HSO: the project company for project-centric AEC firms
When looking for a digital transformation partner, experience at rolling out accelerated transformation programmes will point companies to HSO, while client testimonials prove they’ve made the right choice
What does an AEC executive have in common with a children's party trick? More than you might think.
Most people have seen the children’s party trick when an entertainer sits at the front of the stage with their arms replaced by those belonging to an assistant standing behind them, hidden by the stage curtains. As the skit progresses, the assistant’s hands do the opposite of what the performer asks them to do, typically culminating in the entertainer having water poured on their head or a fake frying pan smashed over their head.
Business leaders will be familiar with this feeling of impending doom, caused by the disconnection between different parts of an organisation. This disconnect causes many AEC companies to set their sights on a digital transformation programme. Leadership knows they cannot serve clients to their full capability if the entire organisation is not sharing the latest information on each project. Even worse, they have no way of discovering if spare capacity and additional capabilities found elsewhere in the organisation could mean there is an opportunity to cross-sell and expand existing relationships.
Future-ready businesses must be interconnected
Businesses in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) will particularly feel this disconnect when they bid for new work. Systems that do not talk to one another make it hard to put together a compelling and attractive pitch across professional services, but in these industries the ramifications can be disastrous.
The disconnect really hits home when somebody in one part of the business doesn’t have access to a resource management system or financial software, so they have no idea whether current projects are performing well financially.
“The disconnect really hits home when somebody in one part of the business doesn’t have access to resource management system or financial software, so they have no idea whether current projects are performing well financially,” says Mikko Nurmi, HSO Engagement Lead in the Nordics with 5 years of supporting professional service firms.
“They also have no idea what skills and capabilities are being underutilised and so they cannot work out whether a bid for new or additional contracts is going to be profitable. If they get it wrong in AEC they may end up with a ‘bleeder’. Nobody wants a project that continues to lose them money over years, it can be the end of a company.”
Picking the right partner
It is this awareness of the damaging disconnect across an organisation that prompts interest in digital transformation programmes. Companies know they need to act, but the question is not just how, but with whom? With a range of potential partners offering all kinds of outcomes, it can tough to make a call on the best option to work with.
Startling survey figures from McKinsey recently brought the need to pick the right partner into sharp focus. Only 20% of companies undergoing transformation programmes reported receiving three quarters or more of the extra revenue they were expecting. Only 17% received three quarters or more of the costs savings they were anticipating.
20%
Percentage companies undergoing transformation programmes reported receiving three quarters or more of the extra revenue they were expecting
17%
Percentage of companies that achieve at least 3/4 of the costs savings they were anticipating from their digital transformation
The reasons for these statistics are many, but often revolve around picking the wrong partner. Whether it is an unrealistic plan promising overly ambitious gains or a programme that only resolved one an issue to create several new problems in other areas of the business; it all comes down to picking the right partner. The right partner will not over promise and underdeliver and they support their clients in aligning their overall business goals with an appropriately scoped of digital transformation programme.
At HSO, our commitment to these principles of is reflected in our tagline: “the results company." This represents our dedication to deliver the promised business gains, rather than just selling a salesperson’s pipe dream.
A client will only undertake a major digital transformation project every fifteen to twenty years or so, but at HSO it’s what we do every day. For AEC companies there is the added bonus that we are a company that works on project ourselves, just like they do, so we get how they work
“The benefit of HSO is we have worked in transformation in each client’s industry for many years,” says Hans Broer, Business Development Manager at HSO.
“A client will only undertake a major digital transformation project every fifteen to twenty years at so, but at HSO it’s what we do every day. For AEC companies there is the added bonus that we are a company that works on project ourselves, just like they do, so we get how they work."
“We have the play book for different scenarios. A crucial differentiator for HSO is how we can accelerate programmes. We have the best practice approach, and we also know how to roll out proof of concept models into real life working transformations at speed. Our accelerator speeds up and makes implementations so much easier because we have proven templates on how to connect systems and get data flowing between different databases. We have a wealth of experience; we’re never starting from scratch.”
The HSO difference
HSO's decades of experience working with AEC clients around the world is demonstrated not just by how seamlessly it can support businesses in transitioning to the Microsoft platform. Our expertise has given HSO an in-depth knowledge of AEC business needs and enabled us to develop bespoke software to meet those needs.
In addition to seamlessly integrating Dynamics 365 Project Operations to ensure projects are well managed and coordinated, HSO offers an exclusive extension of Dynamics 365 Field Service software. HSO's Dynamics Advance Field Service option brings all the powerful features in the original package, such as optimised field service scheduling, despatching, and planning of maintenance jobs (with a predictive element if IoT sensors are installed). Additionally, this HSO-exclusive extension offers superior reporting through seamless integration with Microsoft’s BI visualisation software. The tool also doubles down on customer satisfaction through far more accurate billing, thanks to its ability to understand and apply warranty and service contracts terms.
Doubling down on customer care with HSO
Customer satisfaction was a prime motivator for Dutch construction and field service business, BAM, for choosing HSO and its Dynamics Advanced Field Serviced software. This has been invaluable in delivering its contract to maintain Terminal 3 at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, as well as many other projects.
“BAM wants to offer service excellence to its customers, combined with an innovative range of services and dedicated, motivated employees, to increase customer satisfaction and build long-term customer relations,” says Anouk Schrauwen, IT Business Partner at BAM Construction and Engineering, Netherlands.
“To make this ambition a reality, we needed a field service platform that would completely support our strategy, cover all customer-related processes, and use advanced digital technologies as much as possible.
We chose HSO because of their proven track record in Field Service in the building and construction sector. Above all, we were looking for a solution that would be more flexible than the maintenance tools that we were already using. A field service platform that uses IoT and is future-proof. The solution offered by HSO provided the best alignment with our processes.
Global reach and references
It’s crucial to consider international expertise and proven results from the very beginning of a partner search. Any enterprise organisation will soon face complications if it does not consider the wider, global implications of a transformation programme. Each market has its own language and as well as regulatory and legal differences; only a transformation partner with local experts in offices around the globe can truly deliver a digital transformation programme that crosses borders and cultures.
HSO has offices around the world so a single contract can be implemented globally through local people who have detailed knowledge of each market. HSO International’s multinational team is comprised of people from more than forty different nationalities, meaning programme teams will often include native speakers with in-depth knowledge of their market. This means digital transformation programmes can be delivered seamlessly across borders giving a company a single source of truth for their data that improves their future-readiness to drive growth.
This option can be a real differentiator when picking a transformation partner. When a potential new customer asks if they can speak directly to real clients to find out what went well and what needed extra attention to get exactly right, the answer should always be a resounding ‘yes’. HSO’s large client base is always happy to take calls to discuss their transformation programmes so businesses considering their own project can be reassured they are working with a trustworthy partner.
Who can you trust?
Ultimately, the decision to pick the right partner will come down to which you feel you can trust. That option is made far easier by utilising experts working for “the results company” which is dedicated to delivering the gains a business needs to see and will always be proactive in getting an existing client on calls to prove it. Selecting HSO as your digital transformation partner means picking working with experts where promised gains are backed up by evidence and third-party experience, not sales hype.
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