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Case study

Wilson & Scott handles payroll admin with one person instead of two

  • Highways
  • Tailored

Overview

A UK line marking company replaced postal paperwork with a mobile app, so one person now handles in a day the payroll admin that needed two full-time staff.

Founded in 1952, Wilson & Scott marks roads, highways and car parks across the UK, with more than 65 line painting vehicles and over 160 staff. With teams spread across the country, passing information between the office and the field had long been a problem, and the company wanted a mobile system to make its operations more efficient and keep everyone informed.

The challenge

Paperwork travelled between crews and head office by post, which meant:

  • The same data entered twice, on site and again in the office
  • Paperwork lost in vehicles
  • Slow communication between teams and head office

Wilson & Scott also needed to:

  • Give the whole workforce one standard way to communicate
  • Reduce disputes with clients through verifiable records of the work done
  • Simplify staff Daily Record Sheets
  • Send health and safety instructions that crews acknowledge as they receive them
  • Make sure every job-critical detail was captured before work started and before worksheets were submitted

What we did

In 2012 Wilson & Scott moved its operational teams to electronic reporting. Triangle Software built the mobile app that goes with it, for Android tablets and phones, so data moves between the field and the office without paper.

  • Linked to the back-office management system, for one paperless process from enquiry and estimate through orders, delivery, recording, invoicing and accounts
  • Safety-critical data and qualifications captured digitally, so there's a record if work is disputed
  • Vehicle defect reports, risk assessments, client orders, work instructions and health and safety information available to crews wherever they are
  • GPS on the tablets, so the office knows where people are working and can keep them safe

The results

  • Payroll administration that needed two full-time staff is now done by one person in a day, even though staff numbers have grown by 53%
  • Instant messages to staff and clients, including automatic alerts about road incidents
  • In the first six months of the rollout, the number of tablets grew from 12 to 65
  • Crews bought in to the system, with simpler work and less admin
  • Better safety, compliance and client satisfaction

Insights

Notes from the field

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Trusted by businesses across the UK

Triangle Software has been a game changer for us. What used to take days chasing paperwork now takes minutes, and we have complete visibility across all projects.

Operations Manager, Hi-Way Services Ltd
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