How Elite Fense & Outdoor Replaced Google Sheets and Group Texts with Connecteam
Elite Fens & Outdoor is a residential and commercial fencing company running four to five concurrent job sites daily across the Tampa Bay area.
Industry
Location
Tampa Bay, Florida, United States
Products used
Job Scheduling Team Chat Time Clock & Timesheets GPS Tracking
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“Connecteam helped us get more organized and structured and have effective communication between us and all our contractors. It’s definitely removed a lot of stress.”
Key Results
- Scheduling moved off Google Sheets. Five crews now get their full week of jobs in advance, with project photos and details, all in one place.
- Reduced payroll error risk. Hourly employees clock in and out through Connecteam, with GPS data providing greater visibility than self-reported hours.
- One channel for all five crews. Separate group chats per crew replaced scattered text threads, with closeout photos logged after every job.
The Challenge: Too Many Tabs, Too Many Threads
Coordinating five contractor crews across four to five job sites a day is a logistics problem that Google Sheets and group texts cannot solve cleanly. Jobs are booked on demand, schedules change, and every crew needs to know exactly where to go and what to build.
- Schedules were built and communicated manually through Google Sheets, with job details sent to contractors the day before or later.
- Time tracking relied on manually reported hours, giving managers limited visibility into where clock-ins and clock-outs occurred.
- Communication was spread across personal text threads, making it hard to track who confirmed what and when.
“Before Connecteam, we just sent contractors what they were doing the day before or something. Now they’re able to tell what they’re doing throughout the week.”
How Elite Fense & Outdoor Uses Connecteam to Coordinate Five Crews Daily
The team adopted Connecteam to replace the patchwork of Sheets, texts, and manual check-ins with a single platform that every foreman and hourly employee could access from their phone. The goal was simple: less confusion, more accountability, and a record of every job.
- Job assignments, project breakdowns, and photos are uploaded to Connecteam each week, giving every crew foreman a clear view of the full schedule in advance.
- Each of the five crews has a dedicated group chat where they send job names and closeout photos upon completion, giving ownership a real-time log of finished work.
- In-house hourly employees clock in and out through Connecteam, with the location associated with each time entry available for review. Approved time data is then transferred to Gusto for payroll processing.
“Every contractor has access to Connecteam, so they see what their jobs are. They know in advance what they’re doing Monday through Friday. And when they finish the job, they send pictures through Connecteam.”
Results That Affect Elite Fense & Outdoor’s Bottom Line
Payroll Accuracy and Labor Cost Control
- GPS data gives managers visibility into the locations associated with employee clock-ins and clock-outs, helping them identify and review potentially inaccurate time entries.
- Hourly time data flows directly from Connecteam to Gusto, removing manual entry from the payroll process.
- Ownership can confirm clock-in and clock-out locations for every shift, reducing disputes and overpayment.
Operational Visibility Across Every Active Crew
- Each foreman receives the full week’s job schedule in advance, with project photos attached, so crews arrive prepared.
- Closeout photos submitted through crew group chats create a searchable record of completed work for every job.
- Ownership accesses job history and crew communications in one place instead of digging through old text threads.
“Connecteam has helped us reduce manual errors and gain better visibility into time tracking. We can see where employees clock in and out, identify unusual entries, and follow up when needed.”
Before vs. After Connecteam
| Aspect | Before Connecteam | After Connecteam |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Google Sheets. Jobs sent the day before | Full week of jobs published in app, with project photos |
| Time Tracking | Self-reported hours. No location verification | GPS clock-in and clock-out tied to each time entry |
| Crew Communication | Scattered personal text threads | Five dedicated group chats. Closeout photos logged per job |
| Payroll Processing | Manual hour collection. Human error risk | Time data syncs directly to Gusto each pay period |
| Job Documentation | No consistent record of completed work | Photo log per job submitted through crew chats |
Why Connecteam Was the Right Move
Elite Fense & Outdoor needed a simpler way to coordinate multiple crews, review employee time entries, and centralize communication. Connecteam replaced scattered spreadsheets and text threads with one platform for scheduling, time tracking, and crew updates.