2 page Case Study - Posted 7/22/2008

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Metropolitan Building Services Inc. (MBS)

Cleaning Service Cuts Days Off Response Time, Boosts Compliance with Mobile Solution

Metropolitan Building Services, Inc. (MBS), a cleaning service, needed a better way for its staff to collect and transmit information from the field. With handheld devices that run Windows Mobile® software, and a partner line-of-business (LOB) solution based on Microsoft® SQL Server® 2005, MBS has improved company oversight—helping the company meet its service level agreement. MBS has cut days off the time it takes to address cleaning issues.

Business Needs

Based in Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Building Services (MBS) is contracted to clean the restrooms and other public areas of the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority. The company’s service level agreement requires employees to clean or inspect each restroom 16 times per shift. The service level agreement also requires MBS management to collect data and provide the airport with timely quality control reports.

To collect the required data, MBS cleaners were using an outdated, inefficient MS-DOS®–based system—a barcode reader— to record their times in and out at each location. To document discrepancies, such as a leaky faucet or the need for more paper towels, cleaners scanned another barcode from a sticker on a clipboard.

“We had to wait until the next day to get the discrepancy data from the database because the devices had to be cradle-synched every night,” says Robin Santana, Quality Control Manager for MBS at the airport. Each morning, managers printed a 250-page report of raw data and reviewed it with colored markers to find discrepancies, which took two to three hours. The delays made it difficult for MBS to quickly fix discrepancies, which negatively affected customer service.

With inefficient data collection and limited visibility, MBS lacked an effective way to manage employees and facility issues. “A faucet might have been leaking six months in a row, but we would have no idea because no one was tracking it,” Santana says. “There’d be no indication of how long a worker was at a stop, or if they were actually doing their job. And because the software was installed on my computer, I was the only person to have access to the database,” says Santana. These issues made it difficult for MBS to fulfill its service level agreement with the airport in a timely fashion.

Solution

MBS turned to Mobile Spectrum, an IT solution provider in Vienna, Virginia, to help develop a wireless solution. Mobile Spectrum created an Internet-based line-of-business (LOB) application based on its Mobile Inspector platform and Microsoft® SQL Server® 2005 database software. MBS deployed 35 Motorola Symbol MC70 handheld devices that run Windows Mobile® software and include barcode scanning capabilities. The combination provides MBS and its client with real-time access to data from the field, as well as automatic e-mail reporting capability.

We can see data on the Internet from anywhere in the world, so we can monitor employees in real time, without having to go back to the office. Robin Santana Quality Control Manager, MBS

“Managers are now able to identify and count how many times a location has been inspected, and monitor various employee performance criteria,” says Tarun Butaney, Co-Founder and VP of Product Development for Mobile Spectrum. “There was no way to do this with certainty before.”

The new system is very flexible. Managers can access the latest information from anywhere, and from any device connected to the Internet. They can even change the inspection form questions that employees see on their handheld devices via the Internet.

“We can see data on the Internet from anywhere in the world, so we can monitor employees in real time, without having to go back to the office,” says Santana.

The LOB solution from Mobile Spectrum makes it much easier for MBS to communicate with the airport. “Now, the airport can pull up the database from the Web directly.” An online dashboard shows key performance indicators.

MBS is considering creating Windows Mobile–based solutions to use with its other customers.

Benefits

Since moving to a Windows Mobile–based solution, MBS has better company oversight and improved customer service. Managers are now spending less time reviewing and formatting raw data to identify discrepancies and generate reports. With the combination of more information collected, greater access to the latest data, and more efficient internal/external reporting capabilities, MBS has dramatically improved its service level agreement compliance with the airport since moving to the new system.

More Efficient Oversight, Improved Service

MBS now enjoys deeper insight into business processes and can more efficiently manage the company. “Managers at MBS now have the ability to log on to the Web site and gather metrics and information on any location,” says Butaney. “They can view a graphic representation of all the discrepancies workers have found in real time.”

Managers can quickly learn about discrepancies, prioritize them, and call maintenance as needed. As a result, the company has dramatically improved customer service. MBS is now able to respond to discrepancies during the same shift, whereas in the past it took several days to filter data and identify the discrepancies.

Time Savings

Managers no longer need to spend two to three hours each morning reviewing the raw data from the prior day. “There are no more stacks of papers,” says Butaney. “It can all be printed out in a very simple four-to-five-page report for each location.” This translates into a time savings of 60 and 90 hours each month.

Improved Compliance

With the combination of better data collection via Windows Mobile and the SQL Server–based LOB application from Mobile Spectrum, as well as faster discrepancy-fixing and improved reporting, Metropolitan Building Services is better able to meet its service level agreement with the airport. “Now the workers are held more accountable for their performance, because the manager can see what’s going on right away,” says Butaney. “It really helps the company meet their service level agreement.”