Here is an excerpt from the Harrow Times about the event: Click here to view the original article
“This website and app development company has put forward an app which can help with recording employee attendance.
It hopes to make things easier for small to medium size businesses that rely on managing various people in several locations.
Their pitch will be led by consultant Anoop Panesar and trainee Trishan Chandarana who have been working hard on the app and believe it is ready to be put out there.
“It’s a very simple app that’s easy to use but it’s incredibly useful and very versatile,” Anoop said.
“It allows businesses to see where their employees are at certain times and is a very cost-effective way of managing this.
“As a small to medium sized business ourselves, we realise that, sometimes, it’s difficult to plug all the holes when it comes to running things – this will help with that.”
The programme allows people to log their attendance via the app and removes the need for signing time sheets and extensive spreadsheets.
It was inspired by a community development project in Uganda, which Aspiring Panda was involved in.
Anoop explained that the cost of implementing biometric fingerprint systems was extremely off-putting and forced the company to look at another way of addressing the issue of absenteeism.
“It would cost an arm and a leg to introduce the fingerprint system. This is much more accessible and much more effective,” she said.
“It levels the playing field and allows people to get a handle on how much they are losing through people missing work.
“We wanted to give this app to our local community. It’s not just about what we sell, we’re problem solvers and we want to help businesses like ours,”
She added that the company is keen on promoting its links to Harrow, as well as its commitment to inclusivity, including the high percentage of experienced women employed there.
And while the team is aware that there is a long way to go – and that the competition will be tough – it is an exciting time for those involved with the project.
“We know it is a good app; we’re passionate about it and we know it’s ready to market,” Anoop said.
“But we were all pleasantly surprised to hear that we’d made it through to the final and have the chance to present it.
“Now it’s all about preparing well so we can explain the true value of what we are offering.” “
