Consortio Security has adopted employee scheduling and workforce management software SmartTask to streamline internal processes and improve operational performance. The solution will be used to better manage and monitor a team of 330 security officers that provide a range of services at 250 customer sites including manned guarding, key holding, mobile patrols and alarm response. This will enable the company to reduce its administrative burden, while enhancing the service it provides to customers.
“SmartTask represents a big step forward for us that will help transform our internal processes by gaining complete transparency of operational data,” commented Earl Knight, CEO of Consortio Security. “The software is already proving its worth and we expect to gain even greater efficiency savings and performance improvements as we embed it into our business further.”
SmartTask replaces an existing workforce management system that was no longer meeting the demands of the business in terms of usability and reporting capabilities. Following a review of the marketplace, SmartTask was selected as it offered a simple, cloud-and app-based solution, with smartform functionality. The smartphone app provides security officers with a simple way to record proof of attendance, submit incident reports, access and confirm assigned shifts, and read assignment and risk assessment forms.
Consortio will use SmartTask across its operations function – both centrally and regionally – to create and communicate work schedules, validate contract delivery and support duty of care. The company’s national control room will have complete visibility of all booking on-and-off of shifts, hourly check calls, scanned patrol points and raised alerts via a live dashboard. Meanwhile, three regional operations managers will have controlled access, so they can manage their individual teams, measure performance and respond to issues in real-time.
According to Tom Dilley, National Control Room Manager at Consotio Security: “The added visibility and control provided by SmartTask is helping us proactively manage our security operation in the most efficient and effective way. By streamlining our internal processes and reducing incoming calls from security officers by as much as half, we are saving a considerable amount of time, so the operations team can focus on other priorities and ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction are maintained.”
The added reporting capabilities and access to highly accurate data via SmartTask will enable Consortio to enhance service delivery and contract compliance, quickly resolving any operational issues or reacting to customer queries. Moving forward, the company is also planning to introduce an online portal, which can be accessed by customers to view real-time and historical details of their individual security operations.
Reports will also be used by the payroll and finance teams to help calculate employee and customer billing. Accurate timesheets will be downloaded and exported to Consortio’s finance systems, along with holiday accrual, absence and pay rate data. “The added precision and adaptability of SmartTask means we can input different variables by employee and contract to create highly accurate reports. Our longer-term aim is to integrate the software with our finance systems to automate our payroll and billing processes,” explains Elliot Moss, Consortio Security’s Head of Finance.
Meanwhile, SmartTask’s vetting module will enable Consortio’s HR team to speed up and simplify its BS7858-compliant background checking and pre-employment screening processes for new employees. It will ensure the company is complying with legal regulations such as working history, DBS checks and right to work, as well as helping to effectively source appropriate references. SmartTask Vetting will allow certificates and identification documents to be uploaded, removing the need to store paper copies, while electronic reminders will allow the software to flag-up any upcoming expiry dates.
According to Mick Stone, Head of Human Resources at Consortio Security: “SmartTask’s vetting module is already speeding up staff recruitment by having a fast and accurate screening process that is fully compliant with all legal regulations and our internal employment policies. We are, on average, reducing the time required screening a new starter by 40 per cent when compared to the previous system we had in place, which is freeing up valuable HR resource.”
