News | PartsArena

An even better PartsArena Pro with free trial for Android users

Since March, operations in the heating industry have been changing rapidly. Parts procurement has shifted significantly towards online and servicing companies are looking to technology like never before.

Engineers must have direct access to the right parts information on site and mobile technology is at the heart of this. That’s why around 50,000 heating service engineers rely on PartsArena daily to identify faults and find the right part, first time.

To stay at the forefront of parts technology, we’ve re-developed PartsArena Pro. Our latest version for Android launched on 28^th July 2020. So, if you’ve yet to try our mobile parts identification tool, there’s no better time. You can access it instantly and try it free for a limited time.

We’re constantly developing PartsArena. With a rapidly changing market, it’s important for UK heating companies to have the right parts information and mobile app functionality at their fingertips.

What’s improved?

We’ve taken a significant step-change with this latest version, rewriting it from the ground up using Kotlin. A modern app programming platform, Kotlin delivers a faster user experience, rivalling apps running on Java.

When an engineer is out on a job, speed matters. They need the right information instantly, so the right part is ordered first time.

The new platform results in a more modern look for PartsArena. Whilst the intuitive user interface and the best industry data remain, there are some positive differences.

We’ve also enhanced some functions and introduced others. Here are three key highlights:

Search is now context sensitive on every level of the hierarchy – find what you need faster

Send parts information directly to a third-party without the need for a pick list – less steps involved

Installed data is now updated automatically when on WiFi – you’re never out of date, wherever you are

You can sign up to PartsArena Pro free for two weeks on Android, with no risk at all. For an iOS free trial, please contact us directly.

How can I get the latest version?

If you’re an existing user of PartsArena Pro on Android, we’ll be in touch. We’ll show you how to quickly upgrade your Android licences so you’re working on the latest version. And if you need any help with the new functionality, we’re on hand.

Not tried PartsArena Pro before? Now is the perfect time. By downloading the app, you’ll have two weeks free on us before your subscription starts.

Not only will you benefit from the latest Android version, you’ll instantly have part information at your fingertips. You’ll only contact your stockist when you’re ready to order.

You should also have less return visits to the property. This all means less face to face time – your customers will be reassured, and everyone stays safer.

To purchase a PartsArena Pro licence, head over to Google Play or App Store.* You can run the app on Android and iOS. At no more than 79p per day, sign up for a monthly or annual subscription in minutes.

Should you need volume licences, please contact us on 01332 253172

Remember your free trial

See the benefit of PartsArena Pro to your business before you pay a single penny.

When you sign up for Android at Google Play, you’ll instantly access a free two-week trial. Should you not wish to continue using PartsArena Pro, simply cancel your subscription any time before the trial ends

You have nothing to lose (and everything to gain).

The return on investment for PartsArena is proven. You’ll reduce your costs through less time on site and ordering fewer incorrect parts. And you’ll provide better, safer service that keeps your customers returning. All for just 79p a day.

*Update only on Android. For a free two-week trial of PartsArena Pro on iOS please contact us on 01332 253172.

Keep safer with “right part first time” (two-week free trial)

Technology has come into its own during the last few weeks. With so many of us working from home, the ability to connect is more important than ever – across the globe. Thank goodness for tech.

As a technology company, we know the difference our software and apps can make to field service. None more so than PartsArena Pro for heating engineers right now.

Despite the current challenges, boilers continue to break down. And when they do, your engineers might be called on to provide a fix.

But you want to keep them safe, and your customers want to minimise human contact and time on-site wherever possible.

That’s why we’re offering a free trial of PartsArena Pro, plus an additional Office account when you subscribe.

Operable via your mobile device, the parts identification app helps you identify the right part first time – fast. That means less time on-site for your engineer and no unnecessary return visit due to ordering the wrong part.

Finding the right part will also control your cash-flow when it really matters. No pile of parts to return to your supplier.

As for your customer, they’ll be reassured to know you have software that can expediate the fix. The risk for them is lower.

