Sitting here on my sofa, laptop open, cup of tea in hand and Christmas tree twinkling in the corner, this moment of tranquility is a far cry from the topsy turvy, rollercoaster of a year we have all had. Here at MacConvilles we are so thankful to have made it to the end of 2020 all in one piece but not in quite the same packaging as we started.
New Starts
During the year we have added more members to our team than any other time I can remember. Sam is up and running Building Surveying working across Sussex and London. Darren and Craig have added extra manpower to our well established Quantity Surveying team and with our new Principal Designer Service headed up by Natasha we were delighted to be working from home leaving the question of office space for next years to do list. You would think we were up to full quota now but watch this space as we introduce further additions soon!
New ways of working
Along with many of you, our team has been working, resting and playing from home. We have all embraced our new ‘offices’ and if you have been watching our twitter feed some have more enviable views than others. We have swopped our morning commutes with walks, cycle rides and runs through our beautiful county to keep fit and active. We have kept in contact with each other and you our clients through Teams, Whatsapp and Zoom. It has been great to touch base with a friendly face to discuss and collaborate on projects, complete some CPD or just Check In and catch up at the end of the week.
The switch from office to home study or kitchen table was astonishingly seamless with our investment in IT enabling the smooth transition. We have also achieved a paperless office and Carbon Neutral Status reducing the impact MacConvilles has on the environment, something we were well on the way to gaining but definitely helped with this new way of working.
New Prop Tech
Our adoption of new technologies has not been confined to the office. Out on site we have used prop tech to keep our staff and you safe. Trackers, 360 cameras and video conferencing have ensured we have been able to maintain social distancing rules and avoid onsite meetings whenever practical whilst still providing value for money for our clients,
Our Building Surveyors have taken to the sky with drones and MEWPs to continue delivering our surveying services. However when essential works have required a closer onsite inspection clever use of remote technology such as Borescopes and good old ‘ball cam’ have allowed us to view hard to reach parts with minimal disruption whilst remaining socially distant. And when prop tech just couldn’t help, our intrepid Euan abseiled buildings to leave no defect undetected.
We are so proud of how our surveyors have adapted to these times keeping projects such as Teville Gate, Abbeyfield and our Fire Assessment works for Westminster, to name a few, on track.
New Branding
Many of you will have noticed that we have also managed to fit in a makeover this year!! Unveiling the New us in September was the culmination of a years work and we are delighted by your positive feedback. We believe this new brand identity, reflects our vibrant, human and community-centric attitude which we think makes us a little bit special.
New Beginnings
To complete our very full year we a delighted to announce a beautiful new beginning- the arrival of Baby Maddison earlier this month-so whilst Chris has not been at his home office in recent weeks he has probably been busier than ever!
So as you can see we have been hard at work all year with a lot to be thankful for. I have no doubt next year will have its fair share of challenges that we will rise to together.
