Betta Group is a New Zealand nationwide Licensor with three brands that work closely with the real-estate industry along with many others:
Betta Inspect It – New Zealand's largest pre-purchase property inspection company
Betta Property Compliance – A business that provides inspections for owners and managers of rental properties
Betta Asbestos Consultancy – A team of asbestos experts who perform asbestos surveys, testing and management
I recently spoke with Stefan Dixon, Betta Group’s Software Platform Specialist, to learn why and how his firm uses magicplan.
When we first started using magicplan, it was for one of our new products called a detailed maintenance assessment. That involves assessing the condition of different materials on a property, determining how long until the materials are expected to deteriorate, and calculating what it would cost to replace those materials in the future.
So, for that type of assessment, we wanted an app that would allow us to collect a floor plan of each entire property. That allows us to indicate to the client where on their property we found materials that need fixing or replacing.
And magicplan was the app we found to be the most useful.
I was Googling floor plan apps, and magicplan seemed to be on the top. It worked the best.
There were simpler apps that did a lot less, but it was harder to get a floor plan out of those. The magicplan app, in comparison, is a bit more complex. And it was a bit harder to train our guys how to use it. But once they were off and running, they started pulling some pretty cool floor plans.
We liked how magicplan connects with Bluetooth laser meters. So, we started by attaching those types of meters to mobile phones, and then using the magicplan scan function to read measurements and create floor plans.
Although, we have just moved to iPads, which make that scanning functionality a lot better.
We have over 50 inspectors around the country that use our software. I support those inspectors who are using the technology, and I also help develop and maintain new reports and existing reports.
Yes, we have thought of different ways that we can use it for other reports moving forward. It has become a valuable resource for us.
So, we are definitely going to be using magicplan even more than we do now.
I used it a decent amount when we were first trying to figure out how to work it. But apart from that, the inspectors have just gone off and run with it.
No, not really.
I did like the iPhone version, how it automatically scanned the corners. I found that quite good. And connecting to the Bluetooth laser meter was quite cool.
Well, to get a really good floor plan, it just takes some time. And there's a bit of a learning curve. I feel like it's quite easy to make a basic floor plan. But making a really good, detailed one takes just a little more time to learn. And I wouldn't necessarily say that's a bad thing.
It was a labor intensive process which is now replaces with this superior method.
It increases the quality of our product. We use magicplan as an easy way to add a floor plan to any building inspection report or condition assessment.
Part way through the inspection, our inspectors use magicplan to scan the room and develop a floor plan. This provides valuable real data to our reports.
Convenient!
Thank you so much, Stefan at Betta Group in New Zealand!
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