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Excel Group boosts efficiency and risk control with Access Fonn
Excel Group transformed their project management and significantly increased business capacity by replacing scattered spreadsheets and paperwork with Access Fonn.
Business size
Small
Industry
Off-Site Construction
Product
Access Fonn
Challenge
Excel Group relied on spreadsheets, emails, and site visits to manage projects, creating delays and inefficiencies. Communication was fragmented across multiple channels, and tracking variations or subcontractor updates was time-consuming. This made it difficult to maintain visibility and control over complex projects.
Approach
By implementing Access Fonn, Excel Group centralised all project information and communication in one platform. Subcontractors adopted the intuitive mobile app quickly, enabling real-time updates and reducing the need for site visits. The team also streamlined design collaboration by uploading and sharing drawings directly in Fonn, ensuring everyone works from the latest version.
Results
- Eliminated paperwork and centralised all project information, saving significant time.
- Improved risk management with clear audit trails and real-time data capture, reducing disputes.
- Increased capacity and efficiency, enabling the team to focus on customers and business growth.
“The time we’ve gained since using Fonn is indescribable. What used to be mountains of paperwork now gets handled quickly and seamlessly. It’s freed us up to focus more on our customers and really understand what they want from their projects.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
Established in 2008, Excel Group specialises in sustainable, off-site construction solutions. Offering modern methods of construction such as SIPS, Light Gauge Steel Frames, pre-insulated timber frames, and CLT, along with design and construct services, Excel Group delivers cost-effective, energy-efficient projects from single dwellings to large-scale developments.
Scattered spreadsheets and communication chaos
“Prior to using Fonn, we were producing Excel spreadsheets, sending lots of emails, waiting for information to come back from various subcontractors, and we'd also spend a lot of time visiting sites and making sure certain things were done.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
Before using Fonn, information was scattered across Excel spreadsheets and a lot of emails, making it difficult to keep track of crucial project details.
Plus, the management team spent a lot of time visiting sites to make sure everything was up to standard and waiting on subcontractors to get back to them instead of moving projects forward. Excel Group needed a new way of doing things if they were to save time and simplify their processes.
“We would have had to rely heavily on paper records, agreements to variations, emails, WhatsApp and text - everyone's communicating in different ways.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
The solution? Fonn
“We're a small team and the ability to leverage our supply chain through Fonn to manage very big and complex projects has really made a massive difference to us.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
Since switching to Fonn, Excel Group has seen huge improvements in workflow and organisation.
Subcontractors quickly got the hang of using Fonn, and with real-time updates from each building site, those in the office can stay in the loop without having to visit sites themselves.
“Once our subcontractors realised how easy it is to access the platform via the mobile app or through their tablet, they're delighted that they don't have to do paperwork like they used to.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
Fonn has also helped Excel Group streamline their design process from start to finish. Keeping up with drawings and designs used to mean searching through endless emails and waiting for large drawing files to transfer. But now, the team can simply upload the latest drawings to Fonn, where everyone can view, collaborate, and comment on drawings in real time. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Fonn’s intuitive, easy-to-use app made it super simple for everyone on the team and on-site to adapt to the new system. An added bonus? It even works without a signal. Information can be added to projects as usual, and once the signal improves, it uploads right away.
“Our operatives on site really like using the Fonn app. It's very easy to navigate. We had minimal sessions to train them on how to use it.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
How Fonn helped Excel Group work smarter, not harder
“Our capacity as a business has increased significantly as a result of using Fonn because it is such a time saver.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
Fonn has taken the stress out of project management for Excel Group, making communication, organisation, and project tracking effortless.
Less paperwork, less hassle
Before Fonn, there were so many different pieces of paperwork to keep track of. Now, everything is neatly stored in one central digital place, making it much easier to manage.
Risk management
With Fonn, a long report can be created at the touch of a button to track all the work done on-site. As Jason says, “being able to capture the real-time data and evidence of us actually completing works” is vital for reducing risk for Excel Group.
“In terms of resolving any potential issues through the project, Fonn has really helped us to almost entirely eliminate those. Where there is a query, we've got a very clear audit trail where we can demonstrate that certain information has been provided or certain things have been accepted through the process. That's a real measurable improvement in terms of risk management for us.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
Time saver
Fonn has fully streamlined so many time-consuming admin tasks, that it’s freed up Jason and the team to focus more on their projects, their customers, and their business goals.
“I would definitely recommend Fonn to other members of the construction industry. It saves so much time, and reduces risk - that alone is worth the investment.”
Jason Pritchard, Managing Director, Excel Group
