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.
Ready to make your life easier with Okappy? Check out our free trial or request a demo to see Okappy in action!
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]]>The post 5 Steps to Growing Your Business on Social Media appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Trades, Facilities Management and Constructions are three industries that often feel social media isn’t for them. It’s not like posting photos of coffee and brunch is going to do much for the gas, oil, plumbing, heating or electrical industry, right? But tweeting and Instagramming isn’t just for the more consumer-oriented businesses. There are many benefits of having a social media presence, including building your community and growing a network of potential customers.
Social media is basically a free power tool to promote your business, so make the most of it! It’s also a way to maintain dialogue with existing customers and to provide customer support. We’ve written a basic 5-step overview of what you need to know to get started, from building your brand, to finding the best tools to make it easier for you.
Your brand isn’t just your logo. It encompasses everything you stand for as a business and it’s essentially how you are perceived.
It’s best to work with a designer and copywriter to establish some brand guidelines and your key messages. Then you’ll need to create some marketing collateral before you set up your accounts. This will include:
Having a consistent brand is key to offering a seamless experience for your customers. You’ll need to make sure the style you choose is recognisable across all your channels. For example, you don’t want to have a photo of a person in the profile picture of your Facebook page, a photo of the product on your Twitter and a photo of your logo on linkedIn. Otherwise, how will your audience know it’s the all part of the same business?
That brings us onto your audience. The key to using social media successfully is in finding out who your target audience are, where they’re hanging out and what they want to see. This will require you to do a bit of research into the various social media channels that exist to see whether your target audience is active in those places.
This is about understanding behaviour and where people are having relevant conversations. Search for keywords relating to your industry to find relevant hashtags, groups and accounts. For example, #TradesTalk is a weekly discussion on Twitter for the building trades. But there’s no point focussing your efforts on Twitter if your particular audience prefers to have discussions on specific Facebook groups or other forums for Tradespeople.
Different social media channels are optimised for different types of content:
The original professional social network – Best for business news, job vacancies, thought leadership, white papers, case studies and professional development
Entirely visual content focussed – Best for photos, videos and microblog carousels
A virtual pinboard – Best for photos, infographics and videos
The all-rounder social media platform – Best for short videos, Q&As, interviews, case studies, photos, business pages, industry news and community groups
Known for short-form content – Best for testimonials, short videos, quick tips, and engaging with journalists
YouTube
The go-to video sharing platform – Best for Videos
Once you’ve found where your audience is, you’re ready to build your strategy and tailor content for your specific target audience.
Start with setting some objectives. What is it you really want to achieve out of using social media? Is it more about getting new clients or is it more about increasing brand awareness?
You need to be able to set KPIs to measure your objectives, so you can keep refining your social media marketing efforts. Most social media platforms have a built in insights dashboards to show the metrics including engagement rate, reach, link clicks, likes, comments, follows etc.
Once you’ve established your objectives and KPIs, you can then decide on some key content pillars, and start to plan ahead with a content calendar.
Keep your strategy social and community focussed, even if your overall objective is to get more sales. People quickly lose interest if all you’re doing is talking about how great you are. A good guide to follow is the 80/20 rule with 80% of your content informing, educating, and entertaining your audience, while 20% should directly promote your business.Key questions to ask yourself:
In terms of post frequency, we suggest you post on a weekly basis as a minimum. It’s good to stick to a particular day so that your audience have something to return to. Remember, consistency is key.
A good place to start is with a series covering particular industry related topics. This could include:
There are a whole host of tools out there to help automate your social media efforts. Many of them are paid, but will probably save you time and money in the long run. Others offer free plans, so they’re worth investigating. Examples include Buffer, Skedsocial, Later and Planoly for scheduling your content in advance and analysing the performance, and Flick for Instagram hashtag research and analysis.
James Bryceland has been using social media to grow the customer base for Discovery Fire Sprinklers Ltd. We had a quick chat with him to see how it’s working for them!
“We’re on Linkedin and Instagram. Surprisingly, people have actually messaged us for jobs on Instagram and we have over 600 followers now. We get messages from individuals and businesses, but normally businesses. Linkedin has probably got us a lot more work, as it’s more focussed on the professional space, but I can see Instagram being used more and more in the industry.”
“It started off as a bit of fun, but then started getting a bit more serious. There’s maybe about 30 local businesses in Dundee that we follow and they follow us. We pass work each other’s way as well, now that we know each other a bit just through social media. If I get asked, “Do you know any good joiners or any good plumbers?” Then I just send them their business page details on my Instagram.
I keep promoting our company logo on the posts. I just write captions about what we do, any promotions we’re running and let people know that if they require any information we’ll be glad to help answer questions. If I get asked a question, I’ll 100% give them the full answer. It’s not like we’re getting charged for information, but if you’re out there engaging and building relationships, people might give you a job as a result.”
“Branding is so important. The way that we’ve branded ourselves has meant that people see us as a larger company. I actually had one guy call me from Ireland who thought that Discovery Fire Sprinklers Ltd was a franchise. This was just based on our social media presence! They were asking me where all my depots were because of it, and I was like, “It’s just Dundee! We’ve only got one branch in Dundee,” and he was like, “You’re kidding me. We actually thought you were a lot bigger than you were!” One day, though!”
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We hope this has inspired you with your social media marketing journey. In a world that is becoming increasingly digital and remote working is becoming the norm, social media is a vital place for the Trades to network and ensure the jobs keep coming in.
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