Case Study: Valley Electrical Contractors, Cape Town, South Africa

Valley Electrical Contractors – Streamlining Time and Attendance with Better Times

Client Overview: Valley Electrical Contractors, established in 1999, is a well-regarded electrical services company based in the Western Cape, South Africa. With over 350 employees, the company manages over 150 active projects simultaneously and continues to experience rapid growth. As members of the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) and the Electrical Contracting Board (ECB), as well as the Flame Proof Association, Valley Electrical is recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality electrical services that comply with safety regulations.

The company’s reputation has been built on excellent customer relationships, with most of their business coming from referrals. Valley Electrical is committed to world-class service and installation, ensuring employees are aligned with company goals while maintaining a focus on safety, precision, and efficient project delivery. Valley Electrical Contractors actively supply our services to domestic, business and commercial clients, as well as the Telecommunications Industry.

The Challenge: Before adopting Better Times, Valley Electrical Contractors faced several challenges with their time and attendance system. Their previous system was ineffective in managing the complexity of their numerous, dynamic projects, and the wide range of skilled teams working on each. Several issues arose due to this outdated system:

1. Inefficient Hardware: Supervisors were required to use separate, expensive hardware to manage clock-ins and clock-outs. These devices often malfunctioned, causing frustration among users and field employees. Worse, these devices were not designed for the field environment, making them an additional burden to the supervisors.
2. Payroll Discrepancies: Incorrect time entries were a frequent issue, leading to substantial additional costs in payroll. Furthermore, correcting these discrepancies after payroll was a time-consuming and costly process.
3. Field Employee Misuse: Some field employees took advantage of the system’s weaknesses, using allocated working hours for personal activities. The previous system lacked sufficient controls to prevent such behaviour.
4. Complex Payroll Integration: Integrating time and attendance data into the payroll system was cumbersome and required manual intervention. This process was both time-consuming and prone to errors, creating additional workload for the HR team.
5. Multiple Project Sites: Valley Electrical teams are frequently required to visit multiple sites in a single day, making it challenging to track time and attendance accurately across various locations.

The Better Times Solution: Better Times provided a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to these pain points. The Better Times App, which can be used on any smartphone, empowered supervisors, drivers, and employees to easily capture accurate time and attendance data without the need for expensive, cumbersome hardware.

Key features of the Better Times solution included:

1. Flexible Clock-In/Out System: Employees could clock in and out using their smartphones, with multiple employees or large teams being able to clock in on a single device. If granted permission, individuals could also clock in on their own device. This flexibility streamlined the process, especially when field teams had varying schedules or were at different sites.
2. Anti-Fraud Features: To prevent fraudulent clock-ins, Better Times utilised NFC, QR codes, facial validation, and geofencing technology. This ensured that only authorised personnel could clock in or out, effectively eliminating the risk of inaccurate or fraudulent time entries.
3. Multifunctional Site Setup: Each project could be set up in advance on the cloud-based portal, allowing Valley Electrical to manage each job and project with precision. The portal enabled administrators to track and monitor all time and attendance data daily, ensuring transparency and accountability across the board.
4. Offline Functionality: Since Valley Electrical often operates in remote areas with limited or no mobile connectivity, the offline feature of the Better Times App proved invaluable. Field employees could continue capturing attendance data even without an internet connection. Once the device regained connectivity, the data would sync automatically with the cloud-based portal.
5. Payroll Integration: Better Times offered an efficient integration process with Valley Electricals’ payroll system. At payroll time, a compatible file could be easily generated from the Better Times portal, making payroll processing much simpler and reducing manual intervention.

Implementation: Valley Electrical Contractors adopted a careful and measured approach when implementing Better Times. They began with a focused trial period, initially involving a small number of teams. This allowed them to assess the system’s ability to address the unique challenges of their operations, such as managing a mobile workforce and varying project demands. The pilot phase proved critical, as it provided valuable insights and highlighted specific areas where the system needed refinement to fully meet Valley Electricals’ requirements.

Throughout this phase, Better Times collaborated closely with Valley Electrical to fine-tune the system, ensuring it aligned with their operational needs. Once these improvements were confirmed and the system was fully optimized, Valley Electrical proceeded with the full rollout across the company. This thoughtful, step-by-step implementation ensured that Better Times was fully integrated into their operations, delivering a solution that was both effective and tailored to their business.

Once Valley Electrical decided to proceed, the implementation process was smooth. The cloud-based portal required minimal training for supervisors and administrators. Employees quickly adapted to using the Better Times App, which was easy to download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. The setup and configuration of the system were straightforward, and employees were trained to understand how to use the app to ensure fair and accurate recording of their hours.

The real-time data provided by Better Times enabled Valley Electrical to monitor attendance and working hours daily. Any discrepancies or irregularities could be flagged and addressed in a timely manner, ensuring that the system remained fair to both employees and employers.

Key Benefits:

1. Accurate Time and Attendance: Better Times has helped empower Valley Electrical to manage their complex mobile teams’ time and attendance data without worrying about errors in normal working hours or overtime. The system’s accurate data capture ensured that night shifts and irregular working hours were recorded correctly.
2. Real-Time Data Monitoring: With access to real-time data, Valley Electrical management team could track employee attendance daily. This transparency helped to prevent any discrepancies or mismanagement of hours, leading to more accurate payroll and reducing administrative effort.
3. Cost Savings: By ensuring that attendance data was captured accurately and in real time, Valley Electrical saw a significant reduction in payroll errors and over-allocated costs. This led to substantial savings, as employees were paid according to their actual hours worked, eliminating the need for costly adjustments after payroll was processed.
4. Employee Satisfaction: Employees experienced higher satisfaction due to the accuracy of the system. Their hours were now captured fairly, and payroll discrepancies were significantly reduced, leading to fewer disputes and greater trust in the company.
5. HR Efficiency: HR staff benefited from the easy integration of Better Times with the payroll system. Payroll processing became faster and more efficient, as the system automatically generated compatible files for use in payroll systems. This minimised the need for manual data entry and ensured that time and attendance data was aligned with actual hours worked.
6. Project and Site Management: The ability to track time and attendance for each project and site in real time helped Valley Electrical better manage their workforce. Admin staff could easily allocate resources, monitor productivity, and ensure that teams were where they were supposed to be, resulting in better project management and increased operational efficiency.

Client Feedback: Valley Electrical management shared their experience: “Better Times has completely transformed our operations. The system is incredibly easy to use, and we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in payroll discrepancies and over-allocated hours. The support team is also fantastic, always ready to assist whenever needed. Better Times is a game-changer for us!”

Key Takeaways:

• Accurate Time Capture: Better Times provided Valley Electrical with a reliable and efficient way to track time and attendance, reducing discrepancies and increasing the accuracy of payroll data.
• Cost Savings: By eliminating manual data entry and reducing payroll errors, Valley Electrical realized significant cost savings and increased financial control.
• Employee and HR Satisfaction: The system improved employee satisfaction by ensuring fair and accurate payroll, while HR staff appreciated the ease of integrating data with the payroll system.
• Operational Efficiency: Real-time data and easy project site management helped Valley Electrical improve workforce allocation, leading to better productivity and enhanced project delivery.

Conclusion: Better Times has proven to be an invaluable solution for Valley Electrical Contractors, enabling them to streamline time and attendance management, reduce payroll errors, and improve overall efficiency. The system’s user-friendly interface, flexible features, and seamless integration with payroll systems have helped Valley Electrical save time and money, while enhancing employee satisfaction.

Craig Fussell

Better Times

Founder & Director