The half-a-million milestone was achieved by NSS’s Specialist Cleaning division, which offers window and cladding cleaning, graffiti and chewing gum removal, through to sharps removal and sanitation services. Working across the UK, NSS uses Podfather software to allocate and report on more than 34,000 individual site visits a month. Podfather’s electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) and real-time tracking functions have eradicated paper worksheets, provided full visibility of the mobile operation, and informed the company’s invoicing and reporting.
“Podfather has supported us as we have evolved into the market leader and the only truly nationwide window and specialist cleaning provider,” commented Malcolm Fyall, Director of Operational Excellence at NSS Group. “We don’t use subcontractors, we don’t hire equipment or machinery, our in-house team works around the clock and across the country, and by using Podfather, we are setting new standards for safety, speed, and transparency.”
NSS has been using Podfather for more than 10 years, during which time the business has seen significant change and growth. NSS Group traces its origins in 2018, when two BGF-backed businesses, High Access and Nationwide Window Cleaning, merged to create the NSS Group of businesses. In 2019 NSS rebranded to its current structure, with four new specialist divisions: Maintenance, Cleaning, Hire, and Testing. In January 2022, NSS Group was acquired by Premier Technical Services Group (PTSG), one of the UK’s leading providers of niche specialist services across a range of sectors.
With a regional management structure and a central support desk, NSS operates a 24/7, 365-day service across the UK. A team of around 285 engineers is uniquely positioned to deliver cleaning services, on both a planned and reactive basis, to customers such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Barclays, HSBC, and Costa Coffee.
Using Podfather, which includes logistics planning, route optimisation, and proof of delivery (POD) functionality, NSS supports its team with paperless job schedules and automated capture of job completion and feedback evidence. Complete with date, time, and location stamped signatures and photographs, this real-time reporting is shared with customers and used to inform invoicing and KPI reporting.
“Before Podfather we relied on paper worksheets,” added Lynne Wallace, Senior Analyst at NSS Group. “At the time Podfather was implemented this was just becoming unmanageable, so 10 years on I cannot imagine where we would be today without Podfather’s automated and configurable workflows and digital capture.”
In 2024, NSS recorded in excess of 560,000 electronic proof of delivery forms which equates to 134 trees and 6 tonnes of CO2 saved by not using paper sign-off sheets. However, this digital transformation has realised significant other benefits for the business, including improved customer service with instant access to real-time service updates, reduced invoicing time and therefore better cash flow, and better operational efficiency as operatives can concentrate on getting the work done, not completing paperwork. Daily vehicle checks and real-time tracking of operatives are also underpinning health and safety monitoring and compliance reporting.
