Pictured above: A Helping Hand - Ingersoll Rand biometric Handpunch terminals will be used to capture the clocking data of Regent's on-site cleaners 

Auto Time Solutions, one of the UK's leading providers of workforce management systems based Birmingham, has been selected by cleaning contractor Regent Cleaning to provide and implement its state-of-the-art Vanquish management solution throughout its UK client base.

The contract cleaning industry is faced with significant challenges when it comes to managing staff. Subsequently the need for a comprehensive workforce management solution, which not only collates time and attendance data but also improves the health and safety of staff has become paramount.

National cleaning company Regent Cleaning is one of the UK's fastest-growing contract cleaning providers. With an annual turnover in excess of £30 million, the company operates from 14 regional offices.

The deployment of Vanquish will provide Regent and its clients with real-time visibility into the working practices of employees working on remote sites.

The Vanquish system will administer the time and attendance and activity management of over 4500 staff located at approximately 1200 client sites throughout the UK.

This is the first time that Regent has used a comprehensive workforce management solution having relied in the past on manual and inherited systems.

Deployment of the system will start in February and it is anticipated that the project will be completed over the next 12 months.

At larger sites Auto Time will be installing Ingersoll Rand biometric Handpunch terminals to capture employee clocking data.  These terminals automatically take a three dimensional reading of the size and shape of an employee's hand and will verify their identity when clocking in for work in less than one second. As such it will provide Regent with a quick and reliable way of capturing clocking data whilst removing the possibility of fraudulent activity.

At smaller sites Auto Time will be supplying Auto:time telecheck, a landline based clocking system, that will enable employees to use conventional telephones on client sites to register their attendance. By using clients' existing telephone systems Regent will be able to capture data in a cost effective manner without having to purchase additional hardware. As well as recording time and attendance data by identifying employees' unique PIN, the telecheck system also verifies the site identity by recording the CLI (Calling Line Identifier).

Christian Berenger, Business Development Director at Auto Time Solutions said: "We are thrilled to be working with Regent Cleaning on the deployment of a global time and attendance system throughout the UK at their client sites.

"We won the confidence of Regent by implementing a free of charge proof concept trial at one of their most prestigious clients over a nine month period. This provided Regent with the confidence that the solution could deliver what they required when deployed to their entire client base.

"We're confident that Vanquish will help Regent to streamline its internal procedures and add significant value to their clients."

Regent Cleaning Joint Managing Director Jonathan King added: "Vanquish is one of the most exciting technology advances being implemented at Regent in recent months.

"Its application brings increased service levels through shortened response time to any reported issues, and enables us to pass on benefits such as reduced contract management time and improved value-for-money for our customers."

As well as managing the welfare of staff and improving overall business performance Vanquish will remove the administrative burden associated with handling timesheets and manually inputting data.

All data captured by the system will be instantly fed back in real-time to Regent's head office and made accessible to managers via the Vanquish:web application.

Once logged on, managers will be able to use the data to produce timesheets and customised reports using the Report Designer module. In addition workers in HR, Operations and Payroll will be able to produce tangible management information for actual / budget reporting, timesheet analysis, absence analysis and payroll preparation.

Within the portal work parameters can be setup for shift start and end times. If any of these business rules are broken the system will automatically send an SMS or email alert to a designated Regent representative for action, providing Regent with the opportunity to proactively manage the site from afar.