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Empire Electrical & simPRO
EMPIRE ELECTRICAL: POWERING UP AUCKLAND
KIWI-OWNED EMPIRE ELECTRICAL IS BUILDING AN OUTSTANDING REPUTATION FOR QUALITY SERVICE, WITH HELP FROM SIMPRO software
When you need to power up a lantern festival, a concert or even the whole Auckland Viaduct, you know you can rely on Empire Electrical.
Events specialists and all-around electrical experts, the team at Empire has been powering up Auckland for more than 30 years.
Powering events across the country
Oliver Crawshay, started as an apprentice at Empire in 2002, and worked his way up through the business, eventually taking over as owner in 2017. Since then the company has continued to thrive and grow: staff numbers are up by 40%, and he’s launched new Security and Data Divisions.
Empire installed all the infrastructure for the America’s Cup at the Viaduct, and powers events all over the city, including LAB, Adele and Six60 concerts, and events like Diwali and the Auckland Boat Show.
“It hasn’t been easy and we’ve certainly had our challenges,” says Oliver. “But it’s been satisfying to see the business grow and to get through 2020 successfully. We have a great team on board and there’s plenty of optimism that we can keep growing the business.”
Innovation drives growth
Taking on an already-successful business and pushing it further is a huge challenge, but Oliver came to his new role determined to be more innovative. He’s invested in systems and technology that will make the business run more smoothly, and one of those tools has been simPRO. As Empire Electrical grew, the software he was previously using didn’t have the capacity to do everything his team needed. With 19 full-time employees, plus up to 20 contractors in peak events season, Oliver needed a system that could handle job allocation, timesheets, invoicing and more.
Fast, safe, quality service
Making sure customers are happy is an essential part of running a successful electrical business, and it’s extremely important to the team at Empire. Jobs are logged rapidly into simPRO software, which tracks company vehicles by GPS and dispatches the closest technician. The system ensures that technicians track their work and help ensure the job is done properly.
But satisfied customers are only one aspect of running Empire Electrical. It’s also vital to keep everyone safe – staff, clients and the public. That means using the inbuilt safety checklists on site, and using the system to alert the operations team when staff members’ various professional licenses need renewing. It also holds compliance information for vehicles and equipment so that items like generators are always safely maintained and checked before use.
More time to spend on building a better workplace
Since 2019, Empire has employed a more diverse workforce and overhauled its sustainability with comprehensive recycling and power saving policies. By streamlining processes and systems, simPRO software has allowed the team at Empire to spend less time checking spreadsheets, and more time working on improving experiences – for both clients and staff, says Oliver:
“We now have more time to focus on making Empire more sustainable, more diverse and a better workplace for everyone.”
