AXLR8 Chat has been added to the AXLR8 Staff Apps since September 2018 and is being trialled at our lead staffing agency clients across Europe, right now. This once again puts AXLR8 Staff Apps many years ahead of the competition in terms of breadth of functionality, security and reliability.

What does AXLR8 Chat do?

Imagine instant chat and notifications like Whatsapp – but private for your company.

Create groups for special situations.
Notify a group about a new opportunity or event.
Send and receive pictures and documents
Pings their phone
Receive responses from individual staff and hold chats with them to resolve issues quickly.

AXLR8 Chat

Costs

The costs of instant messaging are expected to remain at zero for small volume users.

The infrastructure costs need to be covered and infrastructure suppliers that AXLR8 have built the service upon will begin to charge more with volume. For now, AXLR8 are picking up both the development and transmission costs for early adopters. In time people will have to pay for transmission costs. However, these costs will be a fraction of the costs of texts (SMS).

AXLR8 are offering early adopters multi-year, zero or fixed price deals on the messages and wish to keep them free for the vast majority of our clients.

The instant messaging medium still brings the flexibility of Whatsapp with the immediacy and alerts of SMS Texts but still at the near zero cost of email.

Please call us now on 01344 776500 for an online demo or trial.

8Mar

AXLR8 Staffing Dashboards

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AXLR8 has been working on a broad UI improvement strategy over the last four years. AXLR8 Staffing Dashboards are one of the main planks of that strategy. The main UI development areas include:

Operational Field Staff Apps which interact with the AXLR8 enterprise data in your company built for
- Android tablets and smartphones
- iPhones and iPads running Apple iOS
Specialist portals for field staff
AXLR8 Report Builder UI evolution
AXLR8 e-Learning
APIs to other systems extending access for users (e.g. to video recording self interview systems, job boards for new talent acquisition)
AXLR8 Staffing Dashboards
AXLR8 Chat (for chatting securely in real time online with field teams using and AXLR8 app)

AXLR8 Dashboards are customisable by AXLR8 Support Consultants. In Q4 2019 we plan to add the skills into the AXLR8 Super User training course. Many AXLR8 SuperUsers will be able to customise these AXLR8 Dashboards for their board directors to see their KPIs and metrics as well as for operational and field staff in specific professional areas such as promologistics, talent management (including Applicant tracking, vetting and and staff bookings), field reporting in retail countercover, security incident reporting, and many more.

What is an AXLR8 Dashboard?

AXLR8 Staffing Dashboards are overview screens making access to your information quicker and easier. The AXLR8 Staffing Dashboards Manager allows the Super User or AXLR8 Consultant to:

customise a view (e.g. an opening view after login) of the system with only the buttons, graphs, etc. that a user or group of users needs
cascade more reports and dashboards when that user clicks through to them

This is best illustrated with examples of how dashboards are used.

Who needs AXLR8 Dashboards?

Use case: CEO dash

Agency CEOs often identify 3-7 key metrics they need to run the business and identify trends. Most great CEOs also want to dig into the detail. So an opening screen with these key metrics and buttons leading to reports and data on the main functional areas of their business: Events and Campaigns P&L, survey feedback, delayed projects, bookings, etc. can easily be made for the Cx who would normally not engage with systems.

Use case: Talent Manager dash

In one company this could mean a dashboard of applicant tracking data, in another it might be extended to vetting, staff surveys, staff work metrics and discipline. Yet another manager may be using AXLR8 e-Learning to develop staff and needs to make sure goals on staff numbers with certain qualifications are achieved. Talent managers will have differing goals from company to company and AXLR8 Talent Managment and ATS, Vetting and other functions need to be customised for each company’s needs. A custom dahboard for your agency may only take a and hour or two to create.