Your engineer is safer

Your customer is safer

Your business controls part costs

These things matter so much now.

We want to help you. Our recently launched monthly subscription for PartsArena Pro keeps you safer with information on 16,500 appliances in your hand. All for just 79p a day. It’ll speed your site visits and reduce the need to return.

To claim your free two-week trial (without subscribing), contact Alex now on 01332 253176, or email alex.corgiolu@infomill.com. Please quote PA0320.

Alternatively, you can sign up for our monthly subscription. It’s fast and easy to do via Google Play or App Store. We’ll even give you a free licence for PartsArena Office to equip your telephone support or administration team.

Click here to subscribe via Google Play or App Store

Whilst you might feel unsure about investing right now, PartsArena Pro will reduce time on-site, speed up fixes and get you the right part first time. And there’s no contract to tie you in. It’s used by 50,000 engineers across the UK for good reason.

Plus, you have no risk with our free trial before you decide whether to subscribe.

So, you can use PartsArena Pro to keep your team safer in the weeks ahead, then decide how you move on from there.

Please call Alex on 01332 253176 and quote PA0320.

The difference 79p a day makes to your business

When I was a kid, 79p used to be a lot of money. My weekly sweet shop budget was around 10p and my pocket money was £1 a month. Do you remember those sweets that cost half a penny each?

Fast forward *ahem* many years, and 79p doesn’t get you quite so much.

We had a brainstorm around the office, thinking about what we typically spend 79p on without much thought. Here’s the list:

A chocolate bar (Mars Bar, Kit Kat, Snickers)
A can of Coca Cola
Third of a Big Mac!
The dregs of a pint of beer
About four bananas
A first-class stamp (with 9p to spare)
A tin of baked beans

You get the idea.

Simple pleasures bought with change in your pocket.

Why am I harping on about 79p?

Good question!

Because that’s the most it would cost a day to have all the heating appliance information you could ever need (known as PartsArena Pro), in one place on your mobile device.

Just 79p a day.

We’d not looked at it like this before. And I suspect you haven’t either. It’s more usual to look at the overall cost of something and see it as a, well, COST. But break it down and that’s what you get to: 79p a day (including VAT!)

So, if you buy a can of Coca Cola every day, you could be spending the same amount as an annual subscription to PartsArena Pro. If your weakness is a daily take-out coffee, chances are you could enjoy two, even three annual licences for that spend (I spent £3.75 on a Cappuccino at lunchtime!)

The message is clear: PartsArena Pro costs just a pile of loose change every day, and you can even pay monthly.

Learn what PartsArena Pro can do

What can that 79p give you?

Chuck the cash into a savings account and you’ll be lucky to earn over 1%.

Stocks and shares? Maybe 4% and a whole lot of risk.

Property? You’d need a lot more than 79p to get started.

Horses? Odds are, you’ll lose it!

If you’re a heating engineer, or you’re running a heating company, spending 79p a day on PartsArena Pro will return far more than the best possible investment you can think of.

Far more.

PartsArena Pro is proven to reduce the time you spend on site. You identify the parts you need much faster. You also eliminate errors which means no additional site visits to fit the right part.

PartsArena Pro is proven to reduce your costs. With no incorrect parts to return, you reduce the cost of admin time to do this.

And finally, PartsArena Pro is proven to improve your customer satisfaction. You get their boiler fixed faster, which means less time without a warm building and hot water. Also, happy customers talk. They’re more likely to recommend you to new customers.

Spending 79p a day on PartsArena Pro could quite literally result in many thousands of pounds of savings to your business. This isn’t a “finger in the air” prediction; 50,000 heating engineers are already cashing in on our boiler parts identification app. They’re reporting 15% less time on site, 10% overall saving on service costs and a 19% improvement of first-time fix.

Best of all, you can now pay monthly, with no contract

Cash flow is always important. We get it. That’s why you can now pay for PartsArena Pro on a monthly basis. And if you want to stop subscribing, just stop. There’s no contract to tie you in.

