Photo by Matthew Smith on Unsplash
Background
A holding company that invests in low-cost airlines and associated businesses across Asia.
The airline provides both domestic and international flights, covering over 50 routes to more than 50 destinations.
For confidentiality reasons, the company name is not disclosed.
Challenges with the Old System That Made the Company Change
As the company expanded, they quickly realized that the existing system wasn’t built to scale with them. The increase in contractors, projects, and team members exposed the limitations of the old system, these included:
* Challenges with On-the-Go Workforce and Travel Tracking:
Employees who travel frequently for work, including pilots and ground crew, often face difficulties tracking their hours on the go. The old system did not provide a practical way to account for travel time, downtime, or time spent at different airports or locations. A mobile-enabled time tracking solution with real-time time entry while traveling would allow employees to easily log their hours, regardless of their location, ensuring they are accurately compensated for travel time, waiting periods, and layovers.
* Lack of Reporting and Analytics for Workforce Optimization:
The old time tracking system did not offer advanced reporting or analytics capabilities, making it difficult to track employee performance, overtime trends, or optimize workforce allocation based on flight schedules and airport traffic. A more modern solution with real-time reporting, data-driven insights, and customizable analytics would enable managers to better forecast labor needs, optimize staff scheduling, and ensure maximum productivity while minimizing labor costs.
* Security Concerns and Data Integrity:
As a company handling sensitive employee data, security was a major concern. The old time tracking system did not have the robust security features required to protect confidential information. A new system with strong encryption and role-based access control would ensure that time tracking data and employee records are secure, compliant with data protection regulations, and accessible only to authorized personnel.
* Ineffective Management of Multiple Time Zones for International Operations:
With operations across numerous countries and time zones, managing time tracking for employees became difficult. The old system had issues accounting for the different time zones, especially for employees working on international flights or in multiple regions.
The Company’s Time Tracking Key Requirements
The company had several critical requirements for a time tracking solution to address the complexities of its operations, ensuring seamless integration and operational efficiency. These key requirements included:
- Mobile Time Tracking – Allow staff to clock in and out through mobile devices, even in remote locations.
- Geofencing & GPS Tracking – Track time based on employee location, especially for pilots and ground crew.
- Offline Tracking – No internet functionalities, in case of regional issues with connectivity and data loss.
- Automated Reporting – Generate real-time reports on employee attendance, flight hours, and overtime.
Why the Company Chose Jibble Time Tracking
When it came time to find a solution to track the team’s time, Jibble stood out as the perfect fit. Here’s why the company decided to integrate it into their workflow:
1# Real-Time Tracking for Operational Efficiency:
The company needed to track how employees were spending their time, particularly in operational tasks, to ensure their workforce was being utilized effectively. Jibble provided real-time time tracking, giving managers immediate visibility into staff performance, which helped identify areas for improvement and ensured optimal staffing levels across various departments.
2# Geofencing for On-Site Staff:
The company’s employees work at different locations such as airports and maintenance sites. To ensure accurate timekeeping, Jibble’s geofencing feature enabled employees to clock in only when they were physically present at their assigned location, preventing time inaccuracies and ensuring accountability.
3# Offline Tracking and Data Syncing:
The company’s large workforce required consistency in time tracking despite internet availability, considering the changes in location and regions dictated by travel. Jibble offered the ability to track time, even when offline, with the tracked data automatically syncing when connectivity is reestablished.
How Was the Onboarding Process?
The company’s onboarding for Jibble was focused on improving time tracking for their diverse team of pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff. The implementation process took 5 weeks, beginning with a consultation to customize the system to accommodate complex shift schedules and variable working hours.
Jibble’s mobile app was particularly important, as many of the company’s employees work in-flight or at remote airports. The second phase involved a series of training workshops for employees to ensure that everyone understood how to log hours accurately, particularly when working in different time zones.
The final phase was integrating Jibble with their HR and payroll systems, reducing the administrative burden of manually managing timesheets. With Jibble in place, the company was able to ensure greater compliance with working hour regulations and improve operational efficiency.
A WhatsApp communication channel was created to support changes in company processes as well as newly imposed challenges and regional changes.
The Benefits Immediately Identified Post Onboarding
Following the onboarding process, the company quickly experienced several key benefits that significantly contributed to its sustainable improvement, including:
1. Streamlined Crew Scheduling: Real-time tracking helped the company manage complex shift schedules, ensuring efficient crew deployments.
2. Accurate Time Zone Tracking: With employees working in different time zones, Jibble’s system helped ensure that time tracking remained accurate across regions.
3. Improved Location Transparency: Location tracking displayed the login details coupled with employee whereabouts in real time, improving visbility.
Main Method of Jibbling In and Out
The key methods for clocking in for the Company is through:
- Mobile App: The company’s flight and ground crew use geofencing and live location with the Jibble app, ensuring that they can clock in when they are on-site at the airport.
Conclusion
The holding company in the aviation sector faced challenges with its old time tracking system, such as difficulties in managing complex crew schedules, offline tracking, tracking travel time, and handling employees across multiple time zones. The company turned to Jibble for its real-time tracking, mobile accessibility, location tracking, and data syncing capabilities.
The onboarding process, which took 5 weeks, included customizing the system for varying shift patterns and training staff.
Post-onboarding, the company benefited from continued support, streamlined crew scheduling, and improved time zone tracking, resulting in more efficient operations and management.
