We wrote an article for Insight For Professionals where we shared the 4 ways you can become a more tech-savvy manager!
The article covers the following tech-tools and how they can be utilised to enhance performance when managing your business.
1. Job Management Software
2. Digital Accounting Systems
3. E-Learning Options
4. IoT in the Workplace
Check out the full article here.

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How RPS Drainage differentiate from their competition, provide even better customer service and lead the market with Okappy.

RPS Drainage Services Ltd is a highly professional Drainage maintenance company with a proven track record in both planned preventative drainage maintenance and reactive emergency call outs, providing 24 hour 365 days per year service to an impressive client portfolio which includes Arcus Solutions, CBRE, The Royal Household, The Crown Estate, Spie, Nuffield Health and Team Q. The company has around 22 staff, all skilled in a particular discipline.
As the company expanded, Phil Turner, one of the directors, saw an opportunity to differentiate from the competition, provide better customer service and really lead the market. In order to do this, he wanted to streamline their processes, get rid of paperwork and ensure all his information was in one place, easily accessible and updated in real time.
Equally important, he required something simple and easy to use for his engineers who may have to compile reports in difficult challenging conditions.
“We wanted to centralize all the job sheets and keep everything in one place. There was always a time delay for the engineers to bring job sheets back to the office, especially when they worked overnight.  This always meant we were not able to provide relevant crucial updates and invoice work completed immediately.” says Clare, Accounts at RPS.

Why did RPS Drainage choose Okappy?

RPS looked at a number of different systems but the majority appeared to be overly complex, requiring multiple screens in order to complete the simplest of tasks.  Okappy stood out to them as it appeared very user-friendly.  All the relevant important information was easily accessible and the Okappy staff were always available to assist if required.

How are RPS using Okappy to streamline their business and reduce costs?

A job typically comes in by phone or email.  It is immediately logged onto the system by the office staff.  The job is then available to all administrators via the Jobs dashboard. Each member of the team can see at a glance what jobs are booked in, including customer details, job description, who allocated the job and to whom.  At that point, the job can be assigned to the relevant engineer who sees it pop up on their phone or tablet.  As soon as the engineer has viewed the job, the status is updated in real-time all the way through to eventual completion.  The details of the work undertaken are available straight away, no more chasing paperwork and invoices can be raised immediately.

 
“With a real-time update of the job’s status, we can see very easily if the engineer has viewed their job, when they are on site and when they finish the job without having to ring them up to find out what’s going on” says Phil, Director of RPS.  “We get information back straight away which means we know what work was done and can see whether an image, video and or signature have been taken, one of the things our clients like most is the photographs depicting the ongoing work which can be easily attached from the engineer’s phones. Similarly, we are able to email completed job sheets and info to all parties on completion of any work.”
 Once the invoice has been raised and paid, it is exported to Sage Accounts without having to duplicate information between the two systems.
“Okappy is very simple to use.  When a customer rings up for information, we can quickly search or run a report from Okappy without having to go into different folders or mailbox to look for it, which means we can get back to our customers’ queries straight away”  says Becky, Accounts at RPS.
It is good for the engineers too as they can get on with what they do best rather than having to field calls from management or fill out lots of paperwork.

 
How has this benefitted RPS?

“The turnaround time from accepting a job to invoicing it is now a lot quicker.  Before Okappy, raising an invoice could take weeks.  Now we invoice minutes after the job has been completed. Since the job details complete with signature are instantly available, any invoice queries can be instantly answered by anyone with system access, levels of access can be set as required.
We also reduce costs through less paper.  We don’t photocopy documents anymore. The franking machine has almost been made redundant.” says Clare, Accounts at RPS.
Phil, one of the directors, can finally focus on other business aspects as well, such as bringing in more clients or thinking about their long-term strategy.  
“The people at Okappy are professional and ready to help, they listen to the needs of the individual and action any query speedily. I fully recommend this system to any business owner that wishes to streamline the information they receive from onsite engineers the service they provide their clients and ultimately the rate at which they can invoice works completed.” says Phil, Director of RPS.
Find out more about RPS Drainage services and some of the services they offer at www.rpsdrainage.com
Click here to take a look at the article on Drain Trader Magazine.

More examples

Check out other examples of how Okappy can be used to benefit your business.

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• Job sheet template images
• Example job control sheet (word doc)
• Example job sheet template (word doc)

With SMEs owed a staggering £32.4bn in late payments, or an average of £31,901 per firm. Getting paid on time is one of the biggest headaches for companies both small and large. It is frustrating, time-consuming and can totally wreck your cashflow situation.

But there are things you can do to help, read on for our top 5 tips to ensure you get paid on time.

1. Send invoices promptly

Research suggested that the amount of time to payment for invoices raised a week after the work is finished,  doubles on average. Ideally, you would want to send your invoice the minute the job is completed while the job details are still fresh in everyone’s head and you won’t miss your client’s payment run.
If you’re frequently sending out invoices late, you should have a rethink of your invoicing procedures – whether that means creating a new spreadsheet or dedicating time to accounting at the end of each day, but spending every working hour on admin won’t pay the bills.
Alternatively, you should consider using a job management software that notifies you when a job is complete and allows you to create your invoices at the click of a button.

