The post How moving to Okappy Increased Development Output by 20% appeared first on Okappy.
]]>We have a confession.
As workforce management innovators, not all of our job management processes have always been up to par. Whether you call it a case of the “cobbler’s shoes” or “builder’s backyard”, we weren’t taking enough care of job management processes in our own development team to ensure we were reaching our potential.
Giving the best customer care and providing a professional service with minimum disruption are top on our list of priorities. But falling behind schedule on app improvements wasn’t exactly going to put us in the best position to do those things. So, we did some navel gazing.
Realising that if we truly believed in the power of Okappy we’d be using it ourselves, we took the plunge. We followed in the footsteps of our customers and embarked on our very own journey of using Okappy in-house to manage our development team’s activities. Richard Harris, CEO and Founder, and Robin Spinks, Lead Developer share their experiences of the journey so far.
Richard (Director): “We were using a Google Sheet and it was becoming unwieldy and difficult to track what was going on. We realised that we could be using our own product to help manage work streams within the development team. So, we tried it and found that it works really well for issues-tracking and book-tracking.”
Robin (Senior developer): “Google sheets was very slow and inefficient. I was getting frustrated by the amount of dates entered manually with mistakes, a lack of space and flexibility, and the inability to attach documents to issues, such as crash logs or images and videos showing issues in effect. It just seemed much more sensible for us to use our own product which was saving our customers so much time and money!”
Richard: “We do a kind of weekly sprint. We’ll work out what goes into the sprint on a Monday morning and then Robin, our lead developer, will work on those pieces throughout the week. Each morning we’ll revisit what needs to be done, assign the jobs to Robin and mark them by a high, medium, or low priority. Then, Thursday morning, it’ll go into testing with a view to releasing Thursday night. For every update, we can see the status in real-time with time stamps when each job is updated and by whom. It’s just a really easy way to keep track of everything!”
Richard: “The most common issues included:
We ended up having thousands of rows in any one sheet. We could filter things, but then if someone else made a change, it would mess up the view and appear in the wrong order. The cells contained too much text as we’d try to keep the history in each cell. It became overwhelming and hard to navigate.
The Google sheet contained over 3,000 requests and, so, version control also became an issue. It was difficult to see who had made a change. We’d manually put in the initials, date and time. Sometimes we’d forget or accidentally delete information in a cell.
Before we could actually start looking at each feature and issue, we were spending time trying to work out whether we were all accessing the correct data on Google Sheets. With Okappy, this all happens automatically so we don’t need to think about it and can get on with the work that much quicker. ”
Robin: “It was large, slow and felt heavy. I was constantly fiddling with the filters; trying to make it possible to quickly show what I wanted, but I had to check each one every time I used it, which negated any benefit!”
Richard:
“We have a filter called “Jobs for today” and so straight away we have a smaller list which we can all see. We can also filter on words a lot more easily. For example, if we’re talking about Android we just type in “Android” in the filter, and straight away we’ve got a list of all of the outstanding Android jobs.”
“Once the job is completed we can mark it as complete. Straight away, we can see all the issues that are going to be in the current release, so it’s easier to track. Then we can archive them once they have been released. This way, we’re keeping the spreadsheet or the amount of data a lot more focused. With Google Sheets, either we would delete it, in which case it’s lost, or change the status – which means an ever expanding spreadsheet. With Okappy, it only shows the work that’s live.”
“I can add and see jobs on my phone when I’m out and about. Or if I’m not on my computer but have a thought about something. I can quickly open the app, view a job and it’s status, then update it and add videos and screenshots if I need to. With Google Sheets, we’d upload an image into Slack, copy the link to the image and then put that link into Google Sheets. Whereas, with Okappy, you just upload the document straight into the job.”
Richard:
We can empathise better with what the customer is experiencing as we are experiencing it too. It lends weight to the feedback we get and it even gives us new ideas!
Adding tasks for developers is more streamlined – any book that gets highlighted or a feature request, we add it in as a job. We can quickly filter down to the key issues and features that Robin, our lead developer, needs to look at.
This helps us out a tonne with our prioritisation of work. We’re no longer faced with an overwhelming spreadsheet of never ending work. We can group tasks into quick fixes or longer sprints – helping us stay organised overall. ”
Robin:
Okappy jobs keep a changelog, so you can see exactly when an action was performed or an update made – and who by.
Okappy enables multiple job types, so you can list all your work in one place or filter by job type – quickly.
It’s so easy to switch the view in Okappy so you can see what’s coming up, or what you just did, or what you have later today.”
