guide · what to automate first
What UK field service teams automate first: electrical contractors and facilities management companies
UK electrical contractors tend to automate engineers' questions first, and facilities management companies tend to start with the monthly client pack and the client spreadsheet submissions. Both start with answers from the job system and their own files, on WhatsApp or Teams, and add agents once the team is asking every day. The job system stays the record.
Updated · 10 min read · Centrus AI
On this page
- What they automate first, at a glance
- Answers first, then the admin
- What electrical contractors automate first
- What facilities management companies automate first
- Fire, security and mixed businesses
- What to leave until later
- How to pick yours
- The full list of 50, by area of the business
- What the three companies got back
- Where to start
- Frequently asked questions
What they automate first, at a glance
The first thing to automate is work the office already does every day or every month. What it is depends on the trade, but the order is the same: answers first, then the admin that runs on its own.
| The team | What they usually automate first | Why it is first |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Engineers' questions, fault codes, certificates and worksheets | The van is waiting on the office, many times a day |
| Facilities | The monthly pack, client submissions, PPM due and cost checks | The same workbook, every month, built from the job records |
| Fire and mixed | Jobs, quotes, sites and purchase orders, asked from chat | The field comes to the office for answers it could have itself |
Answers first, then the admin
PFL Electrical, BSML and Barons Group each started with Chat. Train holds the files and the folders. Chat is where the team asks, on WhatsApp or Teams, and the answer comes from the job system and those files. A trained manual or procedure is named on the answer. Jobs, sites and invoices are read live at the moment of the question.
Agents come once the team is asking. In Agent Builder you describe a task that follows a rule, it lays out the steps, and it runs on a schedule, from an email, or when a job changes. An approval step holds anything sensitive, and every run is logged.
None of it replaces the job system. BigChange, Joblogic or Simpro stays the record, read live, with writes back only when you allow them.
What electrical contractors automate first
Start with the questions from the van, then the paperwork that follows a visit. Fault codes, access notes, certificate checks and the worksheet happen on every job, and the answer is already in the job system or a manual.
- Engineers' questions and fault codes. An engineer asks on WhatsApp, and the answer comes from the job system and your manuals, with the manual named. See technical support for engineers.
- Certificate checks, such as an EICR. Each certificate is checked against your standard before it is filed. A missing reading is flagged, and Centrus does not sign the certificate. See certificate checks.
- Worksheets from a voice note. The engineer records the job on the way out. It is written in your format on the job, and anything missed, such as the flue readings, is asked for. See voice-note worksheets.
- Quotes from the rate card. The price is built line by line, so it is the same whoever answers. A price that is not on the card is asked for. See quoting from the rate card.
- Emailed work orders. The email and the PDF are read, the site is found, and the job is raised for the desk to approve. See how emailed work orders become jobs.
PFL Electrical's first job is those questions. Engineers send about 100 messages a day on WhatsApp. They check schedules, the last visit, access notes and the documentation before they leave for site, from BigChange and the company's own files, without calling the office. At 10 minutes saved per message, that is 83 hours a week back. They arrive informed, which helps them fix it first time. PFL has been live since 2025 (read the PFL Electrical case study).
“We average 100 messages per day. That's roughly 16.5 hours per day saved in operatives waiting for responses.”
What facilities management companies automate first
Start with the pack someone rebuilds every month, and the checks that stop a contract drifting. The workbook, the client submission, PPM visits due and a job nearing its quote all follow a rule, and the figures already sit in the job system.
BSML is a facilities management company of about 110 staff, live since 2025, on BigChange with SharePoint, OneDrive and Outlook. Contracts include EasyJet and Frasers Group. Engineers ask on WhatsApp for job data, site history, access notes and technical guidance, without calling the office. Once that was in daily use, BSML added agents: client spreadsheet submissions with the costs classified across hundreds of job records, job creation, worksheet processing, and monitoring that tells the right person before a situation escalates. Together that returns over 100 hours of back-office work a month (read the BSML case study).
- The monthly client pack in Excel. Jobs from the job system, and the invoices from Xero, are written into the workbook you already send. People still open Excel. See Excel reports.
- Client spreadsheet submissions. The rows come off the job records and the costs are classified the way that client asks. This is one of the agents BSML runs.
- PPM visits coming due. Assets due for service are read from the job system, and a visit is raised where none exists yet. See PPM from asset due dates.
- Contract rates. Call-out rates, the attendance time and who must approve a quote come from the contract while the client is still on the phone. See contract rates.
- A job nearing its quote. When costs pass the percentage you set, the account manager hears, with the job and the figure. See cost alerts.
- Portal work orders. The email becomes a job, with the site, the priority and the purchase order, for the desk to approve. See portal jobs.
- Worksheet review. Worksheets are checked against your standard, and notes that are not ready for the client are held for a manager. See worksheet review.
Fire, security and mixed businesses
A company running electrical, fire and facilities work should automate the questions the office answers for the field: log the job, pull the quote, check the site and the customer, and raise the purchase order. The job system stays the record.