So, why not try PartsArena Pro for a few weeks? The risk is the cost of a few tins of beans. The benefits though, are off the scale.

Most heating engineers wish they’d known about PartsArena Pro sooner. You’ve got no excuse now; it’s all down to 79p a day.

Want a free trial for two weeks?

Get your free trial now

Or sign up for a licence today (monthly subscription available):

Subscribe to PartsArena Pro

Why value is more important than price

“PartsArena is too expensive”

In my six years with Infomill (creators of PartsArena), I’ve heard this said by heating engineers quite a bit. It’s a fair comment. I, for one, can look at the cost of something and make a snap decision based on it.

One such example is Sky TV. I was paying a monthly fee and couldn’t see the point. For a quarter of the cost I could get Netflix. So, I cancelled Sky and subscribed to Netflix. Nothing wrong with that, Netflix is great!

But…

Now I can’t pause ‘live’ TV or watch the Sky channels I was enjoying (Sky Atlantic‘s Fortitude, True Detective, Westworld anyone?). I can’t record, rewind or fast forward through ads either (I hate ads).

Even though Netflix provides adequate entertainment, I do feel a bit deprived. I can afford the £20 Sky monthly subscription, it’s just my brain says, ‘don’t pay it, stick with the cheaper option’. I suppose I’m a bit tight-fisted.

Have you guessed where this is going?

I’m loosely making a comparison to this type of mindset around PartsArena Pro, the downloadable app that gives engineers offline access to all the boilers, parts lists, diagrams and technical manuals on their mobile device. All data is supplied and updated regularly too, direct from the manufacturers.

I get it, I do. Really! It’s human nature.

But after six years selling and managing PartsArena Pro, I’ve lived and breathed the good, and not so good about software, the heating industry, engineers, etc. And I am still 100% committed to our product. Let me explain why.

Back to my Sky vs Netflix analogy. Undoubtedly, there are cheaper or free alternatives to PartsArena: Google, free apps, stockist websites, calling your office for part information, and dare I say it, good old paper manuals (if your customers still keep them beside the boiler). Each has its merits (little to no cost being the biggest). But there are many limitations.

Google/search engine

Online only, it can take several searches with ambiguous results. Plus, the information may not be up to date.

Free apps

These online tools are limited in relevant content (no parts) and might not be up to date. The original data source is not confirmed, either.

Stockist websites

PartsArena is available for account holders and logged in users only – if you can get online where you’re working.

Call the office

This just passes the problem to someone else. And you’re then reliant on them passing the correct information on.

Paper manuals

Often not available, they’re not up to date and don’t contain parts information. Is your van big enough for thousands of them?

All of this is your ‘Netflix’ of parts information. It’s great, but not the full Monty.

Do you have Sky TV and Netflix? How would you feel if Sky was taken away from you? No more Sky Sports! No more Sky Atlantic! No more ‘live’ pause! Heaven forbid, you’d have to endure the DFS adverts (no fast forward)!

Subscribers rarely give up their PartsArena licence. Most keep renewing it for years. In fact, if their subscription expires due to an oversight, we receive an email or phone call in minutes, asking how it can be reinstated immediately. They feel lost without it.

Regular users of the PartsArena Pro app tell us it’s reliable, fast, and accurate. Plus, it returns a fantastic return on investment in no time at all.

Can you see how the value of PartsArena is much greater than the price?

That’s just 79p a day, in case you don’t know.

If you’re still stuck in the ‘PartsArena is too expensive’ mindset, we’re currently offering new subscribers a complimentary PartsArena Office account worth £310+VAT. Two licences for the price of one! Few offers are so financially generous.

As for Sky TV, are you wondering if I’m reinstating it? I’m certainly wondering whether to. But Netflix is staying too. You see, I’m partway through The Crown and losing that is too hard to bear!

