The Project

In the ever-evolving field of geotechnical engineering, efficiency and accuracy are paramount. ANS Geo, a dynamic geotechnical, civil, and structural engineering company founded in December 2020, has rapidly emerged as a key player in this industry. With a team that started small and now comprises over 100 dedicated employees, ANS Geo is continuously pushing the boundaries of geotechnical engineering. This case study delves into how Filio, a powerful visual asset management platform, has played a pivotal role in streamlining ANS Geo’s operations and enhancing their productivity.

Vatsal Shah: A Geotechnical Engineering Luminary

Vatsal Shah is a distinguished civil engineer with a specialization in geotechnics, recognized as a professional engineer, educator, and leader. Currently serving as principal engineer at ANS Geo, he oversees a team of 100+ professionals across seven U.S. offices, managing daily operations, client relations, and technical report reviews.

Vatsal’s journey includes a tenure as vice president and principal engineer at Mott MacDonald, where he led geotechnical practices nationwide. His expertise spans diverse civil, geotechnical, and environmental projects, making him a luminary in the field.

Challenges Before Filio

Before integrating Filio into their workflow, ANS Geo encountered several significant challenges. As a geotechnical engineering firm heavily involved in fieldwork, they amassed a staggering number of field photos. These images, taken during soil borings, test pit samples, and field logging, were initially stored on individual employees’ smartphones, creating a chaotic digital ecosystem.

ANS Geo’s Smart Move: Filio Reshapes Chaotic Photo Management

One of the most significant hurdles ANS Geo faced was the time-consuming process of manually creating photo logs. Each photo required meticulous resizing, rotation, annotation, and formatting to fit into their reports. On average, a single photo could demand 20 to 30 minutes of attention, sometimes stretching to 40 minutes when distractions crept in. For a team of trained geologists and engineers, this administrative task was far from the best use of their professional skills.

Why Filio Was Chosen

Filio stood out as a practical solution. ANS Geo chose Filio platform due to its remarkable ability to automate the entire photo management process, effectively capturing all necessary data. Furthermore, the platform’s unique feature set empowers ANS Geo to effortlessly generate dynamic and interactive reports within the Filio environment, aligning seamlessly with their workflow and reporting needs.

ANS Geo’s Strategic Choice – Overcoming Photo Management Obstacles to Enhance Operational Efficiency with Filio.

Implementation and User Adoption

The implementation of Filio was seamless, thanks to its user-friendly design. ANS Geo introduced the platform through a one-hour team call with Filio team, ensuring all staff members were acquainted with its features and functionalities. This step was crucial in securing buy-in from the team, as varying levels of tech-savviness can sometimes pose challenges during software adoption. ANS Geo commended Filio’s responsive customer support team for their speedy resolution of issues. These challenges mainly revolved around user errors, such as incorrect app downloads or email address mismatches. In less than a day, Filio’s customer support remedied these issues, ensuring a smooth transition for the ANS Geo team.

Positive Impact of Filio

ANS Geo’s Strategic Choice – Overcoming Photo Management Obstacles to Enhance Operational Efficiency with Filio.

The impact of Filio on ANS Geo’s operations has been profound. The platform streamlined their photo logging process, reducing the time required by an astonishing 80%. What once took 30 minutes to manually format a single photo now only demanded two clicks within Filio. This newfound efficiency allowed ANS Geo to deliver reports faster and more accurately, enhancing their client services significantly.

Filio Photo Log

One of Filio’s standout features was its consistency. In a geotechnical engineering firm with multiple offices across the United States, maintaining a uniform approach to photo logs was challenging. Filio’s templates eliminated this variability, ensuring that each photo log adhered to the same professional standards, regardless of the location.

Feedback from Team and Clients

The ANS Geo team wholeheartedly embraced Filio due to the tangible benefits it brought to their workflow. They particularly appreciated the relief from the looming burden of manual photo logging, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks. Client reports, once constrained by the time-consuming process, could now be delivered promptly, impressing clients with ANS Geo’s efficiency and professionalism.

Seamless Filio Integration: ANS Geo’s Smooth Onboarding and Commendable Support Experience

Moreover, Filio’s mapping feature provided a unique selling point for ANS Geo. During client calls, ANS Geo could display an interactive map featuring all their projects across the United States, showcasing the company’s extensive footprint.

Customer Support and Service

In terms of customer support and service, ANS Geo rated Filio a near-perfect 10 out of 10. Filio’s team demonstrated responsiveness, patience, and problem-solving expertise. Their support extended beyond troubleshooting technical issues; they provided helpful guidance on optimizing the platform’s use.

Future Recommendations

As ANS Geo looks to the future, they envision Filio evolving to meet the demands of their expanding operations. They express interest in features for processing large datasets and foresee potential AI-driven functionalities, such as text extraction from handwritten or typed logs. ANS Geo’s needs may evolve as they explore Filio’s broader capabilities beyond photo management.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Filio has become an indispensable tool for ANS Geo, revolutionizing their photo logging process and significantly enhancing efficiency. The platform’s user-friendly interface, along with exemplary customer support, has made it an integral part of their workflow. As ANS Geo continues to grow and expand its services, Filio remains a valuable partner in their journey towards innovation and excellence in geotechnical engineering.