Mattmasters Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Hi everyone.. sorry if if this is not a subject that is allowed on the forum, I am a little nervous s I have an SSAIB inspector coming over tomorrow for my first visit.. i have never ever tried to sign up with a governing body before and as I sit here my heart is pounding like mad.. i know now they are coming to look at insurance and bits which is all sorted but just wondering what questions they ask? What do they look at on site visits? Do they ask my clients anything? do they ask me loads of questions? any help would be amazing.. thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Just remember they want you to succeed, that way they get another customer. Use them to better your business and processes. Good luck 1 Quote Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattmasters Posted October 19, 2016 Author Share Posted October 19, 2016 Norman... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadiffusion Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Going by some of the 'approved' shite I've seen out there you have very little to worry about... Quote So, I've decided to take my work back underground.... to stop it falling into the wrong hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lymebayalarms Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 They will always give you recommendations/improvements, nothing to panic about at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadiffusion Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 hour ago, lymebayalarms said: They will always give you recommendations/improvements, nothing to panic about at all. A slightly more helpful take on it than mine and 100% true. Hope it went well I applied for NSI Silver not long ago and can only say they were very helpful and were quite pleased with my documentation. The kicker was that they wouldn't allow me to be approved as a OMB if I didn't give up my NHS contract, which I never will so that's the end of that Quote So, I've decided to take my work back underground.... to stop it falling into the wrong hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lymebayalarms Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 4 minutes ago, datadiffusion said: I applied for NSI Silver not long ago and can only say they were very helpful and were quite pleased with my documentation. The kicker was that they wouldn't allow me to be approved as a OMB if I didn't give up my NHS contract, which I never will so that's the end of that Not even with a buddy agreement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadiffusion Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Nope. I have a skeleton NHS contract, which was the problem. I didn't want to give it up as they would never hand it out again, I would not be able to keep up my professional competencies (easily) without it, and it would be a ticket back to work if I was ever unable to trade or install for whatever reason. Quote So, I've decided to take my work back underground.... to stop it falling into the wrong hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lymebayalarms Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 ....is the lack of approval causing issues getting/retaining work now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattmasters Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Ok... so had the inspection.. didn't really go to plan to be honest.. having never applied for a governing body before and learning the trade on my own I should have realised I was in for issues... installation work and maintenance demo was fine.. nothing to worry on that side...but the paperwork needed changing due to my wording, layout and specific paragraphs that needed to be inserted.. i have had to get a buddy agreement but thanks to a nice company near me They have agreed to be our buddy as it's only me in the company.. (wife now happy we can go on holiday) i have also been advised to use digital forms to make writing neater but not sure what to use... the only digital forms I have found cost money.. also so to use Base as our software... the inspector was was really nice tho so thanks everyone for your help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixwheeledbeast Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 hour ago, Mattmasters said: didn't really go to plan to be honest.. Any reason why you think that? Sounds like a successful first step from what you have said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 As above and remember they are there to advise and guide you, implement the advice and carry on wit the process. What forms are you looking for? Quote Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattmasters Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 I currently have carbon based forms, the old write on the top, give one copy to customer and take one to office. The inspector has mentioned digital forms.. ones we fill out on iPads and it send the copy to both parties.. neater than paper?. I'm just not sure which one is cheap enough to make it worth while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJames Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 We use Ipads but there are no rules to say you have to, there are many of our customers that dont have a p.c. so we cant email them a copy if we use the ipad, so we have to do it the old fashioned way some of the time anyway. The person I use has developed the Ipad jobsheets specifically for us, and he has done some more tailored jobsheets for other companies, I think he charged about £600.00 for the initial program and then there is an ongoing charge for upgrades and web charges. If I want something added or changed he doesnt charge any extra though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattmasters Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 I have found fastfieldforms.com at $20 a month.. GoFormz at $12 a month.. guessing thats notthat bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadiffusion Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 When its 6 years later and you've spent £700 just as the company goes TU, you'll wish you'd spent the money on something more sustainable TBH. If you are small, there is no need to spend megabucks; you're using BASE so for forms Word is probably more than adequate at this stage. However, automation is important if it's just you, but the online forms thing I can't imagine isn't available for free? Quote So, I've decided to take my work back underground.... to stop it falling into the wrong hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lymebayalarms Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Base you can only get once you have passed SSAIB..... options are really limited with the software TBH for start ups. Base certainly has no remote forms or any kind of remote access/admin, We use electronic forms but there is no requirement for it certification that's for sure, opted for Device Magic in the end. Still requires office admin to process the paperwork though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadiffusion Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 4 minutes ago, lymebayalarms said: Base you can only get once you have passed SSAIB..... Nah, they just tell you that. Believe me, they will sell it to anyone, as long as you tell them the magic phrase 'have applied for' or even 'am thinking about' SSAIB/NSI Quote So, I've decided to take my work back underground.... to stop it falling into the wrong hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lymebayalarms Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Wouldn't let me without my SSAIB cert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattmasters Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Device magic looks good.. it's the £200 a year that doesn't make me smile,, it's only me in the company and I don't have a lot of clients as yet... maybe best with paperwork for now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixwheeledbeast Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 NCR is surely best for a starter company. Cheap scanner, back up on computer then shred them. Look towards improving as your client base increases. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Little steps, keep your £600 the roi is low so I'd spend that money elsewhere tbf. You can pick up automation later on. Quote Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattmasters Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Sorry Sixwheeledbeast (love the name) but what is NCR...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 No carbon required. Probably the same as you currently have. Quote Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lymebayalarms Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 No Carbon Required Matt, did you actually pass? Who was your inspector? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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