Problem:
A construction services company found that their future growth was limited. They were challenged by problems resulting from manual processes associated with work assignments and the level of administrative effort needed to receive and process field data for billing and payroll.
- The receipt and management of contractor requirements and job assignments was a complicated process that was previously managed via a spreadsheet.
- Changes were difficult to track and visualize, frequently resulting in mistakes, significant manual rework, and confusion.
- Varying staff certifications, necessary for specific jobs, could not be managed effectively.
- Communicating to field-based staff was time-consuming and ineffective. Making sudden changes was almost impossible and, as a result, jobs weren’t always completed on time and correctly.
- Receipt of time charges for billing and payroll relied on handwritten timesheets with inconsistent data – requiring valuable time to vet and process each week.
- Resources spent more time than necessary untangling these complications, instead of servicing clients and winning new business.
Web Application
Mobile Application
Spreadsheet management was a bottleneck to future growth.
Staff with inappropriate certifications assigned to jobs.
Inefficient and ineffective communication with field staff.
Manual data entry from paper into payroll/billing caused errors.
Difficulty servicing clients, providing accurate/timely project details.
Solution:
4C worked with the client and their operations team to develop a web and mobile application that eliminated all spreadsheets and manual processes. The new solution captures customer needs in a single database, allowing the administrative staff to focus more on managing customer requirements and job assignments, ultimately allowing the business to grow.
Staff certifications were actively managed in the system, ensuring that only staff with the appropriate certifications are allowed to be assigned to customer jobs, while also preventing the assignment of staff to jobs that do not complete weekly required safety exercises.
This solution sends automated text messages and emails to staff regarding job assignments and changes, which greatly reduces the level of administrative effort. Field-based staff log their time in the application daily – receiving electronic customer signature approval at the time of authorization. This electronic time-charging solution also allows for transmittal to the current account package for payroll and invoicing purposes.
Benefits:
Staff availability and client job requirements are managed within one central database, ensuring that dispatchers can efficiently perform their job with a full understanding of availability when performing scheduling activities.
Management of staff certifications ensures that only qualified staff are assigned to jobs, eliminating the risk of incorrectly assigning an employee to a job.
Text message and email notification of job assignments to field-based employees streamlined communication and nearly eliminated mistakes, no-shows, and administrative labor.
Confirmation workflow established staff accountability and eliminated job confusion.
Application is fully scalable and meets the client’s vision for future growth.
Tool can be improved in the future, with additional features to meet changing needs as the company grows.