Newsroom SAFEbuilt Helps Village of Hampshire Offer a Superior Experience
January 21, 2021
January 21, 2021
Loveland, CO
SAFEbuilt is proud to announce it has partnered with Hampshire, Illinois to provide solutions that will streamline permitting and planning and offer the community an improved experience.
Upon becoming Hampshire’s Village Manager, Jay Hedges wanted to challenge the system. “We have a savvy and forward-thinking board,” he said, “and we wanted to find technology to improve processes and the user experience.”
CommunityCore is a permitting solution that combines web-based and mobile tools to streamline daily building department functions. Reduce wasted time and paper, cut costs, and communicate more efficiently, inside and outside the department.
Prior to engaging with SAFEbuilt, Hampshire relied entirely on manual processes for permitting and inspections, requiring paper applications and in-person drop-offs. Slow and inefficient, it caused logjams and delays that were exacerbated when the pandemic hit.
“With more people undertaking home improvement projects, our permit applications went through the roof,” Hedges said. “There were delays in scheduling permits, and we started getting an avalanche of complaints from developers and homeowners.”
But technology wasn’t the only problem. Hampshire’s previous partner couldn’t deliver additional staffing support during busy periods, causing frustrating delays that stretched from weeks to months.
It was SAFEbuilt’s willingness to think outside the box and be problem-solvers that cemented the partnership. “We listened closely to their needs,” said Steve Nero, Managing Director of Business Development for SAFEbuilt, “then laid out solutions that would improve the customer experience and bring their processes online almost overnight.”
SAFEbuilt implemented CommunityCore Solutions, a cloud platform that enables online permit and plan submission and real-time status updates. They also staffed the Hampshire Building Department with a dedicated, scalable team that offers next-day inspection within a two-hour window.
The combination of CommunityCore and highly qualified building professionals has streamlined permitting and eliminated delays, providing an exceptional experience to Hampshire residents as well as the developers and builders pursuing projects there.
“The customer experience is so much better,” said Josh Wray, Assistant to the Village Manager. “Hopefully contractors share with other builders how great it is to do projects here.”
“Everything we set out to accomplish, we have,” Hedges said. “I’m confident SAFEbuilt will continue to bring forward-thinking solutions to the table as our relationship grows.”
About SAFEbuilt
SAFEbuilt is a leading outsourced building services provider that improves flexibility, minimizes disruptions, and increases speed to revenue. Offering a breadth of professional services and support options, SAFEbuilt helps communities achieve their growth goals while meeting their budget needs. To learn more, visit SAFEbuilt.com.