Still running guard rotas on spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups? See what changes with Pulcify: one rota, verified book-ons, cover from the nearest officer and invoices from verified hours. Free for up to 20 employees.
Most guarding companies start with a spreadsheet rota and a WhatsApp group, and for a handful of officers it works: it's free, everyone already has it, and it's quick. It stops working when you have several sites, night shifts and clients who want proof. Nobody is sure which rota version is current, cover is found by ringing round, a book-on is a message nobody can verify, and hours are re-typed into payroll and invoices. Here's what a dedicated system changes, and when a spreadsheet is still enough.
A spreadsheet rota is a file that gets copied, edited and re-sent, so officers and control end up working from different versions. In Pulcify the rota is built by site and post, matched to licence type, and each officer sees and confirms their own shifts in the app. A change reaches the officer it affects, not a group of forty.
"On site now" in a group chat tells you someone typed a message. Pulcify records the book-on in the app with a face match and a GPS check against the site's geofence, time-stamped. That is evidence you can show a client or an auditor.
When someone calls off, the group-chat answer is to post "anyone free?" and wait. Pulcify flags the at-risk shift and lists the available officers nearest the site, within the range you set and with valid licences, so control can offer the shift and confirm a swap.
A spreadsheet can hold SIA expiry dates, but it can't check the public register or warn anyone. Pulcify checks SIA licences against the register and sends expiry alerts before anyone lapses, so an unlicensed officer isn't put on a regulated shift.
A WhatsApp group shares every officer's personal phone number with everyone in it, including people who have since left, and site details end up in chats the company doesn't control. Pulcify's team chat runs inside the app by site and shift, without exposing personal numbers.
With spreadsheets, someone re-types hours from messages and timesheets into payroll and client invoices, and hours that get missed are never billed. In Pulcify, verified hours flow into timesheets, payroll exports and invoices at contract rates.
If you run one site with a handful of officers on fixed shifts, a spreadsheet and a group chat can genuinely be enough. Pulcify's Free plan covers up to 20 employees and 2 sites with no credit card, so you can switch at no cost when that stops being true.
| Capability | Pulcify | Spreadsheets & WhatsApp |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Scheduling & Rota Management | Included | Included |
| GPS Time Tracking & Clock-In | Included | Not included |
| Facial Recognition Check-In | Included | Not included |
| SIA Licence Tracking & Compliance | Included | Not included |
| GPS Geofencing | Included | Not included |
| Integrated Payroll & Invoicing | Included | Not included |
| AI Chatbot & Smart Queries | Included | Not included |
| WhatsApp Alerts & Notifications | Included | Included |
| Live Employee Location Tracking | Included | Not included |
| Incident & Event Reporting | Included | Not included |
| Multi-Site Management | Included | Not included |
| AI-Powered Reporting & Analytics | Included | Not included |
| iOS & Android Mobile App | Included | Included |
| Built for UK Compliance | Included | Not included |
The usual trigger is a second or third site, night shifts, or a client asking for proof of who was on post and when. That is where a shared spreadsheet and a group chat stop scaling: nobody can verify a book-on, cover is found by ringing round, and hours are re-typed into payroll and invoices. Pulcify's Free plan covers up to 20 employees and 2 sites with no credit card, so a small team can switch before the old way starts costing contracts.
Pulcify is built in the UK for compliance-critical, shift-based operations. Pricing is published openly, the Free plan needs no credit card, and paid plans are month-to-month.
Start the Free plan (up to 20 employees, 2 sites and 2 admin accounts, no credit card), see pricing or book a demo.