The problem: The schedule lives in a spreadsheet or on a whiteboard, and whoever is out on the road only finds out something changed when they are standing at a locked door.
Scheduling rarely goes wrong because there is no schedule. It goes wrong because the schedule is in one place and the work happens in ten. Someone changes it, and then the ringing round starts.
A planning tool puts that schedule in one place where everyone sees it, on the road as well. You move a job, and the people it concerns know immediately. Nothing more than that, but that is exactly where the day falls apart.
What the difference is
| Off-the-shelf package | Bespoke | |
|---|---|---|
| A change | Calling, messaging, hoping | Everyone sees it at once |
| On the road | A photo of the sheet | On their phone, up to date |
| Who did what | Piecing it together afterwards | It is right there |
| Hours and materials | Scraps of paper and stray messages | Entered on the job itself |
| Double-booked | You find out on the day | The system blocks it |
| Telling the client | If you remember | Automatic on any change |
Work it out yourself
Do you currently pay per person for a scheduling package? Enter that here. If you use a spreadsheet, set the price to what an hour of ringing round costs you per month.
€1,250 is the starting figure for phase 1. If you work with a spreadsheet today, the left-hand column is not a bill but lost time. Enter what the ringing round actually costs you per month.
What you get
- A planning board by day or by week, with drag and drop
- Jobs with address, client, materials and a short brief
- A dedicated screen for whoever is out on the road, showing only their work
- Entering hours and materials used on site
- Photos on a job, before and after
- A notification on every change, to whoever it concerns
- An overview afterwards: what was done, by whom, how long it took
Connecting to what you already have
A schedule separate from your invoicing makes you enter the same thing twice. A connection costs €190 each.
- Your accounting, so hours worked go straight onto an invoice
- Your calendar, so appointments and sites sit in one overview
- Email or text to the client when a time changes
- Your stock, so materials going onto a site are written off too
How it runs
In phases, so your crew is working with something after a few weeks.
-
1
Mapping out 1 week
A week watching how you schedule today, and where it snags. -
2
Phase 1 3 to 6 weeks
The planning board and the screen for the people on the road. -
3
Phase 2 per part
Hours, materials, client notifications and the connections. -
4
After that €45 per month
Hosting, updates, monitoring and small changes.
When not to do this
Not every company benefits from this.
- You work alone or with one other. A shared calendar does the same job.
- Your schedule hardly ever changes. Then a spreadsheet is fine.
- Your people always work in the same place. The difference is in being on the road.
- You already have software with this in it and you are not using the module. Switch that on first.
Frequently asked questions
What does a planning tool cost?
From €1,250 for phase 1, then €45 a month for hosting and maintenance, however many people use it. A connection costs €190 each.
Does it work on site, without decent signal?
The on-the-road screen is built light, so it opens on a slow connection too. Working fully offline is possible, but that is extra work and belongs in phase 2.
Do my people have to install an app?
No. It is a website that works on any phone. They put it on their home screen and it behaves like an app, with no app store and no updates.
Can they enter their hours in it?
Yes, on the job itself. That saves you collecting scraps of paper afterwards, and the hours sit with the right client straight away.
How does someone know their schedule has changed?
They get a notification, and their screen shows the change highlighted. You can see for yourself whether they have seen it.
Can I see what was done yesterday?
Yes. Every job records who worked on it, for how long, and what was entered against it. Handy when a client disputes something.
Does this suit an installer or a contractor?
That is what it was made for. Crews working outside, a schedule that shifts, and an office that wants to know where everyone is.
Platforms I built
Two companies from exactly this corner: crews on the road and a schedule that shifts every day.
I.PROJECTS BV
Electrical installations for new builds and apartments. Two audiences, one site that serves both.
Fluvix
A certified electrician in Lokeren with two kinds of client: those planning ahead, and those with no power right now.