Use case: Promologistics dash

In this specific area, the people in the warehouse are both critical to the business and also are agents for change and evolution. To make a system easy for them to use, it must be built with their vocabulary and each function must be accessible from a simple menu or set of buttons:

book goods in
search stock: do we have 16 of those chairs or do we need tihie in for that show
Testing: what equipment needs a PAT or PUWER test and which vehicles need an MOT (TuV, etc.)?
Repairs: what items are in repair?
Asset list: who owns these demo screens and iPads and are they insured?
Available goods: how many of those walkietalkies are working
Timelines: how many perishable food samples are three months from disposal.
Log destruction/disposal (or do hey need to be returned to the client as their owner, etc.)
goods out
Stock take

9Feb

AXLR8 time and attendance and Paxton attendance recording systems

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AXLR8 now have a fully developed Paxton interface using the Net2 architecture. It allows you to use physical Paxton scanning devices to check that staff have arrived for their shifts on time and can record check in time, check out time and other times such as tour locations and breaks. This is popular with agency staff and permanent staffing in:

security
stewarding
inspection
cleaning

and many other areas.

The systems are being deployed to check staff in and out and to record security and other tour paths in football stadia, building sites, shopping arcades, factories, warehouses, hospitals and other large organisations where staff attendance needs to be recorded. This involves physical Paxton hardware installed at critical places on site This could be for, e.g. a fingerprint or RFID card scan.

To view full details click here.

24Jul

Count down to GDPR May 2018

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AXLR8 have been busy preparing for May 2018 when General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will be the main Data Protection legislation, updating DPA.

The penalties will be very high indeed for staffing companies who do not take their Data Controller role seriously.
Launching AXLR8 GDPR positioning paper and client starter kit with check list, workshops and advice and guidance in September through December 2017.

25May

Streamlining staff organisation at football grounds

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The amount of care and attention to detail that goes into organising football matches in the UK is incredible. It sets a very high standard, regardless of the level, the size of the stadium, or the attendance numbers. Although the focus of visitors is on the pitch, there is a huge number of staff and administrative tasks going on in the background, helping everything to run properly and safely.

One aspect that has facilitated the world class standards is the use of cutting edge technology. With the right systems in place all of those tricky, time-consuming administrative tasks become much easier to deal with. The end result is better management, fewer delays, and even cost savings.
AXLR8 is perfectly placed to provide staffing systems to football grounds that will deliver the above benefits and many more, including an applicant tracking system (ATS). We are an award winning company and work hard to build fantastic partnerships with football clubs all around England. With our help the workload can be streamlined and you’ll see great advantages in terms of organisation on important match days.

All our systems are designed with the knowledge of just how many different people are involved on match days. They can be used to coordinate SIA security, stewards, bar staff, caterers, and a wide array of others. The system will ensure proof of presence and can even have features for vetting to the BS7858 standard. The entire process is generally a huge administrative task, but with the cutting edge technology it is much easier and will achieve the required standards.

As well as facilitating the effective deployment of staff, an AXLR8 system will ensure that each staff member is properly equipped to do their job. You can keep track of all equipment that is issued, from hi visibility clothing to radios and even key fobs for tills. That way each member of staff should be able to do their job to the best of their ability.

A final feature of the system, that will save a great deal of time and maximise accuracy, is to generate payroll. With the tracking and proof of presence features, the system knows when and where staff are on site. Data about the rate they earn can easily be set so that payroll can be completely automated.

An AXLR8 system can be scaled to suit any requirements, delivering a robust, reliable solution. If you would like to find out more please get in touch. We are happy to offer advice and work closely with clients to deliver the most valuable staffing systems to football grounds.

15May

Security advice from AXLR8

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Following the ransomware cyber attack on Friday 12 May which affected the NHS and is now known to have affected other organisations globally, AXLR8 offer the following advice urging both individuals and businesses to follow protection advice immediately and into the future. It is to be expected that other scams will follow, typically ones that purport to offer a solution only for it to be another exploit and not a solution at all. If you are in any doubt please feel free to call AXLR8 and we can put you in touch with a cyber security specialist consultant.

Key messages to protect yourself from ransomware:

Install system and application updates on all devices as soon as they become available.
Install anti-virus software on all devices and keep it updated.
Ensure that passwords are 10 characters or longer, and include a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numerals, and special characters (e.g. !, &, *). Our suggestion is to think of 3 words that are meaningful to you, concatenate them, substitute an “S” with a “5”, and/or an “E” for a “3” etc, similarly change an “I” for a “!” maybe. Do not write passwords on post it notes – if you must record them, keep them in a file on an external device, such as a USB stick. Do not call the file “passwords”, but something else non-pertinent – “elephants” maybe.
Create regular backups of your important files to a device that isn’t left connected to your network as any malware infection could spread to that too. Customers using our CRM systems can rest assured that their databases are backed up on a daily basis. If you wish to discuss our backup procedure, please call us on 01344 776500 or email support@AXLR8.com.

