Integrated FM company invests in SmartTask saving an hour per day for managers, reducing manual and paper-based admin and helping attain industry accreditations
Smarter Services maintains commercial spaces, properties and estates. The company provides a tailored programme, whether for offices, housing, retail or industrial premises, supported by a dedicated account manager, on-site supervisors and full records of work carried out.
All commercial space cleaning is carried out by Smarter Services’ own staff, who are DBS checked and given full Health & Safety and onboarding training, learning and development with its own approach for commercial cleaning. Smarter Services uses the latest SmartTask workforce management technology to provide visibility of who is on-site and when, as well as to carry out regular audits, helping the company to provide a competitive, quality commercial cleaning service.
SmartTask Workforce Management – improving working processes and customer service
Smarter Services uses SmartTask workforce management software to manage Proof of Attendance, holiday and absence for its 260+ cleaning personnel working on-site. The company’s head office employees use the system to design shifts and rotas, working closely with the managers to match availability of employees against client requirements. The latest rotas are sent to staff’s mobile phones to keep them updated. Electronic capturing of hours worked and services provided means that time spent on producing invoices has reduced by two days per month.
Director of Operations, Michael Poppa, explains; “Using SmartTask has really changed the way that we record staff working hours, jobs completed and processing of salaries. Everything is now in one place and accessible. Accurate records benefit our employees and our clients, with streamlined processes for attendance, job records and invoices that help us provide the best possible customer service both on and off site.”
Using SmartForms supports paperless processes
The company uses the SmartTask SmartForms creator to generate custom electronic forms for key management processes, including on-boarding, audit and quality management, near misses and accident reporting, as well as to flag site access issues.
Paperless Onboarding supports regulatory compliance
The onboarding form is used by managers on their smartphones or tablets when recruiting staff to outline working hours, rates of pay and holiday entitlement in the initial contract. Using the onboarding SmartForm enables all key information to be gathered electronically, including the employee signature agreement to the terms and conditions. Once due diligence and references have been completed, the employee is added to the payroll and a copy of the final contract is sent electronically to the new starter.
“We have been working to reduce our paperwork across the board and SmartTask has helped us to achieve this. We used to have a seven-page employee page contract – now thanks to SmartForms, our onboarding process is completely electronic. We also use SmartForms for quality audits - everything is streamlined with all the supporting information easily accessible. Using SmartTask in this way has empowered our managers and has been invaluable to support our industry accreditations,” said Michael Poppa.
Streamlining working processes reduces administration – better for staff and customers
Supporting Quality
Using SmartForms managers check the quality of cleaning on-site, score and give feedback to staff on any issues that may arise, documenting evidence with photos. Information is also gathered on one-off requests, such as bulk rubbish removals. The SmartForm enables the operative to sign off that a job has been completed to agreed standards, with photographs as evidence.
Better Customer Communication
Streamlining communications has benefited Smarter Services across the board, with the new working methods empowering managers and freeing the head office staff. The simplicity of the SmartForms means that site reports can be sent directly to account managers for client updates, with no potentially missed emails or pictures. It also supports the process that Smarter Services undertakes for its ISO accreditation, reducing the time taken to complete from four days to three.
Health & Safety Incidents reported and mitigated
Accidents or near misses are recorded and sent directly to the Health & Safety Manager, rather than waiting for reports to be forwarded from managers. This enables measures to be taken immediately, mitigating the risks to avoid reoccurrence.
No Access and No Shows managed in real-time
In the event of an operative being unable to enter a client site or building, photos of the premises are sent immediately to managers, who can notify the client to enable access. This ensures that all cleaning services agreements are met and helps ensure customer satisfaction.
Similarly, managers are alerted if staff don’t turn up on site or are late, enabling them to send replacements. As well as using SmartTask for Proof of Attendance, staff can check and book holidays using SmartTask, all of which is collated ensuring accurate payroll and invoicing.
Reports enable optimum business planning
Smarter Services uses the reports function within SmartTask to support future operations planning. Shifts and rotas can be costed to meet forecasts on a weekly or monthly basis, ensuring that absences and changes in demand can be met within the required profit margins.
Michael Poppa said; “SmartTask is a key management tool for our business. It streamlines our business processes and provides us with the information that we need to manage our commercial cleaning services efficiently and profitably. It helps us to better manage our staff, deliver quality client services and plan for the future.”
At a Glance - Benefits
- Managers are empowered to oversee attendance and work carried out on site, freeing up head office staff
- Streamlined processes using SmartForms reduces administration, saving managers up to an hour per day
- Accurate work records reduce time spent invoicing by two days per month
- Up to date proof of attendance and absence records result in fewer payroll queries
- Staff can easily check and book holidays directly with authorising manager
- Electronic records support requirements for quality and industry accreditations