SMARTYSTREET'S STORY
"The app use and the simplicity of being able to request time off was important."
A Bit About SmartyStreets
SmartyStreets is a leading provider of address validation, enrichment, and geocoding solutions. SmartyStreets makes easy-to-use APIs that standardize, validate, auto-complete, enrich, and even geocode addresses. Their cloud-based solutions are lightning fast, and process millions of addresses every minute.
THE CHALLENGE
Transitioning to a Tracked PTO Process
The SmartyStreets team needed a PTO solution that could scale with them.
When Gianmarco Rosborough joined SmartyStreets in 2017, the small software company didn’t track the amount of time off an employee requested. Hired as legal counsel, Gianmarco also became a member of the HR management team, which at the time was formalizing the organization’s PTO tracking process. While SmartyStreets’ unlimited PTO model provided employees with great flexibility, it wasn’t a scalable solution for the planning and reporting necessary as the organization grew.
"At that time, we had unlimited, untracked PTO. It was just as you need to, talk to your manager, and off you go." - Gianmarco
The management team knew that introducing a PTO tracking tool and limiting the amount of hours employees received would require an adjustment. With this in mind, it was essential to find the right solution to help ease into this policy change.
"It was a little hard to introduce that we were going to manage and actually allot a specific amount of time. I think we received a generous allotment, but it was a little bit of a transition." - Gianmarco
Lacking Accurate Reports
Today SmartyStreets has just under 45 employees across multiple departments. While still small in size, the organization needs accurate PTO reporting methods. When Gianmarco joined the team, the office manager used a Google Calendar to document when employees told managers about any planned time off. Still, this documentation method failed to provide accurate end-of-year reports.
"At the end of the year, our office manager would have to look at the calendar, and there was no real accurate report because it was just untracked time. Some people took a lot. And some people took none. It just felt really unfair." - Gianmarco
Searching for a Simple Solution
SmartyStreets tech-savvy employees love Built's ease of use.
As SmartyStreets prepared to implement a new process for time off tracking, the organization needed to land on an intuitive solution that made it simple for employees to request time off. Even though most of SmartyStreets employees are tech-savvy, user-friendly features were a major requirement.
"We were just seeing how easy it was for anyone to use it and understand it. I thought the app use and the simplicity of being able to request time off was important." - Gianmarco
Beyond needing a simple app, SmartyStreets wanted to feel comfortable sharing employee data with their selected provider. They also needed access to a customer support team that could help them transition to a digital process.
The Solution
An Intuitive Tool that Employees Appreciate
For Gianmarco, the Built’s time off tracking solution and its integration with Google Calendar has offered him visibility of who’s out of the office so he can plan accordingly. Beyond the managerial benefits of having accurate reports, every employee at SmartyStreets can now easily manage their own time off. Gianmarco is happy to find that even new hires quickly adapt to using Built.
"Actually, we hired somebody last week, and I asked if he wanted a tutorial for using Built. First, the employee said yes, and then he got back to me and said - 'Actually, I got on there, and it seems really straightforward. I don't need a tutorial.'" - Gianmarco
After joining the team one year ago, Adam Broud, a Customer Success Manager, appreciates how Built helps him plan ahead when using vacation time.
"As an employee, I appreciate the transparency of it, which makes it really easy for me. I'm a big planner. I think I have planned out at this point, almost every vacation that I will take for the next year to a year and a half." - Adam
Traveling is important to Adam and his wife, and their trips often require making plans far in advance. Adam uses his personal Built portal to track how much time he has requested and utilizes other features, like searching requests by date, attaching notes to an individual request, or altering a request when needed.
Facilitating Company Values and Employee Development
Luckily for Adam and his coworkers, SmartyStreets is built on foundational values that encourage employees to have fun both within and outside the workplace. With ‘fun’ listed twice on the company’s list of values, along with family, outwardness, and wizardry, it’s helpful for management to account for the time spent promoting these core areas. Whether SmartyStreets’ tight-knit team is enjoying a group go-karting activity, lending a hand to help a coworker move houses, or even taking vacation time together, the employees live by these values.
"For our company values, we’ve got fun, family, outwardness, wizardry, and then back to fun again. So PTO is a big deal to this company, along with group activities." - Gianmarco
SmartyStreets team building at Disneyland.
Without a limit on the number of unique time off policies the company can create, SmartyStreets has developed policies to track opportunities such as off site-trainings. These trainings allow employees to develop in their roles, find joy within work, and develop interpersonal skills to facilitate cross-functionality in the workplace—all benefits tied directly back to the company’s values.
"I think it's useful for us that Built tracks those things in different ways so that we can get a solid accounting of how much are we actually spending in the fun area. Are we living up to our core culture standards? Are we sending people on enough trainings? Are we sending people to too many trainings, to the point that it's overwhelming to their other role?" - Adam
A Secure Solution, Providing Quick Response Time
SmartyStreets values Built's responsive support.
In deciding on a time tracking tool, access to customer support and secure data sharing were key elements SmartyStreets considered. They found a highly-responsive support team at Built and a commitment to preserving the security of their employee data.
"We didn't know how much data we were going to share. We wanted to keep the data a little bit more localized. That was important to us. I've also appreciated Built’s prompt responses when setting things up and needing help." - Gianmarco
When adjusting to a digital time tracking process, Built helped SmartyStreets transition to tools and processes that align with promoting their organizational values. By incorporating these values into daily operations, SmartyStreets’ employees can continue to enjoy a fun and positive company culture where their team continues to grow and develop.
