How UTS Group opened the doors to better operations with a vendor management system built on Zoho Creator

The company

For over a decade, UTS Group has been helping businesses safeguard their premises with a wide range of integrated and advanced security services. Whether it's access control, automatic door systems, intercoms, security cameras, or locksmith services, they handle it end to end, from installation to client training.

With safety at the heart of everything they do, over the years, UTS Group has helped create safer environments across Canada and the USA, in sectors ranging from hotels and resorts to apartments and condos, government buildings, healthcare facilities, and more.

The challenge

Before adopting Zoho Creator, managing operations at UTS Group meant relying on nine different tools. Each tool handled a part of the system, whether it was contractor management, project tracking, purchase orders, or invoicing.

And despite having multiple solutions to meet their needs, the experience was far from efficient. None of these tools were integrated with one another, which meant the team had to spend a significant amount of time jumping between platforms, learning how each of them worked and manually piecing information together.

Tasks like invoicing and approvals were handled manually as well, which not only took time but also led to errors.

One of their biggest challenges was vendor management. Ensuring that vendors had the right certifications and licenses, active insurance, proper compliance documents, and maintaining visibility into subcontractors’ work was difficult to track and easy to miss.

Generating quotes was just as challenging, especially for the sales team, who were always on the move without access to a desktop.

But things changed when Andre discovered Zoho Creator through a YouTube search and came across Amazing Business Results, a Zoho Premium Partner.

The solution

With the help of Amazing Business Results, they built a custom vendor management system on Zoho Creator and haven’t looked back since. The new system now brings together all the capabilities and modules they were looking for, all under one roof.

Vendor and contractor management

This module lets vendors and contractors upload all required insurance, licenses, and compliance documents directly into the system. Automated approvals then verify compliance, ensuring that only qualified vendors or contractors are assigned to projects. It also gives the UTS Group team visibility into project updates.

Contractors submit a report through a simple form detailing what was completed, if a follow-up visit is needed, and whether additional materials are required. With this information, the UTS Group team knows exactly what to do next and can take action right away.

Purchase order management

The purchase order management module takes a PO from drafting to approval, invoicing, and then completion. Its integration with Zoho Books, Zoho Projects, and Zoho CRM ensures that all PO details sync seamlessly across these systems.

Sales and estimate management

The application allows the sales and project managers to generate quotes directly through the system, and once an estimate is approved, it is automatically converted into a project, along with the required purchase orders.

Vendors, on the other hand, use structured forms to report job status, issues, and material requirements through their own portal.

And since the application is mobile friendly, the sales team can even generate and send proposals right from their smartphones when they're out in the field.

Analytics and compliance dashboards

With these dashboards, the team gets real-time visibility into everything from estimates and purchase orders to contractor activity and project updates. The map report highlights the service areas of each contractor, helping UTS Group assign the most suitable resource for every new project that comes in.

Benefits and ROI

The move to Zoho Creator has completely changed the way UTS Group manages its operations. With a unified system now in place, the team stays updated on project progress and has clear visibility into vendor and contractor activity.

• Administrative tasks that were once handled manually have been streamlined, saving time and reducing errors. Automated approvals and compliance checks alone save the team hours every day.
• Sales representatives can now generate quotes right from their pockets, which helps speed up the sales cycles.
• Compliance has become much stronger, as vendors can't move forward without submitting valid insurance and certifications into the system.

Looking forward

UTS Group has already outlined seven more applications to build on Zoho Creator over the next two to three years, covering marketing, project management, and advanced reporting. They’re focused on connecting every part of their workflow and building new solutions not just for today’s needs but also for the future they’re planning for.