team headed by Sam Stokes makes sure they respond quickly to any customer requests and they also tour the country working with customers who have a maintenance contract with us, making sure the buildings continue to be fit for purpose. It’s a well-oiled machine!
Ultimately, this is a system that works seamlessly and serves the business and its customers very well. Because of the way it’s set up it means customers are perfectly able to pick and choose which elements they want to include in the service. And that works well for everyone.
