Scheduling of jobs in the waste industry
Within the waste and recycling industry, there are many different job scheduling software packages. However, many of these are pitched into the enterprise market and are not profitable for smaller businesses or social enterprises, and you need to come up with another approach to managing your day-to-day collections work.
There are a number of approaches you could take:
1. Use of whiteboards: these can show the whole room the current work at that moment. You can also show the recent history and the next few days. For example, you may want to display a single week or a fortnight. You cannot schedule regular jobs or view any history in detail. This does not contain data about your customers, it only displays collection information.
2. Use of diaries: This can give you a better historical record, since you don’t have to erase and start over every week. However, only one person can access this information at a time, and again, you cannot schedule regular jobs. Also, just like using whiteboards, it only displays information from the collection.
3. Using spreadsheets – This is a quick and easy way to store much more detailed information about your customers. With large and complex spreadsheets, by using linked sheets you can begin to store more complex information. You can even use the date feature to use a spreadsheet to schedule your jobs. However, they weren’t designed with accessibility in mind, and you’ll need to remember that you’re ultimately using a spreadsheet for something it wasn’t designed to do. Microsoft has now created a new suite of packages called Office 365 for online collaboration and sharing.
4. Use of calendar software – This will allow you to generate recurring appointments and, assuming you never delete or edit the cycle, you can keep a historical record of activity. It is presented in a much better way than a spreadsheet, but it only shows work schedules, instead of more detailed information. There are online calendars that will allow you to easily share information. Additionally, there are programs that work with Google docs (an online suite of programs that includes a calendar) that will allow your clients to book their own jobs online.
5. A database can be created in-house with a certain level of prior knowledge – MS Access has been designed with this in mind. However, unless you are sure that the person who wrote it will stay in business, this could cause problems in the long run, as you will need to consider how to maintain it and what you would do if you wanted to update or improve it.
6. Implementation of web-based software. Sometimes called cloud applications, or software as a service, this type of software has allowed software developers to provide you with software at a much lower cost. Google Docs and Office 365 are examples of this. However, there is a wide range of software that has been designed with specific jobs in mind, so you can be sure that you will be able to find the software that suits your requirements at a low cost. Typically, these software deals will give you a free trial so you can see if their software fits the way you work.