How HBC Services is building an entire branch with PlanD.

Challenge

‍HBC Service GmbH Gebäudereinigung has been established in the market for over 60 years. However, the branches in Cologne and Düsseldorf are relatively new. Branch manager Ralf Kurtenbach, who has been in the industry for 8 years and has held positions as site manager and department head, began building the Rhineland location. In his previous roles, he had used various systems, but it quickly became clear that they did not function as Ralf Kurtenbach and his team needed. Particularly, scheduling was always a challenge: “If there are three employees at a site, all scribbling on the schedule, you could spend three hours sorting it out. That’s obviously a huge time sink.”

Time tracking with stationary terminals also proved difficult. “Sometimes you had to swipe your finger three times before it recognized it because it was moist, and people just wanted to go home,” recalls Ralf Kurtenbach, adding: “Eventually, people just didn’t want to use the system anymore.” Given the rapid growth of the site, the branch manager knew he needed a solution that was simple and quick.

Solution

‍The software solution from PlanD is self-explanatory and easy to use. After some dry runs, Ralf Kurtenbach and his team were able to get started immediately. With PlanD, his employees receive their schedules directly on their smartphones via the PlanD app and can record their hours right at the site. This saves Ralf Kurtenbach a significant amount of time: “With PlanD it’s super easy because we get clean numbers that the system provides us. No scribbling. I can immediately see who is on vacation and who was sick when? It's all traceable.” This also assists him in payroll processing. “Recently, I did the entire payroll for the Rhineland in an hour and a half while pulling myself a coffee,” continues Ralf Kurtenbach.

Another aspect is internal communication. “Most of our communication now runs almost exclusively through PlanD,” explains Ralf Kurtenbach. He has a group chat where all employees can communicate, and he’s no longer contacted via WhatsApp or phone calls. Ralf Kurtenbach and his team also save time in materials management. When the cleaners need something, they just click on it in PlanD and Ralf Kurtenbach can view and confirm the orders. “That used to take a lot of my time. I had to keep asking and checking if we really needed something and how much was left,” says the 40-year-old. He is also impressed with the PlanD ticket system. “I can simply handle complaints and see immediately when something has been done. The cleaners can even upload photos.”

Results

‍With PlanD, the HBC branch in the Rhineland has grown from zero to 25 employees in six months. “PlanD is the best system I’ve had so far, honestly. I must say, if I didn’t have PlanD, I’d have more work to do and so far, I haven’t encountered a better system,” shares a satisfied Ralf Kurtenbach. “The program does everything I need for daily operations: scheduling, time tracking, payroll processing, and much more,” continues the 40-year-old.

Scheduling now runs digitally through the system, and Ralf Kurtenbach no longer has to decipher scribbles. His field service cleaners no longer struggle with stationary terminals for clocking in and out but can easily log their hours via the PlanD app. And payroll processing can be completed in half an hour, leaving even time to grab a coffee.

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