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Why Digitization is the Answer to the Question of...
I’ve worked with many retailers over the years and it’s fair to say that compliance is a perennial thorn in their side. Okay, it’s not exactly riveting but it’s a necessary evil that businesses need to get to grips with. And fast. Why? Because doing so is not only an opportunity to reduce your headaches, but a chance to transform your operations and deliver a consistently high quality customer experience.
Read MoreThe Value of Channel Partnerships: Why Working...
Technology stacks can get messy fast, especially when you're dealing with multi vendor extended solution architectures. Businesses need solutions that don’t just fit together but also scale without falling apart. The channel model, where vendors, distributors, and resellers work in lockstep, exists precisely to handle this. Let’s break down why this approach is less about logistics and more about making life easier for both end customers and resellers.
Read MoreExploring the Future of Facilities Management:...
Facilities Management (FM) encompasses a broad array of services crucial for maintaining the functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of buildings. From maintenance and cleaning to security, landscaping, waste management, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), FM plays a vital role in keeping our built environment running smoothly. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with one of our partners, Chandrrakala Reddy, Regional Sales Manager at d.code solutions, to discuss the evolving landscape of facilities management, particularly in the GCC region.
Read MoreAchieving a 5 Star National Standards for...
The National Standards for Cleanliness have focused attention on complying with the crucial 50-point check. But are they seizing this opportunity to improve the effectiveness of their cleaning processes, rather than just treating it as a tick box to get a clean bill of health? Audit scores are about more than compliance, which should be just the start.
Read MoreUnlocking Safety: 5 Ways mpro5 Enhances Security
Ensuring security is a top priority for any business owner, whether it's a physical store or an online business. To uphold security standards, many retailers rely on mpro5. mpro5 harnesses the power of cameras and sensors, enhanced with AI automation, detecting and preventing security breaches has never been easier. Curious what features mpro5 uses to enhance security? Here are 5 key features that help achieve enhanced security measures.
Read MoreThe Benefits of Digitization in the Hospitality...
Regardless of the benefits, going digital can seem like a daunting prospect. But while there’s no denying digitization requires investment, time and patience, I’ve witnessed how even the short-term benefits far outweigh the initial outlay.
Read MoreThese FOOD SAFETY Compliance Oversights Could Be...
While it may be true in certain scenarios, the stakes are much higher when it comes to the food industry. Hidden behaviors and data pose not only a danger to your brand and reputation, but also a serious threat to the health of your customers.
Read MoreHospital Cleaning Checklists - ensuring compliance
In the UK, standards relating to the cleaning of hospitals were last updated in 2007. Now, there are the new National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021. This new set of standards regulates all cleaning tasks throughout the NHS, regardless of which department is responsible for it.
Read MoreIoT in Retail: leveraging sensor-driven actions
In today’s radically evolving retail landscape, streamlining operations, while driving productivity and maintaining compliance, are essential for staying competitive. We are now in a new age of digitalization, where technology such as IoT (Internet of Things), is expanding the opportunity for innovation in retail, by revolutionizing how retailers improve workflows, engage with customers, and cut costs. To understand the impact of IoT in the retail space, it’s important to recognize the depth of its capabilities, the untapped opportunities and long-term benefits of the technology.
Read Morempro5 exhibiting at the Hospitality Tech Expo 2024
mpro5, the process management app, will be exhibiting at the Hospitality Tech Expo at ExCeL London in October 2024. Part of The Hospitality B2B Portfolio, the event is one of seven under one roof, including the Restaurant & Takeaway Innovation Expo, and the Hotel and Resort Innovation Expo, that aims to "empower a wide array of establishments by showcasing the most sought-after innovations to their visitors".
Read MoreRevolutionizing Retail: Top IoT Use Cases...
Technological advancements are continuing to transform the retail industry, with the Internet of Things (IoT) leading the charge. Research shows that retailers are implementing IoT solutions to enhance operational efficiency and improve customer experiences. These technologies can monitor various operational aspects, alerting maintenance teams to issues and providing precise details about their location and nature. Managers are then informed once problems are resolved. As consumer expectations evolve and competition intensifies, embracing IoT solutions is crucial for retailers aiming to maintain a competitive edge and foster sustainable growth.