2. Send invoices electronically

Delivering an invoice by email or through your job management system is quick and easy. It saves time and money and you’ll have a record of when it was sent. What’s more, it prevents delays if the customer wants another copy of the invoice – a problem that accounts for 10% of late payments.

3. Make sure your invoices are accurate

In the survey mentioned earlier, one of the most common reasons for delay is that the payment is awaiting authorisation from a manager. Always make sure that you have the correct invoice amount and PO number, as this will reduce the chance of your client invalidating the invoice.
Again, by using a computerised system for generating your invoices rather than creating them manually, this will prevent typos or human error. Using a mobile application to record job details on site, rather than days later, can help ensure the accuracy and completeness of the details entered into your invoice.

4. Agree payment terms in advance

Many companies will want you to abide by their payment terms, which could be up to 90 days. Knowing this in advance will help you work around cashflow problems.
In a worst case scenario, you can borrow some of the funds from an invoice discounting facility, or offer your client a 5% discount for a quicker payment. Some companies have an in-house policy of always accepting such offers, and it may be worth reducing your profits once in a while to keep cash flowing.

5. Eliminate the potential for disputes

Many businesses that we work with find that disputes over the amount invoiced can frequently cause delays. One common reason for this is when a worker and their client disagree over the amount of time a worker spent on site, or when the worker incurred a lateness penalty.
By having a computerised system that helps to record job details, view job status and automatically raise an invoice when the job is complete, this problem can be easily eliminated without you noticing it.
Okappy Job Management System gets rid of your excessive admin, ensures your jobs are updated as they happen and allows you to raise your invoice at the click of a button. Helping you get your invoice paid faster, ensuring no invoices are forgotten and reducing the risk of dispute.

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When you’re running a business and have contractors across different sites, it can be really tricky to keep everything under control. Monitoring performance and ensuring your end customer gets an excellent level of service takes a lot of organisation. We might be a little biased, but we believe Okappy is the best job management software around – here are 7 ways it can really make your life easier:

1) Improve Communication

There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to get in touch with your tradespeople, wondering if and when jobs are getting done. With Okappy you can easily add jobs from the web or app for your employees or sub-contractors, or even receive job requests from your own customers. Communication between you and your employees and customers will be vastly improved, as you can see the status of jobs in real-time, enabling you to provide updates, and also know when your team have free time. The messaging function within Okappy allows you to send quick messages back and forth, so you can get in touch quickly and easily, improving relationships with your staff.

2) Improve Administration

Job management software can really help to cut back on paperwork, as job sheets can be completed out in the field, and submitted in minutes without the need for any administration. Invoices can also be sent quickly and easily via the app or email, again without the need for any paperwork. You can also see at a glance where invoices are outstanding, meaning you no longer need to sift through a mountain of paperwork to find out who owes what!

3) Improve Efficiency

Using tracking software within the app, known as Radar, you can easily see where your remote workers are, how long each job has taken and the route taken between jobs. This can be great for improving efficiency as you can see the length of time each route takes, as well as being able to receive alerts when a remote worker enters and leaves a certain area. You can see at a glance where time and money can be saved, enabling you to run your business more efficiently.

4) Improve Finances

Chasing outstanding invoices can be one of the trickiest and most time-consuming parts of the job! Improve the cashflow of your business with job management software, by being able to see at a glance where invoices are outstanding, and the amount you are owed. You can then send a simple reminder to the customer, encouraging them to pay their bill. Everything is done via Okappy so you have a recorded history of all communication, should you require it. Radar within Okappy, our specially designed tracking software, can help to save money too. For example if your customer has recorded your delivery as late, but the cause was something out of your control for example traffic delays, it can help you retain customers by being able to provide reasons, and hopefully avoid late delivery charges.

5) Improve Your Reputation

The little things, such as email invoices to your end customers, customised to suit the branding of your business, can portray a really professional and modern company image, that will encourage customers to do business with you again. It will improve your reputation with your workforce too, as they’ll be able to easily complete job sheets on the app, enabling them to log their hours, as well as any overtime, quickly and easily.

6) Improve Organisation

With job sheet software such as Okappy, you can feel confident that your paperwork is under control, helping you improve your level of organisation. We believe Okappy will save you at least one hour per day, that you might have spent chasing unpaid invoices or chasing job sheets whether for plumbers, electricians or other tradesmen. Being able to raise an invoice at the click of a button too, will also ensure you’re paid on time, so you really feel like you’re in control.

7) Improve Work Life Balance

All the above will help you do what you do best, run a successful business! It will also help improve your work life balance, as instead of spending every spare moment battling through paperwork, catching up with your team or chasing unpaid invoices, you can spend it doing whatever helps you switch off! Okappy isn’t just a piece of job management software, it will quickly become an invaluable tool to help you manage and grow your business!
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