StaffAny launches app to help SMEs manage reopening measures

AS companies resume limited operations in Singapore's phased lifting of the circuit breaker, careful tracking of their staff's attendance, temperatures and health declarations will be a top priority for employers, to ensure they will be allowed to stay open.

To help firms integrate compliance with the numerous reopening requirements into existing attendance workflows, human resource startup StaffAny on June 2 officially launches a mobile app called CICO (Clock-in, Clock-out).

CICO combines the government's SafeEntry digital check-in system with elements of the StaffAny workforce management solution, which digitalises attendance process and other key information records for hourly workers into remotely accessible dashboards. The app automatically redirects users to the SafeEntry website to input the required contact tracing information there and sends them reminders if they fail to complete the form.

StaffAny is offering CICO free-of-charge until the end of the year for local businesses that sign up by June 30.

"One of our regular customers prodded us to do this," said co-founder and CEO Janson Seah. "The SafeEntry requirement was being imposed, and they said 'Can you do something to optimise it, because it's messy and creates double work?'"

The initial plan was to add SafeEntry integration as a feature to its existing HR management product, but the startup realised companies that have not yet adopted digital check-in solutions like StaffAny would stand to benefit even more from the solution once the circuit breaker started to lift.

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"We decided that this is a meaningful opportunity to help companies beyond our customers to manage their compliance with these regulations, by giving it to them for free until the end of the year," said Mr Seah.

StaffAny spent about four weeks developing the app, and pushed out an initial version about one and a half weeks after the SafeEntry requirements came into force.

It has been rolling out the fuller version over the past week to existing customers and fielding inquiries from about 10 firms that are not yet customers but are keen to use the app.

So far, 20 to 30 per cent of StaffAny's more than 100 clients, including Phoon Huat and Foreword Coffee Roasters, have been using CICO at about 100 locations around Singapore.

Co-founder and head of growth Eugene Ng noted that while StaffAny has primarily served the food and beverage, retail and manufacturing sectors with its paid HR solution, CICO will be useful during this pandemic for any company that pays staff by the hour, especially if it is currently using biometric or punch card systems.

The app will eliminate the need to touch a card or machine, or to congregate in certain areas, and the data is uploaded to the cloud so that managers can check live timesheets and attendance for multiple outlets without physical visits.

Co-founder and chief technology officer Jeremy Hon shared that the company plans to eventually integrate CICO with the SafeEntry application programming interfaces (APIs) when they are available.

StaffAny is in talks with GovTech to join the SafeEntry beta programme and will keep in close contact with its clients, to ensure the app meets their needs while keeping up with changes to processes or regulations.

"We want to help clients reopen safely, not just our existing clients but also new businesses," said co-founder Lee Kai Yi, who leads the product team. "We're having conversations with GovTech to develop deeper integrations, and if other changes pop up, as a young startup being responsive is the philosophy we are going for."

Mr Seah believes the pandemic will be the catalyst for digital transformation for many SMEs, starting with small steps like adopting the use of workforce management solutions like CICO.

"We see this change as permanent, not temporal," he said. "We are adding more value than the punch card system, because now you don't need to manually export and go through spreadsheets, and you have visibility with dashboards. This kind of value will continue even after the pandemic is over, and we see this as a first step to digital transformation for these SMEs."

While the startup hopes that some of the new CICO users will eventually choose StaffAny's full solution, Mr Seah said their priority is to help business owners worry less about compliance and get through this difficult time.

"Private enterprises in Singapore that have the ability and reach should do their bit to help fight Covid-19," he said. "Instead of dollar donations or masks, we can fight on our own front by doing what we do best to help our clients."