What we help with
The everyday friction that makes a business harder to run
These are the kinds of situation we help with. They’re examples rather than a checklist. Every business is different, which is why we always start by looking at how yours actually works.
In short
Propel helps owner-managed businesses with job scheduling and dispatch, process improvement, connecting business software, automating repetitive admin, reporting, internal tools and production planning. We work out what would help most, then put it in place ourselves.
Seven ways we help
Start with whatever’s slowing you down
- Job scheduling and dispatchOne schedule the office and field team can rely on, where a change reaches everyone it affects.
- Process improvement and clear responsibilitiesClear steps, clear owners and cleaner handovers, so work stops waiting on assumptions.
- Connecting your business softwareQuoting, jobs, CRM and accounts passing details to each other, so nobody re-keys them.
- Automating repetitive adminReminders, confirmations, follow-ups and paperwork that happen on their own.
- Reporting and management informationRegular reports that mostly put themselves together from the records you already keep.
- Internal tools and custom softwareA small, focused tool built around how you work, when off-the-shelf software doesn’t fit.
- Orders and production planningOrder changes that carry through to the plan, materials and the shop floor.
In more detail
Situations you might recognise, and what could change
Jobs and scheduling
When jobs move, the plan should move with them, without someone having to ring round.
More about job scheduling and dispatch- You might recognise
Jobs are planned on a whiteboard or spreadsheet that only one or two people can update.
What could changeA shared schedule the office and the team can rely on, kept up to date in one place.
- You might recognise
A changed job means calls and texts to the engineer, the customer and anyone else involved.
What could changeChange the job once and the people it affects get the update, with anything unusual coming back to the office.
- You might recognise
It’s hard to see who’s free next week without asking around.
What could changeA clear view of who’s booked, who has room and what’s coming up.
Orders and production
If you make things, an order change shouldn’t have to be passed along by hand.
More about orders and production planning- You might recognise
Order changes arrive by email or phone, and the production plan gets updated later, if at all.
What could changeOrder changes that carry through to the plan the shop floor works from.
- You might recognise
The shop floor can’t easily see what’s due, what’s waiting on materials and what’s changed.
What could changeA simple, current view of what to make next and why.
- You might recognise
Checking stock or materials means walking over and having a look.
What could changeStock and materials recorded where the people planning the work can see them.
Between the office and the people on the job
A lot of the useful information is created away from the office. It needs a reliable way back.
More about job scheduling and dispatch- You might recognise
Photos, notes and sign-offs from site arrive by WhatsApp, text or on paper.
What could changeUpdates from site that land with the job, so anyone can find them later.
- You might recognise
The team on site rings the office to check details that are already written down somewhere.
What could changeThe details each person needs for the job they’re on, on their phone.
- You might recognise
Finished jobs aren’t marked as done until someone remembers.
What could changeA simple way to close a job from site, so invoicing can follow on.
Who does what
Plenty of problems aren’t about software at all. They come from nobody being quite sure whose job something is.
More about process improvement and clear responsibilities- You might recognise
Tasks fall between two people, or wait because everyone assumes someone else has them.
What could changeClear owners for each step and handover, written down where people will actually see them.
- You might recognise
One person knows how everything works, and things stall when they’re away.
What could changeThe way things are done, recorded clearly enough that someone else can pick it up.
Connecting the tools you already have
You probably already pay for decent software. The gaps tend to sit between the tools, where people fill in by hand.
We work with what you’ve got wherever we can, and we’ll say plainly if a tool is the problem.
More about connecting your business software- You might recognise
The same customer and job details are typed into the quote, the job system and the accounts.
What could changeDetails entered once and passed between your tools automatically.
- You might recognise
Your job system and your accounts disagree about what’s been done and what’s been invoiced.
What could changeConnections that keep them in step, with a check for anything that doesn’t match.
Repetitive admin
The routine parts of the day that someone has to remember to do.
More about automating repetitive admin- You might recognise
Reminders, confirmations and follow-ups are sent by hand, whenever someone remembers.
What could changeRoutine messages that go out on time on their own, with a person checking the ones that matter.
- You might recognise
Job sheets, certificates and other paperwork are filled in by copying details from somewhere else.
What could changeDocuments that fill themselves in from the job record.
Reporting and the numbers
You should be able to see how the business is doing without giving up an evening to find out.
More about reporting and management information- You might recognise
Weekly figures are pulled together by hand from several different places.
What could changeReports that mostly put themselves together from the records you already keep, ready for someone to check.
- You might recognise
It’s hard to tell which jobs or customers actually make money.
What could changeSimple, regular numbers on the things you care about.
A simple tool where nothing else fits
Sometimes the way you work is the right way, and it’s the software that doesn’t fit.
We only suggest building something when it’s clearly better than adjusting what you already have.
More about internal tools and custom software- You might recognise
A spreadsheet has grown into the thing the whole business depends on.
What could changeA small, focused internal tool that does the same job more reliably, built around how you work.
- You might recognise
Off-the-shelf software would mean changing a process that already works well.
What could changeSomething built for your process, and kept simple enough to look after.
How it might look
The same ideas, in different kinds of business
Illustrative sketches, not client stories. They show the sort of thing we’d look at. What actually helps depends on how your work runs.
A cleaning company
Teams across several sites, rotas that change daily, cover to arrange at short notice and clients who want to know the work was done. A useful change might be one rota that updates the teams’ phones and records sign-off from each site.
See moreA property maintenance firm
Planned and reactive jobs for landlords and tenants, where access, parts and appointments all move. A useful change might be job changes that reach the operative, the tenant and the supplier together.
See moreAn installation business
Survey, order, fitting date and sign-off: a long chain where one late delivery moves everything. A useful change might be linking orders to install dates, so a delay shows up before the fitters do.
See moreA specialist trade
Certificates, compliance paperwork and inspections that come round again. A useful change might be paperwork that fills itself in from the job, and reminders that go out when inspections are due.
See moreA contract manufacturer
Made-to-order work where customers revise quantities and dates. A useful change might be order changes that carry through to the production plan and the materials order.
See more
Recognise something here?
Book an introductory call and tell us how it plays out in your business. We’ll talk it through and, if we could help, explain what putting a change in place might involve.