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Glen, left, and Rebekah Moon, the owners of JAE Services for the Waikato and Rotorua areas.
Intersected by the mighty Waikato and surrounded by some of the most fertile land in the country, Hamilton is a real gem. It’s also a great place to do business – as ex-pat Aucklander Glen Moon can testify.
“It’s much less fast-paced than Auckland, and the river is so beautiful. The traffic is amazing – the longest commute time I’ve had is five minutes. It’s a great place to live, work, and bring up a family.”
Moon is the managing director of JAE Services for the Waikato and Rotorua areas. JAE Waikato is located in Frankton, Hamilton, and has been operating in the district for over 40 years. The company is highly regarded for its expertise in cleaning, stain removal, flood, and restoration services. And technology has always been a cornerstone of its operations.
“JAE has always been ahead of the game when it comes to technology,” says Moon. “The company has always invested in technology – sending staff overseas to get training to ensure that they have the most up-to-date knowledge and skills for the job.”
But it’s not just cleaning technology that JAE is passionate about, they are also ahead of the game when it comes to digital technology. They have a dedicated in-house tech team, who’ve worked hard to ensure the best customer experience.
A great example of JAE’s innovative approach is the development of a portal that streamlines the process when it comes to tracking work. A dedicated app allows users, staff, customers, or insurance companies, to gain access to all relevant information about a job, saving huge amounts of time and paperwork in the process.
JAE’s flood restoration work offers an example of how the company pairs cleaning technology with digital innovation to achieve the best results.
There used to be no way of telling if a flooded building had been dried properly. JAE has fine-tuned the process using world-leading moisture meters, hydrometers, infrared cameras and procedures to ensure that flooded buildings are returned to the same, pre-event, dry standard.
The JAE app records all the drying information and technicians notes from the job, and then transfers the data to software in the office. This keeps clients up to date with how the job is proceeding and reduces the need for double handling.
Another example of JAE’s commitment to technology is found in the new One Business phone system they have put in place in partnership with Vodafone. Based on “softphone” technology that uses software for making calls over the internet, One Business offers all the services of an office phone system. But it can be used remotely, allowing staff to connect via phone from wherever they are located.
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The team at JAE Services takes an innovative approach to their restoration services, being ahead of the game when it comes to implementing new technologies.
Moon says that the process of installation has been smooth and glitch-free. “You always expect teething problems with these things. But that hasn’t been the case at all. Vodafone got it all working perfectly: there have been zero issues.”
Vodafone has invested extensively in its network in the Hamilton region. In 2021-2022 Vodafone NZ built and upgraded 21 cell sites in the local area, improving coverage for Hamilton residents and those who visit the city.
Thaigan Govender, head of mobile access networks at Vodafone, says that he has been excited to deliver these services to Hamilton.
“As New Zealand’s fourth largest city, Hamilton is a location that houses a diverse range of people working across a multitude of sectors,” Govender says. “As more and more people move to the city, with its population increasing by 10% in the last five years alone, they expect stellar connection and great networks. We’re pleased to do our part, providing vital infrastructure to help future-proof for Hamilton’s needs.”
The success of these upgrades has been quantified by a recent umlaut certification report. (umlaut, now part of Accenture, is the global leader in mobile benchmarking.)
They undertook a drive test around the region in June 2022. The report for Hamilton, conducted using a Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G device, revealed that:
- overall Vodafone scored 87% for their network, compared with Spark’s 78% and 2Degrees’ 66%
- in the data category Vodafone scored 84%, compared with Spark’s 73% and 2 Degrees’ 370 62%
- In the voice calling category Vodafone scored 95%, compared with Spark’s 86% and 2Degrees’ 72%.
Moon says that this comes as no surprise. “We recently changed from a different provider to Vodafone, and everyone was comfortable that there would be no issues with coverage,” he explained. “People trust Vodafone’s coverage and reliability.”
To check the coverage in your area, please visit www.vodafone.co.nz/5G