Fraudsters may exploit the recent high profile incident and use it as part of phishing/smishing campaigns. That is to say that they may offer a solution that is in fact an attack. We urge people to be particularly cautious if they receive any unsolicited communications from the NHS.

Our advice is as follows:

An email address can be spoofed. Don’t open attachments or click on the links within any unsolicited emails you receive, and never respond to emails that ask for your personal or financial details.
The sender’s name and number in a text message can be spoofed, so even if the message appears to be from an organisation you know of, you should still exercise caution, particularly if the texts are asking you to click on a link or call a number.
Don’t disclose your personal or financial details during a cold call, and remember that the police and banks will never ring you and ask you to verify your PIN, withdraw your cash, or transfer your money to another “safe” account.

27Apr

Training Courses

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AXLR8 is offering an exciting training opportunity on Wednesday April 27th. We have several customers coming down to Wembley to attend a training course on the Report Builder module. Collecting data in the AXLR8 system is all very well, but how useful is it to you if you don’t know how to get it out again?

Knowing how to use your systems efficiently is a great way to streamline your business and maximise efficiencies. If you would like to ensure you are included in our next training sessions please contact Caroline McNicholas at caroline.mcnicholas@axlr8.com or call us at 01344 776500.

Make sure you are using your system to its full potential!

10Mar

New Unified Mobile apps

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Internal testing on this project (internal code name SPUG) completed last weekend. Two pilot clients have signed up for testing the new unified mobile applications from AXLR8 from last week.

Please contact Support if you woud like to be considered for an early adopter trial.

24Sep

Staffing Agencies feedback for AXLR8 Sales Invoice Generation

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Thanks to the three leading staffing agencies who participated during the consultation months. This helped AXLR8 to build and improve the new AXLR8 Sales Invoicing function for staffing companies using all the foundations built in AXLR8 Job Tracking applications over a decade.

Wise Security, Bexleyheath, UK.
The Hospitality Company, Putney, UK.
Brand Embassy, Graz, Austria.

The system knows where all the staff were, what they did, where and for whom. It knows the client charge rates. Therefore, it can print out timesheets for clients to sign.

It can also work out what should be on the bills. But this is just useful management information!

To take the big step up to automatic invoice generation, much careful consultation was needed in order to ensure that these important client documents were:

easy to create – for example selecting which activities go on the invoice in the case of repeat buyers
not invoiced twice (so making sure that those processed could not be charged again – and no more missed invoices for work.
reportable and providing useful MI
exportable ( so aggreate or detailed data could be exported to various accounting systems
adjustable within acceptable business rules so that maximum flexibiliy to change a bill to get it paid did not compromise basic accounting principles.
able to handle deposits and part payments
compatible with AXLR8 Debt Chaser (dunning letter automation using Trigaware) to reduce their collections admin and costs.

And along the journey, we have solved many standard issues such as:

issuing credit notes
emailing invoices and making invoices available on the client portal (no excuses about not receiveing them!!!)
matching account numbers for clients established over the years.
matching nominal codes, etc.
configuring invoice numbers to fit with those already used. If you have ever done this, you will be aware, it is not just a matter of taking the last used number!
training the booking staff to enter the data correctly and training the accounting people so they are confident.

Comments include:

“Now the invoicing has been up and running for a few months, I can tell you it has transformed my life!”

A business owner manager saving at least day per week on sales invoicing

“Well, that was easy! So, importing the sales invoice data into Sage 50 is just as simple as importing the payroll into Sage Payroll when we started that three years ago.”

This, or something like it, has been said by several accounting admin people.

And our favourite:

“[We] finally no longer need our debt collection agency. This saves us about £1000 per month in debt collections fees. The automation of invoicing has speeded up billing and collections. It has reduced our days outstanding. Our bad debt write offs – once painful – are virtually zero now. It is all about speed and accuracy – staff timesheet to billing is instant.”

A business owner