Futur First is a national waste broker offering total waste management solutions to large clients such as shopping centres, manufacturing, facilities management and logistics companies. They manage multiple waste streams from hundreds of sites across the UK. Futur First initially relied on spreadsheets to manage and run its business. However, as the business continued to scale, it became increasingly apparent that the existing processes were holding them back.
Founded in 2016, Futur First is a national waste broker offering total waste management solutions to a diverse set of clients Futur First was born out of a desire to give first-class customer service and proactively work with customers to improve operational, environmental and financial waste management objectives and goals.
Futur First initially relied on spreadsheets to manage and operate its business. However, as the business continued to scale, it became increasingly apparent that the existing processes were holding them back.
Director, Charles Swainston, added: “Using spreadsheets was quite frankly laborious and took too much time. We could easily make errors and needed something much more effective, quick and accurate in order to record the detailed information our clients required.”
As a broker, Futur First manages multiple waste streams from several customers so they needed a system which can monitor all collections across a large supply chain, provide accurate weights and data, generate detailed recycling reports and seamlessly integrate with their accountingg software.
To find a suitable waste management software partner, Futur First did their due diligence and scoured the market with expert advice from an independent IT Director to find the most suitable solution.
Their search led to the leadership team choosing Waste Logics as the better-suited software solution. The platform ticked all their boxes and could give them the operational efficiency and transparency they needed.
We chose Waste Logics because it offered a number of specific functions which we needed, including recording individual customers’ very specific needs.” As a broker, it was also vitally important that the system could be used to communicate with contractors, and accept and disseminate bookings by email. The speed at which we can now process transactions is incredible; we can confirm bookings to customers and place bookings with contractors in just a couple of clicks. – Charles Swainston, Director
The Waste Logics team identified the products that would not only deal with Futur First’s challenges but also help them with their long-term business objectives.
Each feature brought its own value and business impact:
SWP Reporting: Futur First dealt with a major challenge here. Using SWP, they were able to give their customers accurate detailed recycling reports. As a broker, showing this level of detail was crucial to their clients continuing doing business with them.
Subcontract Management: This feature was a game-changer for Futur First. It allowed them to seamlessly manage their subcontractor supply chain, resulting in an immense amount of transparency in their operations and time saved. They can track profitability per job to ensure they maintain the right margin. This also included being able to check subcontractors’ invoices to ensure they were charged the right amount.
Accounts 2 Way: Data duplication and a lack of account transparency were key pain points for Futur First. Their 2 Way integration with Waste Logics and their accounts platform Xero created a streamlined process for their accounts, saving the team a lot of time. It also reduces risk to the business since there is a seamless integration of notifications between accounts and operations that is all automated. So, there is no chance of accidentally servicing an on-stop customer or being surprised by an account whose work-in-progress value then takes them over their credit limit.
One of the biggest benefits for us is that it’s cloud based so we can use it on the road and when visiting customers. And, as the business has grown, we have been able to quickly, easily and effectively teach new staff how to use it. – Charles Swainston, Director
