MEC Commercial · Commercial Gas & Heating
How MEC Commercial automated field reporting with zero training.
Eight field engineers now generate rich, customised inspection reports by sending a WhatsApp message. Photos, voice notes, or text. Reports are compiled automatically and filed straight to the office.
Industry
Commercial Gas & Heating
Team
8 field engineers
Region
London
Interface
Delivery
Build & Operate
Go-live
5 days
Operating mode
Fully autonomous
Reports
Fully customised
30+
Reports per week
<2.5min
Per report
10+
Hours saved weekly
10x
Report quality
The challenge
Reporting was costing the team 10+ hours a week.
Engineers were typing up reports instead of doing the work they were hired for.
01 · Time
15–30 minutes per report.
Typing observations, uploading photos, formatting emails. Repeated multiple times a week by every engineer.
02 · Delays
Reports only filed after getting home.
The office had no visibility until engineers got back to a laptop, sometimes the next day.
03 · Quality
Inconsistent detail and format.
Some engineers documented thoroughly, others skipped details. Photos scattered across phones and email threads.
This is the best solution I've seen in years in the trade. Our engineers used to hate reporting, now they love it. WhatsApp is the perfect interface, and the multimodal aspect, using voice messages and photos, is a game-changer. It tells a thousand words without typing a single one.
John Thackray
Owner, MEC Commercial
The approach
Reporting built into WhatsApp, the tool they already use every day.
Rather than introducing a new app, Tradestack built directly into WhatsApp. Engineers send photos, voice notes, and text over the course of a job, just as they would to a colleague. The operator collects everything, asks follow-up questions if needed, and compiles a rich report for the office to use across client updates, payment applications, and compliance.
01 · Capture
Engineers send updates throughout the job.
As they work, engineers send photos, voice notes, and text to a dedicated WhatsApp number. Multiple messages over the course of a visit, not just one. The operator collects everything as it comes in.
02 · Analyse
The operator pieces together the full picture.
Voice messages are transcribed, images are analysed for equipment details and readings, and all the information is pulled into a structured format. If anything is missing, the operator asks a follow-up question.
03 · Generate
A rich, branded report is compiled automatically.
A fully customised inspection report in MEC's template. Client details, embedded photos with captions, narrative observations, readings, and next steps. Every report consistent and ready to use.
04 · File
Report filed to the office automatically.
The finished PDF is saved to Google Drive in the correct project folder and the office is notified. The engineer gets a WhatsApp confirmation. No chasing, no follow-ups.
Starting annual service on Vaillant ecoTEC at De Vere, Kensington. Unit 3, plant room B.
Logged. Is this the same unit from the January callout?
Yeah same one. Running fine now though.
Flue readings on the analyser. All within spec.
Got the readings. Anything else to note before I compile?
Filter cleaned, condensate trap cleared. All good for another year.
Report compiled and filed to Drive (De Vere > Annual Service). Office notified.
Impact
What changed.
The results after the first weeks of production use.
Time saved
10+ hours of admin recovered each week.
Reports that used to take 15 to 30 minutes now take seconds. Engineers get back to billable work faster, and the office doesn't need to chase paperwork.
Site transparency
Management sees exactly what happened on site.
Every report captures work carried out, progress for payment applications, material requests, and visual evidence. The office gets deep visibility without being on site.
Multi-purpose reports
One report, many uses.
The same report can be sent to clients, shared with other contractors on site, used for payment applications, or filed for compliance. Created once, used everywhere.
Consistency
Same standard, every report, every engineer.
No skipped sections, no missing photos, no variation in format. Every report follows the same professional standard regardless of which engineer was on site.
Want results like these?
Book a demo and see how AI operators can work for your business.