Barons Group run electrical, construction, and facilities and fire services from Bromley, including NHS contracts and fire patrol work across London, Essex and Kent. In March 2026 they became the first company live on Centrus with Joblogic. Ten staff are on it, four hours a week back each, 40 hours a week in total. From chat, on the web and on WhatsApp, they log jobs, pull quotes, check sites and customers and raise purchase orders. Joblogic, OneDrive and Excel are connected, with more than 100 company documents trained. A morning of clicking through Joblogic is now a message (read the Barons Group case study).
What to leave until later
Leave one-off tenders, any job two people would do differently, and anything nobody would look at before a customer saw it. A first agent needs a written rule, a system it already lives in, and a named person on the first results.
- One-off tenders. The price is a judgement and the documents change every time. Agree how you price them, and write it down, before an agent drafts one.
- Anything without a written rule. If the rate card, the purchase order limit or when you chase an invoice lives in one person's head, write it down first. An agent can follow that rule.
- Anything nobody would check. For the first weeks a named person approves anything that is saved or sent. A job that would go out unseen is a poor first one.
How to pick yours
The lists above are a starting point, not your plan. Follow a few of your own jobs through, from the first email to the paid invoice, and write down every step the office takes and how long it takes. The admin areas fall out of that, and so does where the hours go (follow your jobs through).
Then pick one area. A good first one happens every week, follows a written rule, lives in the systems you already run, and is checked before a customer sees it. Of the ones that pass, start with the simplest, so the results come quickly. A one-off tender waits until the way you price it is written down.
Run it in shadow mode on real jobs before it takes any action, with a small core team so the feedback is fast. Switch it on when its work matches your team's, then widen to the next area (run it in shadow mode). The same guide has a readiness checklist for the first call (see the readiness checklist).
The full list of 50, by area of the business
The lists above are the usual starting points. The full list covers five areas: engineers in the field, the service desk, paperwork and compliance, finance, and quotes, reports and contracts. Each of the 50 links to a page showing how it works (browse every use case).
50 use cases to automate first
50 things field service teams automate first
Six of the 50, from across the business. The full list groups every one by area, with a picture of each area and a link to how it works.
- Fault codes and the fixThe engineer sends the code. The checks come back from the manufacturer's manual, and the van stock is checked.
- Worksheets from a voice noteOne voice note from the van, and the worksheet is written in your format. Anything missing is asked for.
- Duplicate job checkBefore a second job is raised, open jobs at that site are checked. A clear match becomes a note instead.
- Certificates checked firstEach certificate is checked against your standard before filing. A missing reading is held for the engineer.
- Supplier invoices matched to POsEach invoice line is checked against the PO. Matches update the job cost, and anything out is queried.
- The monthly client reportDescribe it once. On the 1st it is written from the job system and Xero, in the format the client already gets.
And 44 more in the full list, by area of the business.
What the three companies got back
Three UK field service companies, each on the job system they already ran. All three started with answers for the team, from the job system and their own files. BSML then added agents for the back-office work. The hours below are the ones they published.
83
hours back every week
Electrical · BigChange
Read the case study
40
hours back every week
Electrical, fire and facilities · Joblogic
Read the case study
100+
monthly hours saved
Facilities Management · BigChange
Read the case study
Where to start
Pick the question the office answers most often, or the pack someone rebuilds every month. Connect the job system it lives in and the folders it needs, and the team can ask questions on day one. Most customers are integrated with their job system and running their first agents within the first month.
Bring that one area to a 30-minute demo, and we will show it running on a setup like yours. Plans start at £299.99 a month, month to month, with Train, Chat and Agent Builder included (see pricing).
Frequently asked questions
What should an electrical contractor automate first?
Start with the questions engineers ask the office. Fault codes, the last visit, access notes and drawings are answered on WhatsApp from the job system and your own manuals. At PFL Electrical that is about 100 messages a day, 10 minutes each, which is 83 hours a week back. Certificate checks and voice-note worksheets usually come next.
What should an FM company automate first?
Start with the pack the business already sends every month, filled in from the job system, and the client spreadsheet submissions that classify costs across the jobs. BSML, with about 110 staff, added those agents after Chat was in daily use and gets over 100 hours of back-office work a month. PPM due dates and cost thresholds come next.
Should we start with a chatbot or automation?
Start with answers. Connect the job system and the folders, and let the team ask on WhatsApp or Teams. Once those answers are in daily use, pick the admin that follows a rule, run it in shadow mode on real jobs, then switch it on with a person checking. PFL Electrical, BSML and Barons Group each started with Chat, and BSML then added agents.
Does it work with BigChange, Joblogic and Simpro?
Yes. Centrus sits on BigChange, Joblogic or Simpro, and that system stays the record. It reads jobs, sites, quotes and invoices live, and writes back only when you allow it. PFL Electrical and BSML run it on BigChange. Barons Group was the first company live with it on Joblogic, in March 2026. Simpro is connected in the same way.
Do we need to replace our job system?
No. BigChange, Joblogic or Simpro stays the record. Centrus reads it when someone asks, and writes back only when you allow it, for example to raise a job or a purchase order. It does not replace that system, or anyone in the office. The people you hired stay. The admin goes.
How long does the first agent take?
The team can ask questions on day one, once the job system and the folders are connected. Most customers are integrated with their job system and running their first agents within the first month. Run the first agent in shadow mode on real jobs, then live with a named person checking each result. You decide when that check can stop.