Read Morempro5 showcases IoT innovations at Cisco Live!...
mpro5, the process management app, showcases the latest IoT-powered innovations in workflow automation at Cisco Live! Las Vegas in June. mpro5 successfully turns IoT data from cameras and sensors into real-world results for businesses in the facilities management, grocery store, and food service industries.
Read MoreSmarter, dynamic cleaning tech: everything you...
The latest workflow and process automation software and new innovations in internet of things (IoT) sensors and cameras are revolutionising the facilities management (FM) sector. Specifically, these technologies are enabling facilities managers in the catering and hospitality sectors to achieve smarter, more dynamic cleaning rotas and workflows: essentially cleaning restaurants, kitchens, toilets, and buildings faster, better, and easier than ever before, at lower cost and with less resources.
Read Morempro5 appoints Derek Fisk as new Head of Channel
mpro5, the process management app, has announced the appointment of Derek Fisk as its new Head of Channel. Fisk’s appointment is set to bolster mpro5’s partner recruitment drive in 2024, as the company targets channel experts to join its growing ecosystem.
Read MoreNHS Trusts must start getting smart about spaces
The NHS is under a lot of pressure right now, in case you haven’t heard. Strikes, staff shortages, pandemic backlogs, waiting lists, an aging population – there are many factors at play here, but one key piece is the physical capacity of trusts.
Read MoreWhy data is the key to a successful Facilities...
In our recent webinar (watch here), we dissected Total Facilities Management (TFM) contracts: those all-in-one deals that provide a total FM provision.
Read MoreBeyond the Big Quit: Why Productivity is about...
High inflation, stagnating wages, economic recession and a world-wide pandemic have changed the workforce, in some ways that will probably take decades to fully understand. But there are some more immediate lessons that businesses can learn.
Read More5 Ways IoT Sensors Are Transforming Outcomes
Businesses across all industries are restructuring their systems and processes as technology allows for completely new ways of working, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is central to this digital transformation.
According to IoT Analytics, although the growth in the number of connected devices slowed in 2021, shipments are expected to accelerate again over 2022 and 2023, with the total number of IoT devices projected to reach 14.4 billion by the end of 2022.
Read MoreIoT in transportation: How is it being used?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is being used by transportation and logistics companies to streamline internal processes, improve driver productivity and operate more efficiently. The business impact of IoT is hard to over-state, whether it’s improving driver safety or making operations more efficient. In this article, we look at a just some of the many potential use-cases for IoT in transportation:
Read More5 ways that technology can combat full employment...
The economic climate in 2022 is severe. With war in Ukraine causing food shortages and energy insecurity, inflation at its highest for 40 years, strained supply lines and full employment (particularly in the UK), businesses face challenges on many fronts.
Read MoreIs SaaS right for your company?
So, you want to buy another Software as a Service solution. This might sound like an assumption, but given that spending on SaaS is likely to reach $171 billion globally by the end of 2022 (according to Gartner), the chances are you already use it in many areas of your business, and it’s equally likely that you or someone else in your company is looking to add another one to the tech stack.
Read MoreHow to improve your contract retention rate?...
Contract review time can be a white-knuckle experience for many cleaning businesses. You think you’ve maintained decent audit scores, but is that enough: have you delivered the expected outcome and will they or won’t they sign on the dotted line for another year?
Read MoreNHS asset management: when is it time to throw in...
Estates teams face a quandary with NHS assets. Manage them well and you’ll release a much-needed windfall, squander them and you’ll always be short of funds to invest in areas that really make a difference. Now it’s been recognised that “an attractive and well-maintained environment makes an important contribution to the well-being of patients” you might finally have the budget to improve patient-facing areas.
Read MoreIt's time to talk about the 'experience' in...
Today I want to talk about a third and final aspect of digitalisation in QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants) – the customer experience. If you read about this online, you might get the impression that the only thing QSR’s are focused on is queue busting, installing big touch screens and minimizing interaction with staff.
