Discovery call — Halden Facility Services
Halden schedules 240 cleaners across 18 client sites in spreadsheets and loses hours every week to last-minute swaps. They want a three-site pilot in January; budget was not discussed and the finance director approves new software.
Summary
Marta Kowal, head of operations at Halden Facility Services, described how shifts for 240 staff across 18 client sites are planned in shared spreadsheets and confirmed by text message. Her two schedulers spend about 12 hours a week on swaps and sick calls, and missed shifts led to two client complaints last quarter. Must-haves are a staff mobile app and an hours export for payroll. Laura Bennett demonstrated shift swaps and said the export works with common payroll formats; whether it works with Halden’s payroll provider was not confirmed. Halden has also seen a demo of their payroll provider’s scheduling module.
Participants
- Laura Bennett — account executive, Rotawise
- Marta Kowal — head of operations, Halden Facility Services
- Jonas Pike — scheduler, Halden Facility Services
Agenda
- How Halden schedules staff today
- Problems with the current process
- Requirements
- Short demo: shift swaps and payroll export
- Next steps
Decisions
- A three-site pilot starting in January will be proposed to Halden’s finance director.
Action items
| Owner | Task | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Bennett | Send a pilot proposal for three sites with pricing for 240 staff | Friday |
| Marta Kowal | Set up a call with the finance director | Next week |
| Jonas Pike | Share an anonymised copy of the current schedule spreadsheet | — |
| Laura Bennett | Confirm whether the hours export works with Halden’s payroll provider | — |
Customer context
Halden Facility Services provides office cleaning with 240 staff across 18 client sites. Two schedulers plan shifts in shared spreadsheets and confirm them by text message; hours are typed into the payroll system by hand once a month.
Pain points
- Swaps and sick calls take the two schedulers about 12 hours a week.
- Missed shifts led to two client complaints last quarter.
- Payroll hours are re-typed from the spreadsheet every month, and mistakes surface only when staff complain.
Requirements
- Must have: a mobile app where staff see and swap their shifts.
- Must have: an hours export that the payroll provider can import.
- Nice to have: a monthly report per client site.
- Staff without smartphones must still receive their shifts.
Qualification
| Criterion | What we learned |
|---|---|
| Budget | Not discussed |
| Authority | Marta leads the evaluation; the finance director approves new software. |
| Need | Cut scheduling time and stop missed shifts at client sites. |
| Timeline | Pilot at three sites from January. |
Objections and concerns
- Staff turnover is high; Marta worries that new starters won’t install another app.
- The switch must not disrupt the December holiday rota.
- Data protection: staff phone numbers and client site details would be stored in the tool.
Competitors and alternatives
- The payroll provider’s own scheduling module — Halden saw a demo and found it hard for staff to use.
- Staying with spreadsheets and hiring a third scheduler.
Next meeting
Thursday 19 November, 14:00, video call with Halden’s finance director — agenda: pilot scope and pricing.