Webinar “Overview of Commusoft and PartsArena Pro integration”

Commusoft and PartsArena Pro have partnered to improve efficiency for field service technicians. Learn even more by watching the Commusoft and PartsArena Pro integration webinar!

Key benefits of using PartsArena Pro and Commusoft:

Manage and keep track of parts
Ensure the right technician has the right part on site
Sync in real time back to the office and increase technician utilisation rates
Track the cost and sales price of parts
Faster diagnosis, fewer errors and return visits
Engineers spend less time on-site
Engineers complete more jobs per day
Customers enjoy a faster fix

WATCH THE WEBINAR

PartsArena integration noted in H&V Award

Plumbing and heating specialist, A.C. Wilgar were delighted to win Smart Installer of the Year at the 2018 H&V Awards this month. Powered by Surefire field service software, the company has invested in its own pioneering app, with the latest integration being the addition of PartsArena data for optimal efficiencies in servicing.

Now in their 24^th year, the H&V Awards are an annual celebration of excellence, forward thinking and the highest achievements across all areas of the UK building services industry supply chain including installers and service and maintenance companies.

In the past year, A.C.Wilgar, which has 3,000 customers on maintenance contracts and a turnover of £2.3m, has spent 7% of its turnover on developing and maintaining the Surefire app. The PartsArena integration was accompanied by a link up to the Wolseley database, enabling field service engineers to view parts numbers and “live” prices whilst on-site, delivering exemplary customer service. The award-winning company said: “To our knowledge, no other plumbing and heating firm has developed anything like this tool in-house”.

Surefire helps many hundreds of engineers in the heating and plumbing industry to organise and manage their day-to-day activities via an iOS enabled mobile device, streamlining work processes and minimising the requirement for time spent on paperwork and duplication of effort.

Of the awards achievement for A.C. Wilgar, Jonathan Ralphs, Infomill CEO said: “It’s hugely gratifying to be directly associated with a proactive plumbing and heating specialist that achieves high profile award recognition for their integration work that included PartsArena. We congratulate A.C. Wilgar in their forward-thinking move to enhance both productivity and customer service. It’s the perfect demonstration of just how powerful PartsArena can be when incorporated into field service software.”

ROCC Helps Housing Sector with PartsArena Pro Integration

A long-standing and trusted specialist in the UK housing sector, ROCC has fully integrated PartsArena Pro into its Uniclass software, helping gas service teams benefit from an end-to-end system that will enhance productivity and facilitate meeting stringent operational targets for gas boiler maintenance.

With well over 30 years’ experience, ROCC is a G-Cloud registered supplier for the social housing market, offering an innovative range of technology products and support to improve productivity and operational excellence in all areas. Whilst ROCC’s Uniclass software provides a robust and streamlined system for managing housing repairs and maintenance services, the company had identified a knowledge “gap” where boiler technical information was concerned.

Comments Peter Luck, Technical Director at ROCC: “Continually working to develop our products, we could see the frustration that housing associations experience when knowledge and data is disparate. PartsArena Pro has been an effective tool, long-used in the housing sector, but generally on a stand-alone basis. By fully integrating PartsArena Pro into Uniclass, heating engineers have a powerful and streamlined system that gives them accurate information at their fingertips, enabling them to find the correct parts and transfer the parts list to the job record directly. This in turn can reduce costs, improve tenant satisfaction and help to meet challenging KPIs.”

Heating engineers have historically held a great deal of essential parts information in their heads, which becomes a difficulty when they leave the company or retire. It is a practical impossibility to carry a full set of boiler manuals around, or to ensure that every boiler location displays one. Access to PartsArena Pro entirely deals with these challenges, regardless of the number of engineers that require access to this ever-growing bank of knowledge.

The leading heating parts identification software in the UK, PartsArena Pro provides essential data on more than 180,000 unique parts from no less than 110 different brands. Updated daily, it can provide engineers with 23,000 interactive, exploded diagrams to help with fault diagnosis, before providing the correct parts number to ensure far more accurate ordering. Stockist information is also held in PartsArena Pro, to allow for completion of the job, right up to parts ordering.