Read MorePolish your audit performance with dynamic...
Dynamic cleaning is one of those rare phenomena – a development that’s a win for everyone involved. Soft FM companies can cut costs and improve the quality of their delivery, customers enjoy better value and higher standards and the cleaners themselves are under less pressure as they have clear direction on where to focus their efforts, and maximise their productivity.
Read MoreCould superglue be the cure for your...
If there’s one thing trickier than managing employees, it’s managing subcontractors. It’s a familiar problem to NHS estates and facilities managers who have to rely heavily on an army of specialists, engineers and maintenance teams to manage their estates and keep them safe and operational.
Read MoreEmpower your employees with BYOD
Companies have been more trusting of their employees since the pandemic forced everyone to work at home. In much the same way that employers realised their staff could be trusted to get on with the job despite being unsupervised, they are also realising that they can trust them to use their phone for work without opening Candy Crush.
Read MoreStop wasting time producing PPM reports
Technical compliance with a Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) schedule should not be complex to achieve. After all, there are clear instructions specifying what needs to be done, how it should be done and when. So why are PPMs such a headache for many NHS trusts? I’d argue that it’s not meeting the compliance requirements that’s the issue, but proving you met them.
Read MoreDigitalization will transform the way you work
It might sound odd coming from a software company – but changing your processes from paper to digital forms isn’t in and of itself that useful. Yes you save money on paper, and hopefully a few trees too, but what difference does it really make?
Read MoreThe answer to healthcare staff shortages - a...
Exhausted by their increased workload due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain’s cleaners have reached a breaking point and are voting with their feet to leave the sector. According to HEFMA, the extra procedures put in place and an increased workload from covering for sick colleagues have created “a dangerous cocktail” of staff shortages and burnout.
Read MoreSmart Technology & Transforming Customers' Retail...
Imagine walking into a store and seeing a mess in the front display units: Shelves are disorganised, stock low and a prior customer abandoned their half-full shopping cart. Is this a one-off mess or something the store regularly faces? When it comes to the customer experience, little things can quickly add up to a negative perception.
Read MoreMaximising ROI with the IoT (Internet of Things)
In my last article I talked about smart stations that use the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve the passenger experience, but this technology holds enormous potential to transform businesses in almost every sector. With the right planning and strategy, it can also be made extremely cost-effective.
Read MoreCustomer Spotlight: Goodwater | mpro5
We sat down with Chris King, Operations Director and Co-Owner of Goodwater, to discuss how mpro5 has improved their service and efficiency. Goodwater provide water treatment and water hygiene services, as well as supplying and servicing water treatment equipment on new builds and retro-fit projects.
Read MoreFour ways remote monitoring (IoT) can transform...
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ll have heard about remote monitoring, also known as theInternet of Things (IoT), but you might be wondering “What can it do for me?”So, for starters, here are four ways this technology, coupled with asmart digital solution to make sense of the data, can improve food safety, increase efficiency, enhance your customer experience and boost sales.
Read MoreThree Types of NHS Cleaning Audits Explained |...
Since the long-awaited National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness were published, the mandatory Technical Audit with its new 50 point check has rather stolen the limelight. But the belle of the ball has two ugly sisters, the efficacy audit and the external audit, which are just as crucial to delivering the new standards.
Read MoreSmart Cleaning: Win New Business with Dynamic...
Dynamic cleaning that utilises real-time data and intelligent automation can not only make your operations more efficient but allow you to win new business and assure your customers that you are using your time to get them the best possible results.
Read MoreDigital Compliance Logbooks - Why It's Time to...
Safe & legal logbooks are the bedrock of any compliance regime and are filled out for hundreds of specific purposes by most employees on a daily basis. But this is an expensive, people intense process that is difficult to manage, open to misinterpretation and full of easy to ignore processes. Consequently, measurement and reporting is difficult, as is the validation of compliance.
Read MoreGeospatial Data & Its Benefits to Business...
Geospatial data may sound a little abstract, but it is (quite literally) everywhere. Whether you’re following your maps app to a new place or tracking a parcel, this data helps us to see not just the location of something but its status, travel and any related events – often in real-time.
