The problem: Use of multiple digital tools proved cumbersome
Prior to Raken, Tatley-Grund used three different digital tools for field management—ExakTime, Safety Meeting App, and Viewpoint Spectrum. This significantly complicated their workflows. ExakTime in particular, had major limitations—their timekeeping functionality was difficult to employ on a project-specific basis and cost coding was also unnecessarily complicated.
Viewpoint Spectrum, which they used for daily reporting, was too complicated. They had the opposite issue for the primarily PDF-driven Safety Meeting App they used for safety, as it was a bit too simplistic for their needs. They needed one tool that could encompass all three areas.
The solution: A more cohesive process with Raken
After switching to Raken, the whole process became much smoother. Tatley-Grund is able to easily collect time card data and daily work logs. Then, they can transfer that data to Spectrum for payroll or record it in Raken for detailed documentation.
Mike Register, the Chief Financial Officer at Tatley-Grund, appreciates the ease of use Raken provides, including how quickly it was picked up by their workers.
“The field has been happy because there’s one place to go for everything, and it’s easy to use.”
Daily reports tell the whole story
By using Raken’s digital daily reports, Mike and the team at Tatley-Grund can ensure everyone is on the same page. With daily logs, he’s able to keep track of subcontractors on site and their hours worked, as well as an accurate day-to-day record of what happens on the jobsite.
Because they are based in the rainy Pacific Northwest, Mike appreciates that Raken automatically captures weather conditions in daily reports. This helps them avoid liquidated damages caused by weather delays.
“Most of our work is weather dependent. So if it was raining, it’s good to see it on the reports and be able to send that to clients.”
Digital time cards integrate seamlessly with Viewpoint Spectrum for payroll
Since Tatley-Grund does all their payroll in-house, the convenience of the process is extremely important to them. With Raken, Tatley-Grund is able to easily gather time card data—and quickly review and approve it—all from the field.
The flexibility of Raken’s time tracking system has been a huge bonus for Tatley-Grund. They divide their work into divisions—large repairs and small projects. Supervisors manage time for workers in the large repairs division, while workers in the small projects division can easily clock themselves in and out.
All of the time data collected comes together in Raken, then they transfer it directly to Viewpoint Spectrum.
“We simply hit that sync button, and everything pulls over into Spectrum.”
All the data is right there, ready for them to use for their backend reporting, too.
Custom checklists empower crews to prioritize safety
Safety checklists have also proved to be a valuable tool for Tatley-Grund. By partnering with Raken, they’ve been able to effortlessly incorporate their custom checklists into the app.
“We turned over a variety of checklists to Raken and they took care of everything and put it in the system verbatim what we had in our previous app.”
Because they focus on repair, restoration, and maintenance, Tatley-Grund engages in a great deal of high work that involves swing stages and rope access. This type of work comes with unique hazards, so they’ve found a lot of use in Raken’s existing library of checklist templates.
“All of the safety checklists that go along with inspecting that kind of work—ladder inspections and a variety of different things,” Mike says. “We’re starting to roll out those checklists that Raken has provided by default.”
Raken’s digital checklists are easy to complete and help workers identify issues early on, empowering companies like Tatley-Grund to take a proactive approach to safety.
Raken’s user-friendly platform helps work get done quickly
By switching from three different tools to one platform that meets their project management needs, Tatley-Grund has saved a great deal of time. From higher completion rates for daily reports to better time tracking and safety, Mike has noticed improvements in all areas.
He also considers Raken a partner, and he especially appreciates Raken’s frequent calls for feedback from customers.
“I’ve even seen some of the things that I’ve given feedback on come through in the Raken Report as something you’re working on,” Mike says. “So that’s good to know that you guys are trying to revolutionize the software, make it more user friendly, and listen to your customers.”
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