Raken, the top-rated construction field management app, is celebrating a record year in product development. In 2023, the California-based software provider expanded their lineup of easy-to-use solutions to include new safety and quality management tools, a mobile worker time clock, digital forms, and worker certifications.
Between releasing more new features than ever and achieving a milestone of 53,000 users, this year marks Raken’s biggest yet. The software serves a variety of well-known contracting businesses, including J.W. Danforth, Webcor, Level 10 Construction, and Dickinson Cameron.
Raken recognized safety monitoring and time tracking as two of the most important workflows for their clients, and made significant investments in these areas this year. In addition, Raken identified that customers are looking for more useful insights from the jobsite to help them better manage and grow their businesses. They continue to enhance the app’s dashboards and reporting to provide these insights in an easy-to-digest format, now including safety and time clock data.
The company is currently working on more innovations and key technology integrations to continuously adapt to meet the evolving needs of all GCs and subcontractors working in the field. “Raken is the all-in-one field management solution for the construction industry,” said Mike Bates, Raken’s VP of Corporate Strategy. “We’ve had a great year—we have delivered significant value for our customers and are excited to share what’s coming in 2024.”
Safety and quality management
Raken’s safety and quality management tools help customers reduce risk and protect themselves from costly litigation. New features include managed checklists and observations.
Admins can now assign and schedule safety and quality checklists, set up automated email notifications, and track checklist completion.
Using the new observations tool, workers report positive or negative observations from the field and tag a team member or collaborator to address any issues.
Admins are also able to track compliance at a glance with enhanced safety and quality reports and insights dashboards.
Like all Raken features, the safety and quality management enhancements were developed directly based on customer feedback. “We heard our customers and focused on partnering with them to increase jobsite safety,” Bates said. “This has allowed us to deliver a solution that can increase jobsite communication, capture observations in real time, and allow our customers to immediately view safety metrics from the field.”
With this new release, customers can more easily enforce safety and quality standards and quickly resolve potential risks on the jobsite.
Time tracking
This year, Raken also unveiled a mobile worker time clock—a new addition to their flexible time entry options. Time clock functionality unlocks new growth opportunities for Raken, enabling clients to put a streamlined app in the hands of all workers, not just supervisors and foremen.
Raken’s time clock allows workers to track their own time using their mobile devices. The field can clock in, log breaks, and clock out, and the office can verify worker hours and location with GPS tracking. Workers also approve their time cards, reducing payroll errors.
Bates explains the inspiration for the new addition. “Accurate time tracking and payroll is obviously super critical for our customers. Now, we can offer the ability to capture time from any device, in the means that best supports field operations.”
Just like with Raken’s time cards and shared kiosk, all time clock data is automatically organized into detailed timesheets and translated into actionable production insights. Raken also integrates with leading industry-preferred accounting software to enable significant time savings while ensuring accurate, streamlined data flows.
The mobile time clock eliminates time theft and buddy punching and reduces manual data entry. It saves valuable work hours for both the accounting team and field supervisors, who no longer need to track time for their crews.
Digital forms, certifications, and other enhancements
Recognizing the need for simplified document storage and sharing, Raken now enables customers to digitize their paper file cabinets by storing all their company and government documents securely in one place. Raken’s new forms solution allows users to upload, share, edit, and access forms and documents quickly and painlessly through the app.
Additional enhancements include the ability to upload and track employee certifications, along with a visual labor map that allows for better scheduling and hiring decisions. Web and mobile app design upgrades this year have made it easier than ever for users to navigate Raken and quickly access their vital tools and information.
Award-winning customer service
While Raken’s solutions are built to be easy to use, the company furthers its commitment to high field adoption and compliance with industry-leading customer service.
In 2023 the San Diego-based team was recognized for the third year in a row with a Stevie Award for Customer Service Team of the Year, continuing to raise the bar in level of service. With white glove support, fast response times, and hands-on onboarding, the Raken customer success team is dedicated to helping customers make the most of their investment.