Richard: “We raise our invoices in Okappy for our customers which show up in their invoices received. It means we save a lot of time not having to print and manually send invoices. We also use Xero so the integration with that saves duplication and effort.
Okappy also integrates with our CRM and customer facing case management systems which means we don’t also have to update them.
Richard: “We turn around features more quickly. The volume of work (betas and issues) completed has increased by 20%. Using Okappy to manage it all has also improved the quality of work because it’s so much easier to see what’s going on. It allows us to test more effectively and have a more comprehensive understanding of the information we input. We spend less time in meetings. In the past our daily standup would be an hour – now it can be 10 minutes!”
Robin: “Sometimes Richard has meetings in the morning, so he goes through the jobs marking those he feels should be looked at that day. I then pick and choose from that short list. Completed jobs regarding fixes or features that have been released can be archived, which means that, while I can still bring them up if I need to, they’re out of the way, so the only jobs I see are current. The most notable change for me is that I have a less stressful job!”
~
Well, we don’t know about you, but we certainly feel better getting all that off our chest! Ok, confession time is over. Using Okappy in-house has dramatically improved efficiency for our team and meant we were able to better empathise with our own customers. What more could we ask for? Nothing… except perhaps, for you to join us in the journey.
Okappy Portal+ is here to help bridge communications, not only between people within the company but, between your company and it’s subcontractors and external parties. Interested in finding out more about how Okappy could work for you and your team?
The post How moving to Okappy Increased Development Output by 20% appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The post How to Adopt a Successful Hybrid Working Model in Facilities Management appeared first on Okappy.
]]>If you own a business that employs lots of people or are involved in workforce management for a large corporation, the idea of remote working may not be new. Of course, this is largely down to the pandemic forcing businesses to adopt working from home (WFH) while everyone was in lockdown. But, what is new is just how many companies are considering a hybrid working approach as a long-term model for their operations.
So, what does ‘hybrid working’ actually mean? To put it simply, hybrid working is a flexible working model which allows employees to work from a variety of different locations. Employees can be trusted to get the work done, standards haven’t dropped and the approach has several other benefits for the individual (not least for their work-life balance and overall productivity).
In larger companies, facilities managers are generally tasked with the job of adopting hybrid models because they play a central role in workforce management. But, saying that you want to take on new working practices like this is one thing. Delivering hybrid working is an entirely different ball park – especially when you may be dealing with multiple sites. And it gets more complicated as the size of your business grows.
Here are 5 of our tips for adopting a successful hybrid working model in the Facilities Management Sector…
Building a virtual community that works for everyone in your business is not as easy as it sounds. The first place to start is speaking with your employees to ease them into the idea of a partially online workplace. This is particularly crucial for those who are least likely to engage with online activities – perhaps because of their job type or age – and so, as a consequence, may feel left out. Slowly build confidence by offering training resources to get them up to speed.
As we come out of lockdown, it may be that some employees will want to work from home more, others may prefer to get back into the office. Getting the balance right and not damaging productivity and business growth (or staff morale) involves being honest with staff and showing that you have a clear and coherent strategy in place.
Not all work can be successfully handled from home. If most of your work is office-based, then it’s relatively easy to work remotely if you have the right software in place. If you’re running a maintenance department, where most of the state-of-the-art equipment is in one location, or spread out across multiple sites, it may not be so obvious.
Each department is different, but it’s important to nail down the jobs or tasks that can be carried out remotely and those that can’t. Employers need to be clear about the reasons so they don’t feel their needs are being ignored. Companies also need to be flexible enough to change things if business growth is being affected or new solutions are found.
Running a hybrid working model without an official strategy in place may be okay for small businesses. The larger your payroll, however, the more important it is to have a hybrid working strategy document with clearly defined OKRs/KPIs.
Your strategy is going to need to factor in ways of monitoring employees – another reason why you need complete buy-in from employees. This can often be the most contentious part of WFH and requires a good deal of trust, thought and openness. Like most strategy documents, your hybrid working strategy isn’t set in stone. There should be regular reviews of how it’s working, including analysing data to evidence any updates.
Hybrid working models should be viewed in a holistic way, alongside your business goals. Facilities Management leaders should have a mechanism for monitoring performance and measuring how remote working delivers, not only for the company as a whole, but on an individual level.
Understanding the challenges employees face and what resources they require to do their job properly is key to making sure the model is fit for purpose. Make sure you schedule in check in calls with your employees to gather feedback, keeping your KPIs in mind. You should be seeking to continuously improve the ways of working within your organisation to meet both employees and business needs.
