MOTUS ONE is a single source provider of professional transportation, event management, and consulting logistics services. They are master facilitators of complex transport systems for events such as the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix.
As a company that employs local freelancers, international staff-members, and full time organizers, there are countless moving parts that come into play in transportation management, especially for large scale events.
The main issue, according to Claudia, MOTUS ONE’s Head Planner, is that the classic “pen and paper” method isn’t sustainable, especially when scaling a business like MOTUS ONE. Having instant access to timesheets and employee data is essential not only for wrapping up a single event, but for establishing a baseline that the company can work with in the future.
Before Ubeya, working simultaneously on multiple events in different stages of preparation was a real struggle. This is why the company looked for a software solution with a centralized database that can answer all their staff management needs at the drop of a hat.
MOTUS ONE’s Modus Operandi
In 2013, MOTUS ONE used paper lists and Excel spreadsheets and communicated with staffers via emails and text messages. It was inefficient, and as the company grew it became increasingly difficult to turn customer bids into successful projects.
In an effort to keep up with the scale of their projects, MOTUS ONE looked for a software solution to help manage their employees. Trialing system after system, they found them all lacking one feature or another, until they looked at Ubeya which, in their words, has “the perfect mesh” of features.
Ready, Set, Go
And so began the trial period.
Amongst the immediate attractions was the response of the development team, providing fast support and “tweaks” to the system. It felt like it was designed specifically with MOTUS ONE in mind. In addition, employee numeric performance reviews and GPS based clock-ins proved beneficial over time, notably when dealing with a large shift-based workforce spanning departments and positions.
However, the focal point was having a single database for all staffers, from past events to the upcoming ones. Providing a way to filter, search and feel a peace of mind knowing all information is stored in a secure location and available at a moment’s notice.
Instant access to the workforce data provides MOTUS ONE with a single communication center for all employee-related messages. It saves “infinite hours” on contacting staff, notifying them on uniform regulations, and changes in location. It provides the opportunity to simply do the job, instead of juggling responding to emails, SMS and Whatsapp messages for over 200 employees in the minutes leading to the event.
After a successful trial run, MOTUS ONE dove right into working with Ubeya.
A Bump in the Road
While most employees enthusiastically adopted the new solution, one organizer was determined to stay true to the “old school” method. Not backing down, Claudia dared them to organize the timesheets and prepare the payroll: “You do it the Word document way, and I’ll do it the Ubeya way. We’ll see who’s finished first.”
“Thirty minutes later,” Claudia told us “I was done, but this poor guy kept working at it for the next two weeks, trying to figure out what employee worked what shift, and what exactly they did there.”
Ubeya’s easy to use database and roster proved time and time again to be the biggest time saver for MOTUS ONE’s operations. Keeping track of shifts and employee placements accessible from a mobile app, all the while making long email chains and sporadic timesheets completely obsolete.
The whole team was on-board.
And then, COVID-19 happened.
A Real Roadblock
COVID-19, changed everything. Events was the first industry that shut down and likely the last to recover. The global pandemic came just in time for high season in Dubai, and made a stark difference between flowing masses of visitors from the previous years to the suddenly dried up venues throughout 2020.
While mandates and restrictions on gatherings and public events immobilized the industry worldwide, in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), some events were still allowed under strict restrictions. MOTUS ONE was up for the challenge.
The Express Lane to Success
One of the bigger surprises throughout the ongoing pandemic turned out to be MOTUS ONE’s ability to shift gears with Ubeya in order to keep track of long term event planning. Depending on the scale of the project, this process could start as far as eight months before the actual event.
Allocating (human) resources, keeping track of scheduled drives, and writing invoices for hired services are just some of the actions made possible with Ubeya during the height of the pandemic. Claudia’s newfound ability to keep track of corporate employees doing these tasks “has been just amazing.”
Stating that the complexity of staffing is underrated, even within her own company, Claudia says: “Not many people recognize the challenges of staffing, how crucial it is for the success of the project and how much money it can save everyone when done the right way.” Describing Ubeya as a “silent ninja” working unbeknownst to her clients and the millions of visitors she transported on the job, saving her team countless hours of work and payroll a sizable amount of labor expenses.
