Parker Carpentry Contractors is a carpentry and construction services company specialising in residential and commercial carpentry work across Australia. Simon Parker shares how Kynection integrated their fragmented systems, eliminated 2-3 days of weekly manual admin work, and transformed project data visibility and profitability.
The Challenge
Q: What were the key problems Parker Carpentry Contractors faced prior to using Kynection?
Simon Parker: We had a lot of smaller systems that didn’t necessarily work together, there was a lot of back and forth to get things to line up across all the different working platforms. We had little financial transparency across our projects and all the data entry was manual, making it easy to miss things. This included timesheets, day dockets, safety systems, SWMS, our job safety analysis sheets, our pre staff forms, accident and reporting. Overall, our systems were making it hard to track what tasks were actually being completed and what was happening on site.
The Solution
Q: What was at stake if you didn’t fix these problems?
Simon Parker: When we first got in contact with Kynection we were spending around 2-3 days each week on manual admin work and it was getting worse. I felt that everything we were doing was going through spreadsheets and that we were making too many decisions off “gut feel”. Our manual processes were strangling the company from opening up further growth.
Q: What was at stake if you didn’t fix these problems?
Simon Parker: When we first got in contact with Kynection we were spending around 2-3 days each week on manual admin work and it was getting worse. I felt that everything we were doing was going through spreadsheets and that we were making too many decisions off “gut feel”. Our manual processes were strangling the company from opening up further growth.
Q: Why did you choose Kynection?
Simon Parker: Kynection was a lot stronger in the operational sense than its competitors and most of them could only deliver between 50%-70% of what we needed. What I liked about Kynection was it was more like 90%-100%. Kynection were also able to customise their platform to meet our unique needs, which was great. They were able to integrate into our accounting package (MYOB) and built a custom import for our estimating software. That level of flexibility and integration capability was unmatched in the marketplace.
Transformation: Before and After
| Dimension | Before Kynection | After Kynection |
| System Integration | Multiple disconnected systems requiring manual reconciliation across platforms | Unified platform with automated MYOB and estimating software imports; no manual reconciliation |
| Administrative Time | 2-3 days per week on manual data entry and processing | Significant reduction in manual admin processing; focus on strategic activities |
| Day Docket Disputes | 15-20% dispute rate due to manual calculation errors and poor documentation | Less than 5% dispute rate; automatic calculations and photographic evidence |
| Financial Transparency | Little visibility; decisions made on “gut feel” rather than data | Project-specific data enabling accurate rate evaluation and pricing optimisation |
| Timesheet Processing | Manual paper timesheets with employee calculation errors | Electronic timesheets via mobile app; automatic hour calculations; sign in/out at start/end of day |
| Safety and Compliance Documentation | Scattered across disconnected systems (SWMS, job safety analysis, pre-start forms, incident reporting) | Centralised documentation supporting WHS compliance and audit readiness |
| Field Data Capture | Paper-based day dockets with no photo capability; difficult to document work | Electronic day dockets with built-in photo capability; automatic calculations; complete work documentation |
| Project Profitability Insight | Unable to evaluate actual costs against quoted rates | Data analysis from completed jobs reveals actual vs estimated costs; enables evidence-based pricing |
| Employee Documentation | Staff notices and documentation scattered; difficult to maintain consistency | Centralised Knowledge Base with handbooks, guides, and safety sheets accessible via mobile app |
| Expense Processing | Manual receipt submission and entry; time-consuming and error-prone | Mobile photo capture of receipts; automatic routing to payroll; faster processing |
Implementation and Early Results
Q: How did Kynection approach customising the system to your requirements during the implementation phase?
Simon Parker: Kynection were able to customise their platform to meet our unique needs, which was great, and they were also able to integrate into our accounting package (MYOB) and built a custom import for our estimating software. That flexibility was crucial to us.
Q: How long did it take to start seeing results from using the technology?