One of the areas that has advanced and made hybrid working more viable is technology. But making sure you’re using the right tools can make or break the success of a particular department or company as a whole. Collaboration software is vital and there are several key considerations for businesses to make when choosing a package.
Many FM companies require multiple packages, others find that one workforce management software works well for them. Another key consideration is how employees engage with the software – it needs to be intuitive and easy to use, not just for those working from home but those in the office and out on site too.
~
Great hybrid models are agile and can be adapted to different circumstances. Understanding this and knowing how to implement different strategies, while keeping control of the ‘whole vision’ is critical.
Okappy Portal+ is here to help bridge communications, not only between people within the company but, between your company and it’s subcontractors and external parties.
The post How to Adopt a Successful Hybrid Working Model in Facilities Management appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The post The Future of Managing the Workforce In a Post-Covid Landscape appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The current pandemic has raised newer challenges for how trades, construction and facilities management companies can efficiently deliver their services, with increased remote working and social distancing measures having an impact on day-to-day delivery. The world of work has changed as we know it and it has required industries to radically rethink their business models. The trades sector is no exception.
By nature, projects in the construction and facilities management sectors almost always involve a number of different organisations and individual consultants working towards a common goal. These different entities are tied together by different types of contract. But often, this chain of work can become fragmented, which is not only inefficient but also leads to errors. So, how can this be improved?
In 2017, a Gartner report predicted that by 2020, 40% of field service work will be done by engineers or technicians who are not directly employed by their organisation. In 2021, outsourcing field service work to third party service providers is a widespread strategy for organisations operating in this sector. And the changed working landscape brought about by Covid-19 has only accelerated the need for more remote and flexible set-ups.
A more recent report on field service management by Gartner listed subcontractor enablement and management as a key functionality emphasis for deploying new technologies. The report strongly recommended organisations should look for software that serve the use of subcontractors and can help align vetted vendors, onboard new vendors and assign work to other organisations in a way that integrates with internal scheduling.
Here are Gartner’s 8 components of successful outsourced field service management:
The Gartner report suggests that by 2025, over 50% of field service management deployments will include mobile collaboration and knowledge-sharing tools, up from less than 10% in 2019. And by 2025, over 50% of equipment manufacturers will offer outcome-based service contracts that rely on access to digital data, up from less than 20% in 2019.
The pandemic may have created an even more complex environment to be working in, but it has also opened up a wide range of potential opportunities for evolving relationships with stakeholders, based on trust, proactive support and new technologies to simplify the process. So, if you haven’t started using these types of technologies to help you manage the workforce then now is the time to begin.
Okappy Portal+ is one solution to keep employees, customers, contractors and subcontractors connected, whilst streamlining workforce management processes and freeing up valuable time. With Okappy Portal+ you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.
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]]>The post Foster Coldstores: Case Study appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Coldstores Limited is the market leading British manufacturer of cold rooms and has been operating out of its factory in King’s Lynn, Norfolk since 1968! They also operate internationally installing cold rooms across Europe and further afield. They supply refrigeration equipment to a variety of markets including restaurants, hotels, sporting venues, government run facilities and more.
We spoke to Adam Daniels, Installation Manager at Foster Coldstores to find out how they’re using Okappy.
Basically, we needed something that was going to streamline and tidy up our way of working. When we do installations, we have installation reports which involve getting photographs of bits of paper and signed sheets. But it wasn’t electronic, and it wasn’t how it should be. The approach to our systems needed to be made more professional. We went to a couple of different companies and chose Okappy as the best option that suited our business.
The way we could essentially design our own forms in our own formats. A few of the others didn’t really give us that option. As well as that it was also due to pricing and how it worked within our business, and the subcontractors that we use. Everybody has a mobile phone or smartphone these days. So the app works an absolute treat with how we operate the business and work with our subcontractors.
We have our admin staff logged on and all are able to connect to our subcontractors on the system. The subcontractors don’t have the same level of access that we have in the office to view the forms – they just have the ability to fill it in and send it back. We see that number of people using Okappy growing as we add more forms. It’s getting positive feedback from the installation teams and everybody that’s using it within the office.
It’s basically tidied up how we work. There’s real-time information in terms of when installations are complete. Previously, we would have a paper form that was signed and filled in, and then it would be issued back to the office either by scanning it in through a printer or photographing it in. Obviously, not everybody’s handwriting is legible, especially over a photo. Basically, what Okappy has done is given us a clearer picture of the installations.
