“It’s a really, really powerful tool, and you could argue it does the job of a warehouse manager.”

Premier Heating Solutions is a plumbing & heating business run by Phil Mulvenna, with his team delivering approximately 7,000 jobs every year! While they predominantly provide services to residential customers across the Berkshire area, they have been expanding their operations into commercial installations and maintenance.

Given the complexity of their work and the large volume of jobs completed, maintaining optimal stock levels is critical for success. As Premier Heating Solutions look to grow their business, here’s how they use Commusoft’s robust software to streamline inventory management and ensure their vans are well-stocked.

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The Problem: Delivering on Service Promises 

Premier Heating Solutions offers a same day or next day service, which helps them stand out from the local competition. It’s therefore essential that they always have the right parts available to deliver on their service promise.

Phil Mulvenna, Managing Director, explained the challenges of delivering this type of model:

There’s a lot of diary management, there’s a lot of capacity management, and there’s a lot of moving parts to keep on top of.

Many different teams are involved in the process to ensure everything runs smoothly, including finance, warehouse, capacity management, and a dedicated parts team. 

This is something Premier Heating Solutions pride themselves on, but it wasn’t always the case. Before Commusoft, they relied on a paper system to record important job details, which inevitably created delays and operational challenges that could frustrate customers.

You don’t have the information to hand unless somebody is picking up the phone and letting you know that something has happened.

Phil Mulvenna

A lack of data meant the team were often left living in the moment; far from ideal for a business that’s focused on fast-paced delivery. Having access to job information in real-time was a key driver for them adopting all-in-one FSM software, so they could deal with situations proactively.

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The Solution: Significant Savings & Optimal Stock Levels

Prior to using Commusoft, their parts costs could be as high as 40% in some months. But since implementing our software in 2012, Phil explained how they’ve slashed their inventory costs:

It’s allowed us to start buying our parts wholesale, and we now carry a significant amount of product within our building. This has allowed us to save approximately 12% on our parts costs, which is touching on six figures.

These significant savings have enabled Premier Heating Solutions to reinvest into their business and ultimately increase their revenue. That’s clearly reflected in the huge growth they’ve experienced in recent years, and a driving force behind their exciting plans for the future:

We do £3 million pounds in revenue, we’ve got 30+ employees, and are on path to do £5 million this year [2025]. We’re going to be doing about £9 million in three years. So we’re on the path: we’re ploughing everything back into it.

Phil Mulvenna

How Inventory Management Works in Commusoft

Commusoft clients can enjoy further cost savings by storing parts costs from suppliers, or sending emails directly to suppliers to confirm the latest price before purchasing, directly within the system. Features like this help to improve vendor management, while also enabling operations managers to make better informed buying decisions.

However, managing the entire inventory lifecycle end-to-end is where Commusoft’s platform really shines. Premier Heating Solutions can maintain optimal stock levels with the support of our powerful, yet easy-to-use workflows.

From placing the PO to the supplier through to booking in the part, to allocating to the job in the returns process, it all works very, very well.

Connor Eccott, Finance Manager

The system’s automation has been particularly beneficial for the team, notifying them instantly if a part has been used by an engineer. It’s then restocked at their unit, which engineers pick up once a day. 

They also utilise the auto-order feature when stock levels are running low, which they receive the very next day! This ensures every van is fully stocked, and engineers are ready for the day ahead. 

A meticulous approach to inventory management is essential for Premier Heating Solutions, with first-time fixes a core part of their service guarantee.

Benefits of Highly Customisable Software

The team appreciates the system’s high level of customisation, too, for monitoring stock levels in the field.

We use it every day. We have each individual van set up as a separate stock location.

Connor Eccott

Being able to personalise the system is ideal for growing trades businesses, when controlling costs is a top priority. This level of oversight allows them to keep track of what parts are available, and eliminate wasted trips to the stockroom.

Phil expressed his delight with Commusoft’s inventory management software, noting,

It’s a really, really powerful tool, and you could argue it does the job of a warehouse manager.

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Looking to the Future with Commusoft

Phil has ambitious growth plans for Premier Heating Solutions, and Commusoft is right by their side helping them better control costs and continue delivering at pace:

We wouldn’t be able to offer the service as efficiently as we are, or as effectively as we are, without it.

Commusoft all-in–one job management software has become an integral part of Premier Heating’s daily operations over the last decade, allowing the team to work more efficiently as the business scales.

I would definitely recommend Commusoft. I think it helps us massively on a day-to-day. We wouldn’t be able to operate to the level we do without it. From an admin perspective, from a finance perspective, from an operational perspective, every single piece of the puzzle.

Connor Eccott

If you’d like to find out more about how Commusoft supports growing trades businesses, book a call with our team today!