Office Setup

1. Purpose

• Provide a consistent, professional office environment (onsite or remote) that supports fast responses and high-quality service.
• Ensure every team member is equipped, online, and reachable throughout working hours.
• Standardise tools, tabs, and routines so work flows with minimal downtime.

1. Setting Up the Workplace
2. Phones
3. Email
4. ServiceM8
5. SMS Platform
6. Call Tracking
7. Remote Working Guidelines
8. Daily Workflow
9. NST Leads & Follow-Ups
10. Reporting
11. End-of-Day Checklist
12. Standards & Response Times
13. System Access & Notifications

2. Setting Up the Workplace

Having the following things open during the workday will ensure you can attend to each task efficiently with minimal downtime.

• Make sure you have a stable internet connection; speed tests will be performed with your team leader.
• Ensure you have a quiet working environment.

3. Phones

Every team member has the responsibility to be ready to take calls during working hours. This company is run like a real office so if you see an inbound call or someone is transferring to you, you are required to take the call.

• Keep phone app and headset active; status set to Available.
• First-in, first-serve policy: if you’re not already on a call, you must take the call.
• Have Teams open for quick internal transfers and updates.

4. Email

We need a fast response on emails. Especially if they are complaints, current customer enquiries or new quote requests. Response time: 5 minutes maximum. If you see an email in your department and what you are working on is not critical, attend to the email as number 1 priority.

• Use Google Chrome and have two Gmail tabs open for team inboxes (e.g., sales@propestcontrolbrisbane.com.au plus your secondary inbox if assigned).
• Ensure browser notifications are turned on: Settings > General > Desktop Notifications > New Mail Notifications On.
• Mobile App: Download the Gmail app to your phone and add both accounts. Leave the phone on your desk to see screen notifications.
• Update activities in the appropriate Teams channels.

5. ServiceM8

• Booking / Scheduling software must be open at all times in another Google Chrome Tab.
• Login: https://servicem8.com/ (or use the desktop app, which is often faster).
• Keep Dispatch Board open; refresh if performance slows.

6. SMS Platform

We send SMS to clients and our contractors through a web-based SMS platform.

• Access: http://sms.callz.com.au/admin/
• Use for reminders, confirmations, and brief updates.
• Log outcomes in the relevant ServiceM8 job note.

7. Call Tracking

• We can listen to all incoming calls here: http://tracking.callz.com.au/
• Use for quality assurance, coaching, and dispute resolution.
• Reference call IDs in ServiceM8 job notes if relevant.

8. Remote Working Guidelines

To ensure that employee performance will not suffer in remote work arrangements, we advise our remote employees to:

• Choose a quiet and distraction-free working space.
• Have an internet connection that’s adequate for their job.
• Dedicate their full attention to their job duties during working hours.
• Adhere to break and attendance schedules agreed upon with their manager.
• Ensure their schedules overlap with those of their team members as needed to complete duties effectively.

Team members and managers should determine long-term and short-term goals and meet frequently (online or in-person when possible) to discuss progress and results.

9. Daily Workflow

• Signing In: Start work by signing into your Hubstaff – For Trainees app, then post “In” in the attendance Teams channel. Greet your department (“Good Morning”).
• Open Software: Have Call Tracking (Callz), Gmail, SMS Portal, ServiceM8, and Teams open and ready.
• Be Ready For Inbound Calls: Your shift starts at 9:00 (not 9:30). Complete morning tasks prior to 9:00 so you can take calls immediately.
• Check Emails: Scan the inbox for unattended emails and respond. Update activities in the appropriate Teams channels.
• Check SMS: Review new SMS and respond; log outcomes in ServiceM8. Update the appropriate Teams channels if needed.
• Daily Follow-Ups: Complete your follow-ups after email/SMS responses are cleared.

10. NST Leads & Follow-Ups

• NST Leads: Call all NST leads from the previous day first thing in the morning.
• You may call on behalf of another team member if they’re busy; ask first.
• Retry schedule: approximately 1 hour after the 1st attempt, then after 5pm or before 9am.
• Log call results in ServiceM8 and update the relevant Teams channel.

11. Reporting

• Close Off Reports: Employee Close Off Sheets are to be completed every day and posted in Teams before EOD.
• Sales Reports: Daily sales reports are to be posted in Teams before EOD.
• Job Completion Reports: Post the template in the appropriate Teams channels for every customer that was called for collections.

12. End-of-Day Checklist

• Complete personal daily tasks (promised call-backs, promised emails) before signing out.
• Complete all follow-ups.
• Ensure all inboxes and SMS threads are cleared or assigned.
• Post required reports in Teams.

13. Standards & Response Times

Monitor both Inbox and SMS regularly all day. We never know when an email will come in and response times must be under 10 minutes. Do not expect or assume “someone else will look after it”. Communicate via Teams if you see an important email or SMS immediately and follow through until it has been resolved. You can reply on someone else’s behalf to make the customer happy. If you sign off an email or SMS with someone else’s name in their absence, update them or your team leader in the relevant Teams channel.

14. System Access & Notifications