David Hastings runs three Edinburgh Mail Boxes Etc. franchises which offer a range of mailbox provision, shipping and printing services to businesses and individuals. He also owns a Greek restaurant business which uses the same RotaCloud account.

David’s goal is to create small businesses that are fun places to work in, and that don’t involve day-to-day micromanagement by the owners. This approach translates into excellent customer service at each business, ensuring repeat custom.

The challenge

We asked David to explain the rota planning issues he’d encountered at his businesses.

“Prior to RotaCloud, we were using Microsoft Word templates that were converted into PDF files and uploaded to Dropbox. While this was a step up from paper rotas at each location, we found managing changes to be a bit of a pain.”

Shift swaps were a particular problem for David. “This method meant that if staff wanted to swap shifts, then it was required for the person administering the rota to be involved the process, adding another unnecessary touch point.”

The solution

“The user experience in RotaCloud stood out for us,” David explained. “It’s very easy to navigate for both myself and the staff who use it.”

RotaCloud has also meant that David doesn’t need to spend valuable time micromanaging the rota.

“I don’t have to be involved in any minor changes to each rota, which has freed up my time so I can focus on starting other small businesses to add to our current set.”

“On top of this, I’ve found it a lot easier to manage staff costs as each rota shows me the exact cost of each day’s staff.”