Read MoreSmart Railway Stations: Why They're the Future of...
There is still a perception that Smart Stations are a future technology with limited practical benefit. In this article Toby Hawkins, sales director of ‘Software as a Service’ provider mpro5, considers the substantial returns that the Internet of Things (IoT) can provide today when used in stations.
Read MoreThe Right Way to Choose the Right Software for...
We've talked before about why the NHS keeps getting software wrong. Often, the problem stems from people asking the wrong questions at the tender stage, meaning the project is doomed from the start. We're going to be controversial here and say that long lists of features are where it all starts to go pear-shaped.
Read MoreNHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness...
Many believed it wouldn’t happen in their lifetime but the new National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness are finally here - and only nine years later than promised. Not as long as the film director James Cameron took to make Avatar (15 years if you’re asking) but still quite a wait.
Read MoreIs Your Business Ready for Natasha’s Law?
If you’re in the food or catering industry, then chances are you’ll be all-too-familiar with landmark labelling legislation coming into force this October. At least, I hope you are. Because Natasha’s Law is set to shake up the entire sector – and businesses need to be prepared.
Read More5 ways IoT in train stations enhances passenger...
The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming prevalent across many different sectors and the rail industry is perfectly placed to leverage this smart technology in their stations. With UK rail reforms coming into play soon, including the rollout of Service Quality Requirements (SQRs), it will be vital that train operating companies have new systems that help them to measure all the factors that influence the customer experience. Smart technology and real-time monitoring enable intelligent decision-making, whether it is a busy transport hub in a city or a rural, unmanned platform.
Read MoreWhy buying another piece of software is not the...
I’m going to stick my neck out here and say whatever the issue you face, your knee-jerk reaction to buy yet another piece of software is not the answer. Sure, a point solution may solve the immediate problem but it’s likely to cause many more at the same time. Public sector organisations, like the NHS, need to ditch the “fix it” mentality and, instead, take a more strategic, longer-term view.
Read MoreAre businesses missing an opportunity to clean up?
In this digital age, a business’ ability to unlock the value of its data can make a good company great. The UK’s big businesses know this: they’ve been capturing and analysing performance data for years to squeeze out every last drop of value and get an edge over the competition. Yet many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still rely on spreadsheets and paper-based methods to manage their operations. If you’re one of them, this matters because it could limit your ability to identify profit potential and growth opportunities.
Read MoreWhy the most resilient businesses are Composable...
Digital transformation has affected businesses across the whole spectrum and one commonality is the speed of digitalisation which has significantly increased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to these shifts in the business landscape, there’s a critical need to be agile and able to change gears quickly whilst being prepared for the future.
Read Morempro5: New web portal release launching
The mpro5 masterminds have been working hard to make even more improvements and enhancements to your mpro5 web portal. Using a mixture of innovation, customer feedback and our own expertise to deliver the developments that matter to you, our latest website release brings with it a number of new updates, including 166 NEW features and enhancements, as well as some key bug fixes.
Here’s some of the best bits you can look forward to seeing:
Harnessing real benefit from IoT
IoT isn’t a new thing really, but it would appear it is still largely misunderstood. I still find a lot of our customers kind of ‘get it’, but don’t really know if it’s relevant to them, or whether it can really bring any benefit to their business. Their scepticism can be well-justified in many cases. However, we have seen that IoT CAN bring some real benefit and efficiencies to businesses, especially in the Facilities Management sector.
Read MoreTop 5 benefits of cloud-based facilities...
The way that field and office teams work has changed rapidly over recent years, with technology bringing significant changes to the workplace. The need to capture accurate data, consolidate, analyse and share is critical to today’s key business decision makers – and Facilities Management is no different. The ability to efficiently managing daily tasks, internal and external workforces, as well as providing clarity to clients on a day to day basis is paramount.
Read Morempro5: New web portal release
This new mpro5 web portal release is coming very soon. We are always working to improve the web portal in terms of design, flow and features. In fact, the changes and tweaks we have made for this particular release total over 100! The headline features are the design overhaul of the ‘CRM’ area, as well as the ability to link to your single sign on system.