“We’re delighted to have worked closely with ROCC to integrate PartsArena Pro into Uniclass and this will pay huge dividends to the housing sector as a whole,” says Jonathan Ralphs, CEO of Infomill Ltd. “Leaders in their field, ROCC have great insight into the issues that housing associations face and their ever-improving products and support deliver excellent results where productivity, efficiency and cost management is concerned. We look forward to a long-term partnership with ROCC and their many customers,” he adds.

Click here for more information on ROCC.

Commusoft Field Service App Chooses PartsArena Pro Integration

An all-in-one job management software that is perfect for field service operations, whether a company has two or 500 engineers, Commusoft now offers PartsArena Pro as a fully integrated service, helping engineers to achieve faster and more accurate fixes every day.

The Commusoft app, which operates on Android and can be accessed via most mobile devices, already connects the office, engineers and customers for many daily communication and organisational tasks such as booking appointments, job management and invoicing. The addition of PartsArena Pro will now be welcomed by heating engineers when out in the field, enabling them to easily identify the fault and part number required through direct access to technical manuals, exploded diagrams and parts number lists. The details are added to the job and an order placed by the office immediately. It’s one more essential function that can now be achieved via the Commusoft app, making this software even more powerful and driving further efficiencies and cost savings.

This is exactly how field service software businesses can benefit from PartsArena Pro, as Infomill CEO, Jonathan Ralphs explains: “We’re talking to an increasing number of field service operators when it comes to PartsArena Pro integration. Engineers and service companies want to use one piece of software that solves all of their problems and helps them to become more productive, which in turn will reduce their operating costs. The right technology is clearly the answer and with regard to heating engineers, PartsArena Pro – the leading source of parts information in the UK – has become an essential tool.”

Commusoft offers software that is suitable for very small businesses in addition to much larger operators. Indeed, one of the advantages of the software is that it can grow with the business.

For further information about how you can integrate PartsArena Pro into your field service software, please get in touch with us to learn more.

PartsArena Data Integrated into Surefire Software’s Field Service Solution

Enhancing the productivity of Surefire as a field service software tool for hundreds of UK heating engineers.

PartsArena data has now been fully integrated into the Surefire platform, which is available on iOS-enabled mobile devices. The proactive move will help more engineers to reduce their servicing costs and spend less time on site.

A mobile field service software brand with ten years of history behind it, Surefire Software helps engineers in the heating and plumbing industry to organise and manage their day-to-day activities whilst out in the field, streamlining work processes and minimising the requirement for time spent on paperwork and duplication of effort. The addition of PartsArena data, drawn directly from the leading parts identification data library for the heating industry, enables swift identification of the spare part required whilst on-site and easy logging of the parts number to the correct job, ready for accurate ordering. The data is almost “real time” up to date due to a bespoke content management system that delivers updates daily.

It’s a really smart integration for Surefire and an excellent example of how field service management companies can enhance their products by partnering with data providers such as Infomill to create a more efficient system for their customers, helping them save both time and money in their field service operations.

Comments Jonathan Ralphs, Infomill CEO: “Increasingly, we are working with field service companies to integrate into their existing set-up and PartsArena is a unique product to add real value and a strong USP to those targeting the heating industry. We’re now talking to many other industries however, with the same parts information management principle in mind. Efficiency is absolutely key for businesses targeted with stringent KPIs and a fully integrated field service management system can pay huge dividends in this area.”

Suki Parwana, Business Development Manager at Surefire says: “Generally, searching for and obtaining the correct part information has been a time consuming and error-prone exercise. At Surefire, we’re constantly looking at how to add real-world value for our users and so we reached out to Infomill, as having such a vast catalogue of parts made perfect sense.”

To learn more about how Infomill can help you enhance your field service software, please visit www.infomill.com or contact us.