Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 12th December 2024 Issue no. 1142

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Is it time your business systems had a refresh?

As a cleaning business your focus is on delivering the best possible service to clients by managing staff rosters and inventories in the most profitable way. Paul Ridden of SmartTask discusses how implementing workforce management software could help streamline your processes, save time and have a positive impact on your service delivery.

Delivering a professional service 

Ask any professional cleaning services company what is key to their success, and it will always be the people. Employing staff that will do the best possible job at your client’s site is critical to ensure customer satisfaction and to meet your contractual obligations. But getting the right skilled and qualified people is not the whole story. It is vital that they are equipped with the right tools and information to carry out their job well.

Workforce management software - so much more than just rosters

Creating staff rosters that support that all important work/life balance and capturing attendance data to ensure accurate payroll play an important part in meeting your SLAs. While payroll is not typically described as a ‘mission-critical’ system, getting it wrong or late can be extremely damaging to staff morale.  

Using workforce management software to manage staff working hours ensures that you have accurate data both for the payroll and customer invoices.  It can also save hours when it comes to designing rosters. Using a mobile app, staff can easily check in and out when they are on a client site. This provides proof of attendance important for invoicing and client reports, and it also helps with staff welfare, particularly for lone workers. Customers can access this real-time data via a customer portal, which fosters trust and  good client relationships.

As an example, SmartTask customer, Greenzest, a commercial cleaning company, has seen improved efficiencies since using our workforce management software. When Greenzest ran their first payroll using data from the SmartTask software, they reduced administration time to prepare the data from 3 full days to just 6 hours, freeing them up to focus on proactive client work.  Additionally, with easy access to accurate data, the Greenzest board now has a better understanding of the business and services provided to customers.

Information on the go keeps staff and clients updated

Using electronic forms in workforce management software can streamline other admin processes even further.  Staff can receive – and record - all job details including location, time and date on a mobile device. Captured electronically, the data feeds directly to the workforce management system which managers can review to monitor performance and profitability.

Keeping on top of HR compliance

You can streamline recruitment processes with electronic forms, helping to meet with HR regulations. They can provide a step-by-step process for onboarding and training that ensures HR checks are carried out (such as DBS, Right to Work, or Health and Safety qualifications).  

Inductions can be completed and documented, supporting staff training and certification. This makes it easier to meet with specific compliance requirements, where for example, employees may need on-site training before they can be rostered for a shift – particularly useful when organising holiday and sickness cover. 

Choosing the right business partner

When looking for a new business system to run operations, it’s important to find a company that has similar values to your own for a successful partnership. Greenzest founded its business on a corporate sustainability model. The company’s ethos is based on its four Ps, that balance business purpose with profit - Planet, People, Partnerships and Productivity.   

This approach is close to SmartTask’s own modus operandi as a certified carbon neutral business, something which attracted Greenzest to work with us as a chosen supplier. Our focus on partnering with customers to develop the best possible solutions, and enable customers to achieve the most benefit from the system, resonated strongly with Greenzest.

Taking this collaborative approach results in powerful and easy-to-use technology that exactly meets your operational requirements, ensuring your business is compliant with industry legislation and helps your staff work smarter.  Using professional workforce management software can also help you offer new services including regular audits and safety checks in addition to your regular cleaning services. Now is the time to give your business systems a refresh.

Find out how SmartTask can help you to develop your business. 

Call us on +44 (0) 1494 444 044 or email us: [email protected] | https://smarttask.co.uk

10th October 2024