When we run an audit, have a customer come to us for any service problem or any Installation Information, the actual form that we have is a lot more professional. We feel confident they’re not going to look at it and go, “What’s this? This doesn’t make any sense to me, this could have been done by anybody!” It’s really tidied up what we do, basically.
To estimate, it would be difficult, but what it has done is definitely save time where the finances are concerned. It’s saved time for various departments.
For example, the finance department now uses the Okappy system as reference for completed jobs. Before, they would phone a supervisor to find out when a job was finished and what the status of the job is, and from there work out the percentage of completion for invoicing and for paying off invoices to the subcontractors. But the information on Okappy reduces these types of phone calls and reduces errors in the process. The time saved from not having to phone people up is massive.
It’s also saved the office time. Especially due to keeping a real-time log of installations – how they’re progressing and when they’re likely to finish. And it’s now become a lot more streamlined for the guys on site due to using the app, and not having to return to the office as much.
We love the networked element of Okappy Portal+. It means that the system doesn’t just work in-house, but also externally along the whole chain of work. This is especially useful in streamlining the way in which we work with our many subcontractors. It’s not only streamlined the operations, but it’s also improved our professional relationship with them.
The job is generated in the office, the individual installation is generated in the office, it goes into a file and then we have basically a labour book. The job is obviously given an allocated installation date. Once that job is allocated to a labour slot, the individual or team doing the installing is then issued the Okappy link to the job. It’s initially done via our admin team in the installations department, they generate it. In the near future, this process will be a lot more automated.
Going digital has meant that we’ve had a lot less contact with customers. Whereas before, you would always run through the installation completion file or commissioning sheet with the customer. As it is now, all this can be done away from site. It can then be digitally issued to the installation team on site. We have less face-to-face interactions which has improved the safety of our workforce.
We have a better file management and better information within the actual individual job files. Basically, it’s just tidied up everything we have.
The only thing that we have found super useful is the radar. It’s really, really good because if you have a phone call from a customer, you can get them some real-time information as to where the individual service engineer, technician or installation team is.
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]]>The post How to Successfully Manage Your Workforce Over The Festive Season appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The festive season is fast approaching, and this year will be a Christmas like no other. Businesses are not only navigating the Covid-19 restrictions, but also figuring out how to best manage the workforce effectively over the holiday.
The season of goodwill and joy can also bring with it a minefield of challenges for managers and directors; from struggling to service demanding clients, to meeting tight deadlines and keeping staff morale high. With the chance for people in the UK to meet with families for the first time in months across a 5 day window, staff holidays and annual leave could present tensions.
Here are our tips for successfully managing your workforce over the festive season:
With more people taking time off, you may need to outsource some of your work to subcontractors. And working with people that you can rely on is crucial. The key here is making the most of your network of trusted stakeholders to hire the right subcontractors. Chances are you have worked with them before, or otherwise you could ask industry contacts for their recommendations.
With Okappy Portal+ you can allocate work to subcontractors at no extra effort or cost. Simply invite them as a connection to the system and send them a job! They can then update the progress of your job as they go; ensuring you are kept in the loop and reducing some of the stress involved in working with someone new.
According to a survey by Accountemps, over a third (35%) of workers reported feeling more stressed during the holiday season. The biggest sources of stress include balancing work duties with holiday events (32%), taking time off and coming back to a heavy workload (23%), and having fewer coworkers to take on some of the duties (18%). Throw Covid-19 in the mix and we could be in for a rough ride.
As managers and department directors, it’s your responsibility to look after your workforce in the best way you can. Celebrate the end of a tough year by giving back and offering people some sort of christmas perk. You could run a competition or a virtual secret santa. A little can go a long way in making people feel valued.
If 2020 hasn’t already highlighted your need for a simple digital workforce management system, then it soon will. Okappy Portal+ will save you time, money and stress. It’s easy-to-use, so you can get up and running in record time. And any short amount of time spent implementing the new system will soon pay back in the amount of time saved in the long run!
“It’s saved me as an individual, around 20-30 hours a week, which is over half my working week! Overall for the company, it’s a lot more than that.” – Kale Grieves, director at Liquid and Gas Ltd
“We have all our clients set-up on the system with all of their contacts. Using Okappy Portal+ means less copying and pasting from one system to another. It’s perfect for us! For anyone that is considering trying out the system, all I have to say is to 100% do it! It saves you so much time!” – Brook Clements, Director at Clemlec Ltd
Give us a call on +44 (0) 207 099 56 98, check out our free trial or request a demo to see Okappy Portal+ in action!
