Cleaning company sees impressive growth since deploying SmartTask automated workforce management
Business benefits
- Accurately recorded hours – Proof of Attendance
- Contract Compliance – Delivering the service promised
- All data in one system provides a complete picture – saves time and reduces errors
- More accurate payroll and invoice calculations – fewer queries
- Streamlined processes and accurate data support business growth
Service Alliance has over 20 years of experience delivering professional services for education, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare sectors. Its trusted, organised, and fully equipped teams provide well-defined daily, weekly, or monthly services covering all routine and/or specialist cleaning requirements.
The Challenge
With a strong reputation locally, the management team at Service Alliance were looking for a solution to support back-office processes, and provide assurance for attendance times, ensuring contract compliance.
Alistair Hodgson, Managing Director at Service Alliance explained, “We wanted to transition the business from being reactive to more forward-looking. In order to grow, we needed better oversight and control over our key metrics.”
The Solution
Alistair and his colleagues attended the Manchester Cleaning Show to see what the industry had to offer, and met SmartTask. Impressed with what they saw and heard on the day, they followed up with more detailed discussions to ensure that the SmartTask solution would meet their requirements.
“Since we implemented SmartTask our confidence as a business has grown. When a new contract comes along now, we have well defined processes, and we know that we can deliver the service we promise, come what may,” Alistair commented.
A key driver for Service Alliance was to be able to quickly reconcile contract hours with staff and actual hours worked at client sites as per the roster, with alerts for sickness or short notice changes. The SmartTask workforce management solution produces staff rosters, and records employees working times. With details of hours worked for each contract, the team at Service Alliance are able to ensure contract compliance is maintained, holiday and sickness cover is arranged in plenty of time, and payroll and invoices are calculated accurately.
Alistair said, “The SmartTask solution is intuitive and relatively easy to use, which is exactly what we were looking for in a new system to support our people management processes.”
Employees at Service Alliance use the SmartTask app to record their start and finish times and manage their holiday. The app uses geofencing to pinpoint employees’ location, and at some client sites, they use NFC tags. For those staff who do not use a smartphone there is also the option to clock in and out via a landline call. Through the app employees can see their accrued entitlement and can book holiday, which their manager can approve – no requirement for paper forms, and everything is documented centrally.
In addition, employees can review Notes within the app, whether this is about changes to start/finish times, or additional details about the job. The app is also used for bulk communications out to employees, and some field-based staff use it for check calls when doing security patrols for certain premises, meeting lone worker requirements.
Business Benefits
SmartTask provided timely support and guidance during the implementation of the system to ensure that Service Alliance achieved its goals for the software. This has translated into business benefits across the company.
Contract Compliance has been improved – all contracts are monitored and reviewed on a daily basis, allowing time to plan in advance.
Time savings – all information regarding contracts and hours is in one place which saves time, reduces errors and reduces the reliance on 3rd party systems.
Better recording of attendance records, which as well as providing crucial Proof of Attendance information for clients, also provides reassurance to the company that they are complying with workers rights and working time regulations.
Looking to the future Alistair Hodgson states, “Since implementing SmartTask the business has seen strong growth, which we expect to continue. Our strong internal processes, good communications with employees and strict contract compliance, means that we are looking to future expansion with confidence.”