Mauritius Equipment Supply & Distribution Company's Journey with Jibble

Streamlining Engineering Retail & Distribution Time Tracking

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

Background

A reputable engineering firm in Mauritius, specializing in the supply of mechanical and electrical goods, delivering engineering products and solutions to both private and public sectors.

Through exclusive partnerships, the company holds a strong emphasis for customer service, serving residential, commercial, automotive, and industrial markets.

For confidentiality reasons, the company name is not disclosed.

Challenges with the Old System That Made the Company Change

The company faced multiple challenges with their old time tracking system. These issues hindered efficiency, productivity, and compliance, especially with a diverse workforce working across different departments, shifts, and locations. Key challenges included:

* Complexity in Tracking Multi-Site Operations:

The company’s workforce is spread across various facilities, including manufacturing plants, warehouses, and distribution centers. The old system lacked the ability to efficiently track time across different locations, making it difficult to ensure that every facility was properly staffed. A more sophisticated system with multi-location support would allow the company to centralize time tracking across all sites, improving coordination and ensuring that staffing levels align with operational needs at every location.

* Difficulty in Employee Attendance and Absence Management:

Managing absenteeism and employee attendance was a constant challenge, especially in the manufacturing sector where absenteeism directly affects production timelines. The old system did not offer adequate features to track sick days, personal leave, or other types of absences. A more advanced system with absence management features would allow employees to submit leave requests directly through the system, and managers would have clear visibility into absenteeism trends, helping to better plan staffing needs.

* Employee Frustration with Time Tracking Process:

Employees found the old time tracking system cumbersome and difficult to navigate, leading to inconsistencies in clocking in and out, particularly in high-turnover roles such as warehouse staff. Inconsistent data entries affected overall time tracking accuracy. A more intuitive system with mobile apps and auto clocking capabilities would simplify the process, making it easier for employees to track their hours and ensuring better engagement with the system.

* Challenges in Scaling with Company Growth:

As the company grew, the old system could not handle the increasing volume of employees, projects, and locations. This created bottlenecks in managing time tracking data and processing payroll. A scalable, cloud-based solution would allow the company to seamlessly expand as needed, whether opening new departments, adding locations, or increasing their workforce, without compromising the accuracy of time tracking or payroll processing.

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:

  • Centralized System – Ability to track employee hours in real time across multiple departments.
  • Mobile Time Tracking – Field workers and on-site staff can log hours from mobile devices.
  • Easy Onboarding and Use – A system that supports the company’s growing workforce and can easily be rolled out to new users.
  • Leave Management – Easily manage and track employee leave balances and requests.

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# Mobile-Friendly Time Tracking for Field Employees:

The company required an easy-to-use solution for their field-based employees to log their hours. Jibble’s mobile app allowed employees to clock in and out directly from the job site, ensuring accuracy in time tracking and enabling workers to focus on their tasks instead of administrative work.

2# GPS Tracking for Accurate Timekeeping:

Since the company employees often work across various locations, Jibble’s GPS feature enabled precise time tracking, ensuring that work hours were recorded when employees were physically present, reducing potential errors in reporting.

3# Real-Time Project and Task Tracking:

Managers needed visibility into how employees were spending time on specific tasks or projects. Jibble’s real-time tracking allowed them to monitor project progress and employee productivity, helping to identify inefficiencies and avoid delays.

4# Leave and Absence Tracking:

The company needed a system that could offer visibility on team attendance and absence. Jibble’s leave tracking feature allowed for easy requests of leave and PTO, with efficient approval process by managers.

Add a time entry from the timer on top

How Was the Onboarding Process?

The company, with its diverse range of services, needed a solution to manage time tracking across various departments, including customer service, technical teams, and office staff. The onboarding process took 5 weeks, starting with a detailed consultation to configure the system for their specific needs.

Jibble’s team worked closely with the company’s HR department to integrate GPS tracking, so that suppliers could clock in when at job sites. The rollout began with office staff, followed by field employees.

The second phase involved extensive training for employees to ensure they understood how to log time correctly and efficiently, with a particular focus on minimizing human errors. By the end of the 5-week period, the company saw increased time tracking accuracy.

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. Accurate Job Site Time Tracking: GPS allowed the company to track field employees’ time accurately, ensuring they were clocking in when on-site.

2. Enhanced Absence Management: Better tracking and transparency on employee leave helped improve team communication and ultimately increased operational efficiency.

3. Reduced Administrative Time: Automated time entry and reporting reduced administrative time, allowing HR to focus on strategic initiatives.

4. Efficient Resource Allocation: Real-time tracking data helped managers optimize resources across various project sites and client locations.

Main Method of Jibbling In and Out

The key methods for clocking in for the Company is through:

  • Mobile App: The company’s field employees utilize GPS tracking to ensure they can clock in or out when they are physically on-site. This adds an extra layer of security and accuracy for time tracking.
  • Desktop App: Office-based employees use the desktop app, allowing them to easily record their working hours.

Conclusion

The engineering firm faced significant challenges with its old time tracking system, including difficulty managing a multi-site workforce, tracking off-site employees, and ensuring payroll accuracy. Jibble was chosen for its mobile app with GPS features, allowing employees to clock in when on-site, and its simple and user-friendly interface.

The onboarding process, which took five weeks, resulted in improved time tracking accuracy, reduced administrative workload, and better project profitability.

Overall, Jibble streamlined the company’s operations, enhancing resource allocation and boosting operational efficiency.