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]]>The post How to Make The Most of Okappy’s Market Network appeared first on Okappy.
]]>You may have a workforce management software that works well within your organisation, but communication difficulties still arise when it comes to a company’s customers and subcontractors. Sound familiar? A Market Network approach to workforce management could be just the solution you’re looking for.
A Market Network is a software-as-a-service tool which allows businesses to create a profile, connect with customers and subcontractors and manage their workflow; not just within their organisation but as they interact with other companies.
Businesses using Market Networks for job management can receive jobs from customers on an online platform as well as add jobs for their employees and subcontractors. Accessible by computer and handheld devices, any jobs put through these systems can be viewed and updated in real time, meaning no duplication of information or having to chase up workers for reports.
Users can also communicate with each other using the integrated instant-messaging system. Connecting in this way helps to ensure that messages are easily retrievable and not lost between emails, texts and forgotten phone calls.
It’s as easy as one, two, three… All you need to do is invite your connections to Okappy. Once they’ve accepted the invite you’ll be able to send and receive jobs to and from your wider network. Everything is streamlined onto one single digital workforce management system – meaning no more duplication, a lot less errors and a lot more time freed up as a result!
“We have all our clients set-up on the system with all of their contacts. Using the Okappy network means less copying and pasting from one system to another. It’s perfect for us! For anyone that is considering trying out the system all I have to say is to 100% do it! It saves you so much time!”
“We’ve got a couple of subcontractors that do work for us, and they’ve also got Okappy. I invited them onto it and told them that this was the way. There’s going to be twelve of them altogether, by the time we are done. These are subcontractors that we’ll be working with quite regularly. The networked element to Okappy helps to streamline what we all do along the chain of work. It basically means we don’t have to duplicate job information between different systems!”
“We have all our main subcontractors on our system that we assign jobs to. At the moment, we haven’t got all the bigger companies involved just yet, because we don’t use them often. Moving forward, if we did start getting a lot of abseiling work, for example, I’d encourage them to start using Okappy as it cuts out the duplication of information between systems.”
“We use Okappy to manage our contractors and subcontractors. This means you can use one system for everyone you deal with along the chain of work, without having to duplicate any of the job information. I’m looking forward to using it more in this way as we expand our network. The difference has been revolutionary. We were definitely apprehensive to approach digitising our systems, but once we started seeing the impact it had, there was no turning back. We’d like to transition to a 100% paperless business in the near future.”
“We’re seeing a lot more collaboration in the industry with the use of multiple subcontractors for any one job. Okappy have a networked approach to job management meaning there is less duplication of information between the companies involved in the work. Using a networked system is great as you can add jobs and send them to your subcontractors and view the latest status of the job as it’s updated.
If you’re a company that values customer satisfaction like we do, then Okappy is great. They really understand that too. You can even invite your customers onto the system and let them add and view their jobs themselves. Okappy are happy to offer demonstrations and training to companies who want to understand the latest way of working, and there’s no pressure to commit to anything straight away. They also offer a lot of help and support in different formats including video tutorials on their YouTube channel, forums and support articles. So you can give yourself a crash course in your own time and in a way that you’re most comfortable with.”
“The impact has been that it saves a considerable amount of time both for us and the clients we work with. Okappy cut out the email train, and has reduced the ‘back-and-forth’ that came with it. We’ve also been relieved of the stress of someone having to sift through them to find certain details and then assign the job. As a company, we communicate with a lot of contacts on a daily basis. We have a big network of people reporting onto Okappy each day including our engineers, contractors, subcontractors and customers. Having a simple platform to put all the information for defect management in one place has made the job much smoother. It just comes through the app and it’s done!”
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]]>The post 5 Ways Housing Associations Can Improve The Way They Work appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Job management for housing associations frequently involves communicating between a number of different stakeholders, such as the management committee, housing officers, finance departments, maintenance officers and various subcontractors. The hierarchical and complex organisational structures often cause delays, as information has to move through a number of different departments.
A survey by Unite the Union found that 62% of the 320 housing association employees said they had experienced work-related stress in the past year, while nearly half felt their workplace was not good for their mental health.
Siobhan Endean, national officer at Unite, said that the findings were “profoundly disturbing” and it was clear that workplace stress was at “epidemic levels” in the housing association workforce. The report also found that 40% of respondents said they did not work for a well-managed organisation, while 42% said they did not feel valued at work.