Read Morempro5 Integration API Overhaul
What is the overhaul? The mpro5 system has been providing an integration API facility for a while now using the SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) standard. Microsoft developed SOAP and it communicates using the XML format. While SOAP originally solved a lot of problems and has been the standard for a long time, i t has issues of its own. Some being – having to write lots of code to create the basic request structure and when you send a request through JavaScript the JSON format isn’t supported, meaning your requests have to use XML are larger and can affect speed.
Read MoreIoT data without action dies!
How many times have we been told that IoT is the future of business? A lot I would hazard a guess which is why 80% of senior executives now say that IoT data is critical to their business in 2020 and 92% of organisations are expecting to adopt some form of IoT by the end of 2019….and it is nearly Christmas. 2 years ago, we heard that there would be 20 Billion connected devices by 2020 but I suspect we are already there.
Read MoreFacilities Management Technology & Benefits
How people work has changed significantly over recent years and technology has brought big changes to the workplace. The need to capture accurate data, consolidate, analyse and share it is critical to today’s key business decision makers. Facilities Management is no different. Efficiently managing daily tasks, internal and external workforces, as well as providing insights to their clients is paramount.
Read MoreSpreadsheets: your business can break free
Spreadsheets are great to keep track of static data as well as personal finances, budgets and so on. They can do some really smart calculations and quickly generate your figures…but, they simply aren’t maintainable for logging and tracking operations like cleaning, auditing and deliveries.
Read MoreThe Future Of Internet Of Things - How We'll Use...
We’re always interested in glimpses into the future here at mpro5, especially the future of IoT, and The Economist’s Technology Quarterly usually has a good story or two about where the latest trends are taking us. The latest quarter didn’t disappoint, with a wide ranging and sometimes slightly bonkers report on what IoT has in store. Sensors in cars that give your insurer information about your driving style – and possibly lower premiums – is not new news. But how about a toothbrush that reports on how well you brush your teeth? Is that a fair price of lower dental insurance? There’s more. How about face recognition software that can estimate your body fat content? That one’s from China. And, you may have guessed, can affect health insurance premiums. Away from insurance, there is much less creepy stuff going on, in buildings. Here we have:
Read MoreWhat is Mobile Workforce Management (MWM)?
Mobile apps are everywhere and are coming more integral to every-day business and home life. Something that is becoming ever more apparent, especially with emerging Digital Transformation technologies accelerating at a rapid rate, is that business chiefs and innovation specialists across every vertical are now looking at how they can digitise their business processes and improve efficiency across their entire organisation with the addition of mobile workforce management.
Read MoreWhat are the benefits of 5G for business?
The world is on its way to being mobile-first, and well on its way to having 30 billion connected mobile devices and if you aren’t already aware, 5G is the fifth and newest generation of mobile communications technology. The 5G network promises faster speeds and better reliability than the previous 4G. The implementation of 5G across the UK promises to offer greater stability, give lower latency, the ability to connect many more devices at once, and move more data thanks to faster speeds than its predecessor. This is exciting news, maybe not Stormzy on a boat on the River Thames exciting, but nonetheless it is impressive.
Read MoreDelivering newspapers using mpro5
Delivering newspapers is no mean feat in London. We know as we help deliver newspapers with The Metro and The Standard. The goal is to make sure customers can get a newspaper whenever they want one. This means stocking and restocking racks with mpro5 tags. The delivery guys scan our tag, then take photos of the rack with (and without) papers. Those photos are evidence of delivery. Advertisers need delivery guarantees to make sure that as many people as possible see the names of Sky, BT, Virgin and so on.
Read MoreIoT, the Internet of Things - a short take
Take sensors, you know, temperature sensors (like in your fridge) or CO2 sensors (like that one in the bedroom). Get them to “talk” over WiFi… no, not that WiFi, because there are a gazillion of these things in the Internet of Things. No, over Low Power Wifi. The battery lasts for years and the network (The Things Network is our choice) can cope with a Gazillion (stop saying a gazillion, Ed) packets of data (that’s bits of info) .
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