Simon Parker: The results started to show within the first month. Straight away we started to get project-specific data for areas we had been trying to unlock for a few years, such as the ability to match time sheet data with certain specific tasks for each job. In the first three months, we were able to take a significant amount of data from jobs that were completed and then evaluate a large number of rates in our estimating system that we thought were good, but it turns out we weren’t as close as what we thought we were. From this, we were able to make ourselves more profitable and offer our clients better rates for some items.
Daily Benefits: Field Operations and User Adoption
Q: How did your team go using the app in the field using their phones and tablets?
Simon Parker: Yeah, it’s really good. The team love the idea of being able to do everything electronically instead of having to fill out paper timesheets and send them in, which they found annoying. Kynection made the systems easier for them. All they have to do is log onto their phone and pick a milestone, task, and site they are in, and then all they need to do is sign out at the end of the day. All the hours and everything are calculated automatically. They don’t have to work it out or send a timesheet through to the office. If they’ve paid for parking during the week, all they need to do is take a picture of the receipt and attach it to an expense form which goes straight through to payroll. It’s easier to retain employees when you’ve got good systems in place making their life with admin-related work as easy as possible.
Q: What are some key examples of how the technology helps you on a daily basis?
Simon Parker: Approximately 15%-20% of the work that we do is hourly rate work, where we have to get a day docket signed off by our client for the work that’s been done during the day and the hours that it’s taken to do that work. A problem that we faced with our paper-based system was that you couldn’t take pictures with them. You’d write about what you had completed in a small little box and your hours, which would present major issues if the sums hadn’t been added up correctly.
But with Kynection, all these day dockets are now electronic. All staff have to do when filling out a day’s docket is to go around and take pictures of the work that they’ve done and write an explanation. When it comes time for us to present these day dockets to our clients and builders, there are pictures that tell a story of all the work that’s been done and the hours are all added up automatically.
The Knowledge Base module is also something that’s been quite handy – it’s almost like an employee portal. We have an area there for staff onboarding. For instance, where we can put staff notices that we may need them to read time and time again, such as our employee handbook, installation guides for products, and material safety data sheets.
Another thing that has made everyone’s lives easier is that we get all that sort of documentation and put it all up in the onboarding section of Knowledge Base. If they need to refer back to it, even if they’re at work, they can just jump onto the app, go onto onboarding and there it is.
Regulatory Compliance and Safety
Kynection’s centralised safety documentation system ensures Parker Carpentry Contractors maintains Work Health and Safety (WHS) compliance across all projects. By automating the tracking and documentation of Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), job safety analysis sheets, pre-start forms, and incident reporting, Kynection provides audit-ready records that support regulatory compliance and enable rapid response to safety concerns on site. This integrated approach reduces compliance risk and strengthens the company’s safety culture.
Quantified Impact and ROI
Q: Are you able to quantify any cost or time savings through using Kynection?
Simon Parker: Besides the 2-3 days a week we’ve saved on processing manual data, I’d say we probably had about 15%-20% of day docket work disputed in the paper-based form. And now it would be less than 5%. This alone has made a significant impact on our business. The ability to quickly evaluate our actual job costs against our estimates has also enabled us to refine our rates and offer more competitive pricing to clients whilst maintaining better margins. Thank you Kynection.
Key Outcomes
- Eliminated 2-3 days of weekly manual admin work: Freeing management to focus on strategic growth initiatives
- Reduced day docket disputes by 75% : From 15%-20% to less than 5% through automated calculations and photographic evidence
- Achieved 90-100% functionality coverage: Compared to competitors offering only 50-70% of required features
- Unlocked project profitability data: Enabling evidence-based rate evaluation and pricing optimisation
- Improved employee retention: Through simplified, mobile-first administrative processes
- Strengthened WHS compliance: Centralised safety documentation supporting regulatory requirements and audit readiness
- Accelerated time to value: Visible results within the first month of implementation
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