It’s time things changed. In a world that’s increasingly digital, where remote working is now a normal part of everyday life, housing associations and councils need to act now to address their inefficient working practices , or risk falling out of step with the modern world of work.
So, what steps can you take to improve?
A transparent company culture can impact an entire industry and increase productivity amongst the workforce. According to the Bonusly’s 2019 Engagement and Modern Workplace Report, highly Engaged employees are 2.5x more likely to report working for a transparent organisation than Actively Disengaged employees.
The first steps to transparency are building strong foundations of trust. This means ensuring that your workforce has the right communications and collaboration tools. Outdated communication tools can be a major barrier to transparency. Especially if you’re working across different departments and with a remote workforce, like housing associations often do. Make sure you have an easy and efficient way for the workforce to connect with one another and to share crucial information.
Other things you can do:
When it comes to solving complicated challenges, you never know whether someone else might have a simple solution unless you share. Recognising the successes of the organisation, its departments, and its individuals with everyone can be a major boost to workforce morale.
Another step you can take is making the mental shift from asking “is it absolutely necessary to share this?” to “is it absolutely necessary to conceal this?” It’s as simple as that.
Strong relationships are the foundation of every healthy organisation. They not only improve people’s wellbeing, but also drive workforce engagement, but it doesn’t happen automatically. Cultivating these strong relationships can be especially challenging when there are a number of different departments in the mix, all with varying vested interests.
Building strong relationships in the workforce takes time, effort, and sometimes, dedicated team-building activities which can be done remotely. Research suggests companies should be creating spaces that encourage, and even generate “collisions.” Zoom pub quiz anyone?
Everyone hates being micromanaged. Not only is it ineffective, but it does very little to inspire trust between the various stakeholders. If you hired someone to work for you as an employee or contractor, you should trust them to manage their responsibilities effectively and get the job done!
You can put workforce autonomy into action by allowing people to exercise choice, let go of the 9-5 mentality and create decision-making opportunities. Shift the culture from being held accountable to embracing accountability as people take on and own their initiatives.
The housing association sector is heavily reliant on a network of subcontractors, whether that be for maintenance or whole estate management. Making sure the ties you have with these external parties are as strong as they can be is paramount to the successful running of a housing association. This means making sure communication with these stakeholders is as seamless and easy as possible. We’ll touch on this more in the next step…
We’ve mentioned the importance of ensuring your company has the right communications and collaboration tools. But we bet you don’t know just how life-changing this can be when housing associations get this technology right.
Okappy is a communications and collaborations tool with a difference. It operates as a Market Network, which means that you’re not stuck with having to duplicate the information into another system when you work with external stakeholders.
You can invite contractors, customers and sub-contractors as connections, so you can seamlessly send and receive jobs in real time. This means less information gets lost, less time is spent following up on the status of a job and an overall improved work-life balance for all.
“I now work so many less hours a week. I can actually go on holiday and enjoy myself. I don’t have to be constantly on the phone every minute. It’s made my life so much easier. I don’t know what we’d do without it. Using Okappy is a no brainer!” – Kale Grieves, director at Liquid and Gas Ltd
Even a truly amazing housing association will always be a work in progress, evolving in tandem with your organisation, it’s people and all the stakeholders involved. Our tip? Start with improving your relationships through the use of a digital communications and collaborations tool. It contributes to so many of the factors we discussed above, and is an initiative that’ll make everyone feel good.
To see how easy it can be to implement, check out our free trial or request a demo to see Okappy in action!
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]]>The post Why You Can No Longer Ignore Market Networks In Facilities Management appeared first on Okappy.
]]>2020 has been a tipping point for industries worldwide. As the country went into national lockdown in March, the UK government called for everyone to work from home where they could. Then, as restrictions eased in July, people were encouraged to return to work to kick start the economy by commuting back into city centres. But, with a second wave on the horizon, the government is once again calling people to work from home.
It’s plain to see that without a robust system in place to help you adapt to these shifts, company structures could be at risk of falling apart completely. We take a look at just how far the industry has come and what opportunities lie ahead when it comes to improving the way that we work.
Traditionally job management in the Facilities sector involved lots of paperwork and phone calls. Paper is usually cheap and easy to distribute, but the costs for printers, ink, servicing and storage can add up. There’s also the time spent looking for lost job sheets and chasing clients and engineers for lost information – costing companies valuable time.
Richard Harris, CEO of Okappy argues: “Traditional job management systems are costly for users; the systems are often very time consuming which means disputes can take a long time to resolve; information provided by paper job sheets can be unintelligible and out of step with modern internet society.”
