About the client

SML Group provides specialist services to the insurance industry, carrying out property inspections, subsidence measurements and surveys on buildings and structures. Their work results in detailed reports that are submitted to insurance companies and homeowners.

The challenge

SML Group’s operations relied on a mix of Excel spreadsheets, third-party apps and manual processes. This created inefficiencies and made it difficult to scale or maintain consistency across jobs. Key challenges included:

• Excessive time spent manipulating data in spreadsheets.
• Inefficient communication with homeowners, often delaying site visits.
• Lack of optimisation for technician routes, leading to wasted travel time.
• Variations in data collection and reporting processes.
• High maintenance demands from managing disparate systems.
• Limited ability to produce detailed KPI and performance reporting.

The solution

Hero collaborated with SML Group to design and deliver a custom-built portal tailored to their workflows. The system included:

• Booking and scheduling portal: allowing the admin team to manage jobs, assign visits and coordinate schedules.
• Route optimisation integration: linking directly with a third-party routing system so that technician rounds could be automatically built into efficient schedules.
• Smart job allocation: new jobs are automatically scheduled to the most suitable technician based on location and existing rounds.
• Communication tools: built-in SMS and email functionality to streamline appointment confirmations with homeowners.
• Role-focused interfaces: booking staff see lists of visits awaiting confirmation, with tools for logging communications, while schedulers can view routes on a map and rearrange visits within agreed SLAs.
• Mobile web-app for technicians: enabling field staff to record measurements and survey data on-site and sync directly back to the portal, allowing reports to be generated and published without delay.

The impact

The new solution has delivered major improvements across SML Group’s operations:

• Admin workload has reduced by eliminating repetitive spreadsheet tasks.
• Communication with homeowners has been made faster and clearer through automated messaging.
• Travel routes have been optimised, saving time and reducing costs for technicians.
• Data collection and reporting have been standardised, ensuring consistency across the business.
• KPI tracking and reporting for management decision-making have improved.
• Near real-time submission of survey results has been enabled, speeding up report delivery to insurers and homeowners.