Over the past few months, we’ve taken the time to introduce our team members, so we thought it was about time we introduced AccuGrit the business with a bit of background on how and why the company started up, our services, and how we operate.

Our Business in a Nutshell….

Founded in 2019, Accugrit was formed to provide specialist business support and focus solely on winter maintenance services, rather than multiple areas of ground maintenance, and this enables us to focus on innovations and developments in the industry to deliver a higher quality service that is more effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly so that we can provide unrivalled customer satisfaction.

In addition, with innovation at the heart of AccuGrit, the leadership team spent time in the USA before the business was launched (because they have consistent winters so are naturally more progressive) to research plus meet with peers to find out what could be learned and brought back to the UK.

As a result, AccuGrit has introduced into the UK industry-leading winter maintenance technology and state-of-the-art machinery. Combined with utilising accurate weather forecasting from a company based at the University of East Anglia, plus real-time reporting, AccuGrit can today proudly boast it is making an impact in the industry to help keep premises up and down the UK safe and accessible in winter.

We are a customer-centric business as we recognise that our clients require their evolving needs to be supported and the needs of the customers they serve. Therefore, we are committed to continually improve to remain the UK market leader in winter maintenance services, ensuring we are agile and offer the safest resolutions to all snow and ice requirements.

Given the very nature of high-risk environments AccuGrit predominantly works within, we have invested heavily in creating a business that has accountable standards, having been awarded three ISO Certifications for ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems), and ISO 45001 (Health & Safety Management).

We also directly employ all field teams and do not sub-contract to enable greater control on all service levels to uphold our standards. Operating from our nationwide hubs, all our team members receive a complete programme of training before commencing work, which includes Health & Safety training (including Covid-19 specific measures), use of the equipment, and a full briefing on the particular requirements of allocated sites.

We also strongly believe in open and transparent communication, using social media, blogs, and newsletters to continually inform and educate our prospective and existing customers and provide a forum for feedback. In addition, we make sure each client has an account manager whom they can contact 24/7, and by investing in our YETI management system, we are giving clients the most transparent service in the industry as all documentation, service updates, weather, and records are available to customers in real-time.

We understand winter is a problem for our clients in keeping their sites safe, compliant, and open for business, so AccuGrit aims to take the worry out of winter.

Our Business Services Highlights….

Service Availability:

Our service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and we have a direct telephone number for clients to contact us at any given time.

During winter, our control room operates 24/7, where all the field team activities are monitored through our systems. In an urgent situation, clients can contact their dedicated account manager 24/7/365, who can provide real-time support. In addition, we operate a policy of responding within 1 hour in the event of a reactive call.

Technology:

Yeti Winter Services Management System.

Our operating software platform reduces liability risks as it tracks and records—client’s documentation, site details, work carried out, equipment usage, maintenance and stock, the field team, invoicing, and reporting, all on one reliable platform.

Upon the completion of every duty we carry out at each site, our field team will update their YETI app with the following information:

• The site location duties are completed.
• The date.
• The time started and finished.
• The name of the operator.
• The weather conditions and temperature.
• Before and after pictures.
• The approximate amount of salt used.
• Any comments, problems, or observations.
• Every operative movement is tracked when either pedestrian or vehicle gritting.

Once this information has been recorded, it is uploaded to the YETI back-office system.

When the information is received, the team in the control room reviews the job record. The pictures and tracking results are assessed to ensure that every site with scheduled services has been visited and highlighted no problems. From the evaluation, any discrepancies will be processed accordingly, and if no issues are identified, YETI is updated to show that job has been closed.

Our clients have access to all information relating to their accounts as we store the records of each site visit to reference years from now. In addition, clients can verify that the work is performed as per the contract, ensuring their site is appropriately serviced. This visibility is also in real-time status, enabling clients to see what equipment is on their sites, plus access to view the work before and after photos.

We also issue detailed daily KPI reports, which are market-leading in the quality of details you receive. Finally, clients can access all forecasts for the data we are basing all decisions.

AccuCam

We also install our AccuCams at critical sites. This innovative technology enables our Met Office trained employees to observe conditions to monitor a live snow event on our weather radar in the control room 24/7 during the winter season.

It also facilitates our team to see in real-time how the snow is settling on the ground, allowing for faster decision making to, for example, send in a snow clearance team rather than waiting for a site contact to get in touch.

Supplies & Equipment:

We always retain surplus stock of equipment and salt at our hubs across the UK at 150% of the requirement for contracts in case of a snow event.

Before the cold weather arrives, we also conduct a ‘dry run’ of all sites as a standard procedure, using the allocated equipment but without the salt. This test performance lets us assess all our systems and the field team responsible for delivering the site’s winter maintenance. We then analyse the data from the AccuGrit tracking devices to ensure they fully match plans and address any issues that may arise.

Monitor & Control Procedures:

We periodically conduct safety and quality inspections, both announced and unannounced, to ensure that all standards are achieved. The assessments include direct observation of the work being carried out and the behaviour of our field operative, vehicle checks, plus audits on the equipment usage and condition. We also oversee a risk assessment and a work quality inspection to confirm that the salt is being spread correctly and following the site-specific instructions provided.

The information from the inspection is then available to clients for review.

We believe the only way to deliver a successful and satisfactory service is to be proactively transparent with communication and information, which sets us apart from other gritting companies.

As testimony to the level of service we provide, our winter 20/21 season client satisfaction survey revealed a 100% success rate of client happiness with the services they received, and 100% of our clients renewed with Accugrit for Winter 21/22. After the long and brutal winter season we experienced, this shows we exceeded our quality assurance and service delivery.

If you have any requirements for Winter Gritting and Snow Removal Services across the UK contact our team today.