Queue the paperless workplace. Digital systems have been around for a while now. In an increasingly digitised world, there is no need to continue managing jobs with these old and inefficient paper-based processes. When it comes to software, there’s a plethora of options out there – all with varying features on the market that can help companies manage the workforce.
The problem of duplication still proves problematic when it comes to dealing with subcontractors, as each company will have a different software. Clients have a growing expectation that the services will be delivered not only digitally but in real-time; putting more pressure on companies to further streamline their processes. So, how can we further streamline to make sure the FM industry is in the very best position to adapt and work efficiently in the months to come?
While many workforce management softwares work well within a company, communication difficulties still remain when it comes to a company’s customers and subcontractors. Applying a Market Network model to this problem is one very viable solution.
A Market Network is a software-as-a-service tool which allows businesses to create a profile, connect with customers and subcontractors and manage their workflow; not just within their organisation but as they interact with other companies.
Businesses using Market Networks for job management can receive jobs from customers on an online platform as well as add jobs for their employees and subcontractors. Accessible by computer and handheld devices, any jobs put through these systems can be viewed and updated in real time, meaning no duplication of information or having to chase up workers for reports.
Users can also communicate with each other using the integrated instant-messaging system. Connecting in this way helps to ensure that messages are easily retrievable and not lost between emails, texts and forgotten phone calls.
Lockdown has given people time to consider the things they miss by working virtually, especially a lack of ad hoc conversations. The physical office provides a sense of belonging and identity for many people. Although remote working is key to being able to adapt to future challenges, it should not be at the expense of employee well being. However, using a more streamlined system like a market network allows for people to stay connected in a more reliable way, whilst also promoting flexibility and a healthier work-life balance.
Kale Grieve, director at Liquid and Gas Ltd, now use Okappy’s market network and told us how it has also improved his well being.
“Prior to using Okappy’s market network, there was no way I could take time off for a holiday.” He went to say, “When I was off, the whole company was off. When I did take some time off, my phone wouldn’t stop asking for information regarding work and jobs – it was just non stop. But now I can leave that to others, as all the information is on the Okappy system.”
As our world and the workforce continue to rapidly evolve to uncertainties presented by Covid-19, it’s clear that we all need to be using efficient workforce management systems if we’re going to keep up – whether working remotely, in the office or a combination of both. Market Networks prove to provide a viable solution to keep employees, customers, contractors and subcontractors connected, whilst streamlining communications and freeing up valuable time.
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]]>The post 3 Steps to Recession Proof Your Organisation appeared first on Okappy.
]]>It’s official. We’re in a recession. UK economic growth has been in the negative, dropping by 20.4% between April and June 2020. It’s worth remembering that most of the damage was done in April, during peak lockdown. GDP growth has been creeping up since May and if you have a look at the Okappy business activity index page it shows that work has been bouncing back.
But, in these uncertain times, there are things you can do to help your workplace get in the best possible position to ride it through. Here are our 3 steps:
Chances are, the plan you had at the start of 2020 for your company or department has gone out of the window. In the chaos of lockdown, you may not have had a chance to properly revisit it. Have a look at some of the key targets you set at the beginning of the year and see how they can fit in now. If they’re no longer applicable, scrap them and work out what they should be for the rest of Q3 and Q4, moving into 2021.
The most important things to consider are the key risks to your area of the business. Work out whether the risk is too high for certain aspects and respond by spreading the risk. This could include taking steps to reducing debt or moving some of your business operations to a different location.
Following on from assessing risk, scenario analysis can be a helpful way to test different models to help mitigate future loss. Start by defining the objective and gathering data. Identify the key factors, trends, and uncertainties that may affect your plan when it comes to operations and finances.
It might be helpful to do a PEST analysis to help you analyse the political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological changes in your business environment. You can develop potential scenarios by separating certainties from uncertainties to understand the risks to your workplace in the short, medium and long term.
Having a large volume of jobs doesn’t necessarily mean your workplace will come out top – the real defining factor is cash. A review of your business finances will be a big part of recession-proofing your organisation. Take a long hard look at the state of your cash flow within your department. What you have coming in and out – and when – will have a knock on effect on whether your workplace is in a fit state to ride this out.
Work out if there are any unnecessary expenditures that your team can permanently or temporarily cut. Have a look at what sorts of clientele are bringing in cash and paying invoices on time. Can you focus efforts on helping to secure more of the same?
