Approved Pool Certifiers
The Problem: Six disconnected tools, and every new job added more admin.
Approved Pool Certifiers carry out pool-barrier safety inspections across NSW, around 100 a month. The work was spread across Excel, a calendar, FastField, Xero, Outlook and OneDrive, with information re-keyed and chased by hand at every step.
Every inspection has to produce legal documentation in an exact format, including the s.22E non-compliance notice under NSW law, backed by photos, videos and retained for compliance. Growth meant more paperwork, not more inspections. And with over 16,500 inspections behind the business, APC had the expertise but no brand presence showing it.
The Approach: Zoho One as the back office, a custom app for the field, and a refreshed brand for Approved Pool Certifiers.
We implemented Zoho One and migrated APC's data into Zoho CRM, then mapped the full journey from enquiry to compliance notice. Enquiries land in the CRM and become a Job with the address captured once. The inspection agreement is a Zoho Writer mail-merge template that adapts to who is signing (owner, agent or other representative), stamps APC's insurance details automatically, carries the certifier's signature and goes out through Zoho Sign, with the signed copy landing back on the Job. Invoices are raised in the CRM and sync to Xero through Zoho Flow.
For the field work, we evaluated Zoho Creator against a custom build. Creator's mobile form could not be styled to APC's standard, so we built the APC Site Inspection app for iOS and Android to replace FastField. Inspectors see their day's jobs pulled from the CRM, work through the full barrier assessment offline if they need to, and capture photo evidence against each question. On submit, the app writes to a custom Inspection module in APC's own Zoho CRM, with subforms holding every gate and every issue, and files the photos in WorkDrive.
The s.22E notice is then built straight from those CRM subform rows: the correct clause text for the applicable standard, one page per issue with its photos and/or videos, in APC's exact format. It is rendered on Cloudflare and filed against the Inspection and Deal. Compliance safeguards are built in: an incomplete inspection cannot be submitted, every record is verified after it is saved, and a notice that cannot be produced perfectly is held back and the inspector notified.
Alongside the system, we led a digital marketing relaunch with a brand strategy positioning APC as the go-to expert in NSW pool compliance, a new LinkedIn presence where agents, conveyancers and referrers look, and a Google Business Profile that gathers reviews with every job.
The Outcome: One connected system, from first enquiry to compliant notice.
The app is live on iOS and Android and used on every inspection. The APC team runs the business from one system instead of six. Inspectors capture everything on site, and the office sees it in the CRM straight away. No re-keying, no lost paperwork, no catching up on admin at 8pm after a day of inspections.
Every agreement, notice, photo and inspection record is archived automatically in Zoho CRM and WorkDrive, in line with retention requirements. With the data in one place, APC can see how the business is performing, and the brand now brings the work in while the system runs it. APC has the foundation to add certifiers without the admin growing with them.
A Zoho One implementation, a custom-built inspection app and a digital marketing relaunch for Approved Pool Certifiers, a NSW pool-barrier safety certifier with over 16,500 inspections behind it.
APC's work was spread across six tools that didn't talk to each other: Excel, a calendar, FastField, Xero, Outlook and OneDrive. We brought the back office into Zoho CRM, with a mail-merged inspection agreement signed through Zoho Sign and invoices syncing to Xero, then replaced FastField with the APC Site Inspection app, live on iOS and Android.
Inspectors pull their jobs from the CRM, complete the full barrier assessment with photos on site, and submit. The inspection lands in a custom CRM module with subforms for every gate and issue, photos are filed in WorkDrive, and the legal s.22E notice is generated from that record in APC's exact format.
On the marketing side, a brand strategy puts APC front and centre as the authority in NSW pool safety, backed by a new LinkedIn presence and a Google Business Profile.
The system runs the work, and the brand brings the work in.