If you’ve done all of this, but capital is holding your department back or you’re not able to cover the costs to pay the suppliers and team – a business loan could be a backup option. For businesses affected by Covid-19, many banks are offering special rates and application criteria, so it’s worth looking around at what is on offer for your organisation. Have a look at what government support is on offer too, as there may be a particular grant or scheme that you’re eligible for that will give your workplace the boost it needs.
Staying connected with industry stakeholders is paramount for business longevity. This relies on healthy channels of communication between departments, employees, managers, customers and subcontractors.
Having one platform where communication takes place and is documented means that key details involving all aspects of the work are readily available and can be tracked if required. If your current channels of communication are fragmented and broken, it’s worth considering changing your methods. This way you will have all your information at your fingertips and your business will be ready to jump into action, instead of being caught up trying to trace what happened in the past.
Okappy can help. It saves you time, minimises mistakes, streamlines jobs and invoicing, and by integrating with Xero and other accounting packages, it offers tidy balance sheets you can show to your bank when you need a loan.
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]]>The post How to Rebuild Trust In the FM Industry appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The construction and FM industry is crying out for change. Ever since the 2008 financial crisis, productivity in the UK has flatlined – and the construction industry has been one of the worst affected sectors. With the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 and the UK in recession once more, the industry will have to adapt or face the consequences.
Trust is paramount if companies are going to work together successfully. Construction projects are the backbone of economic growth for many countries. Each year a magnitude of funds is funnelled into infrastructure projects – think HS2 and Crossrail in the UK.
But often because of the sheer scale and complexity of these construction projects (the number of phases and contractual links, and the government involvement), scope for corruption in the industry is high.
According to data from the Insolvency Service, the construction sector remains the second-highest ranking sector for insolvencies in 2017. This lack of trust and transparency, is not only detrimental to the future of the industry, but it is costing lives.
It comes as no surprise that the investigation into the Grenfell fire found out that the main contractor behind the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower offered cheaper, more combustible cladding while misrepresenting the savings the switch would lead to in a bid to “pocket the difference.”
Dealing with large contractors like Rydon, in particular construction, facilities management or housing association organisations can pose big challenges for industry stakeholders. Often, it becomes all about pushing the costs down to the next person in the chain.
Feedback from an anonymous stakeholder working in construction reported how “there’s just no trust there, we have to hide our costs and add in extra costs because we know they’ll come up with any excuse to discount, delay or not pay our invoice.”
Now, with the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 and the UK in recession, having a solid foundation of trust is more critical than ever – not only for the survival of the industry, but for the health and safety of ordinary people living in the UK.
Market Networks connect businesses with their customers and subcontractors. In this respect, they are similar to on-demand smartphone apps such as Uber and Deliveroo that connect their gig workers with customers – except that the users of Market Networks are not anonymous, nor are they particularly disposable to one another either. In fact, Market Networks are used to improve transparency and build long-term relationships.
Market Networks are typically created within a specific industry or around a particular area of expertise. Examples of Market Networks already operating within the UK include Houzz for home designers, Eventerprise for event planners, and for those in the trade industries – Okappy.
While the use of Market Networks is not yet widespread within the Construction industry, there are nevertheless several success stories of companies and individuals implementing Market Network systems already.
Convert Water Ltd offer an all-round service to their customers, providing all elements of treatment and pumping of wastewater and sewage. They provide services as installers, subcontractors or main contractors, offering a total service package. They started using the Okappy Market Network to manage their workforce.
Following implementation, Convert Water Ltd and their customers have a lot more visibility and control over the work they do. Information is updated in real-time and instantly available to all stakeholders, resulting in fewer calls from customers wondering about the status of a job and less chasing for information from their technicians. This extra time enabled Convert Water Ltd to focus on the areas of the business that really needed attention; resulting in growing the company approximately 40% year-on-year.
“It frees up our time and allows me to spend more of it visiting sites and bringing in more work. This wouldn’t have been possible without Okappy! My engineers can add jobs for themselves so, if additional work needs to be done while on site, they can quickly add it on. Alternatively, if they need to go back to do further work, they can schedule it straight away without having to chase me.” – Anthony, Director of Convert Water.
“Covid-19 was the tipping point for us going fully digital. If Covid-19 hadn’t happened, we would have eventually gone down this route, but probably would have introduced it on a smaller scale with one contract at a time.” – Ewen Maclean, Facilities Maintenance Manager at Lewis Builders Ltd.
Covid-19 is causing us to rethink how we work and restructure industries across the board. If the FM and Construction sectors don’t make changes now, it could be too late.
Okappy is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help reduce disruption to your business. With Okappy you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.
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