From single-server chaos
to software the industry wants to buy.
How WikiTech transformed So Clean's IT infrastructure, replaced a £3,000/month legacy platform with a custom-built app called SoAppy — and helped create software so good the cleaning industry wants it too.
The challenge
A single point of failure, an eye-watering software bill, and operations run through WhatsApp.
So Clean came to WikiTech from the same IT provider that had let down several other businesses in the area. The problems were familiar: an overcharging MSP, under-resourced infrastructure, and no strategic direction. But So Clean had additional challenges that went well beyond the basics.
Their entire operation — 28 core staff and 30 supervisors — ran through a single server with no redundancy. When that server had a problem, everyone went offline simultaneously. There was no failover, no resilience, and no plan for when the inevitable happened. Performance was poor at the best of times; during peak usage it was worse.
Their field operations were managed through Templa — an industry-specific cleaning management platform that had not kept pace with modern software expectations. Templa required an on-site SQL server, was only accessible from within the business network or via AVD, and came with a licensing bill of close to £3,000 per month. Every user who needed access required both an Azure Virtual Desktop licence and a separate Templa licence — a cost structure that made adding users genuinely expensive.
And despite paying for Templa, operational communication with field operatives was happening over a shared WhatsApp group. Supervisors were manually compiling timesheets by hand. The software wasn't delivering what it should have been.
Single server, no redundancy
All users on one server. Any issue meant a complete outage for the entire business — simultaneously.
Poor performance
Under-resourced infrastructure that struggled under load. Slow, frustrating, and unpredictable.
Templa — £3,000/month and falling short
Expensive legacy software that required SQL servers and AVD access. Double licensing cost per user. Not cloud-based.
Operations via WhatsApp
Jobs dispatched to field operatives through a group chat. No tracking, no confirmation, no audit trail.
Manual timesheets
Supervisors tracking operative hours and attendance by hand — time-consuming, error-prone, and unnecessary.
The journey
Step by step transformation.
WikiTech tackled the infrastructure first, then turned attention to the software that was holding the business back — and built something entirely new.
Azure Virtual Desktop — redundancy and performance
Replacing a single point of failure with a resilient, high-performance cloud platform
WikiTech's first priority was eliminating the single server that the entire business depended on. The replacement was Azure Virtual Desktop, deployed across three session hosts — meaning load is distributed, and the failure of any one host does not bring down the business.
The performance improvement was immediate and significant. Staff who had grown accustomed to a slow, resource-limited environment now had a fast, responsive cloud desktop. And switching away from the previous MSP's overpriced setup delivered savings of around £800 per month from day one.
The move to Azure also laid the groundwork for everything that followed — a modern, cloud-native platform that could support the more ambitious changes to come.
SoAppy — replacing Templa with software So Clean owns
Building a next-generation cleaning operations platform from scratch
With the infrastructure stabilised, attention turned to the bigger opportunity: Templa. WikiTech proposed replacing it entirely with a custom-built application — one designed specifically for So Clean's operations, free from per-user licensing, and owned outright by the business.
The result is SoAppy. Built by WikiTech and now live across the business, SoAppy handles everything Templa was supposed to — and much more. Operatives receive their jobs directly through the SoAppy mobile app, complete with all the information they need. They clock in and out through the app, providing automatic time and attendance data that feeds directly into timesheets — no supervisor manually tracking hours, no WhatsApp groups for job dispatch, no paper.
Because So Clean owns the software, there is no per-user licence. Adding a new user costs nothing in licensing terms — just the hosting infrastructure they already pay for. Templa is no longer used or licensed.
Intune, SharePoint & reducing AVD dependency
Next stage — in progress — following the same path as UK Pool Store
With SoAppy live and Templa gone, the same opportunity that presented itself at UK Pool Store is now appearing at So Clean — the need for Azure Virtual Desktop is reducing. As more of the business runs through cloud-native applications, the requirement to run everything through a cloud desktop diminishes.
WikiTech is currently migrating So Clean's file storage to SharePoint, removing the server dependency for document access. Once that's complete, all devices will be joined to Intune and secured with Conditional Access policies — giving every device the same security posture that blocked the phishing attack at UK Pool Store, while reducing the infrastructure overhead and associated costs.
SoAppy
Next-generation cleaning management. Built by WikiTech. Owned by So Clean.
The cleaning industry has historically been underserved by software. Most platforms are expensive, outdated, and designed around the limitations of technology from a decade ago. SoAppy is different — it was designed around how So Clean actually operates today, built on a modern tech stack, and deployed on mobile devices that field operatives already carry.
The impact on day-to-day operations has been transformative. Supervisors who previously spent significant time manually managing timesheets, chasing job confirmations, and coordinating through WhatsApp now have a real-time view of all operations from a single dashboard. Operatives know exactly where they need to be, what they need to do, and can confirm completion with photos and digital sign-off from their phone.
Job management
Book, assign, and dispatch jobs to operatives from a central operations dashboard.
Mobile operative app
All jobs delivered to operatives' phones — full details, location, and instructions in one place.
Clock in / time & attendance
Operatives clock in and out through the app — automatic timesheets, no manual tracking.
Job sign-off & photos
Digital completion confirmation with photographic evidence — clear audit trail for every job.
Payroll integration
Time and attendance data feeds directly into payroll — removing another manual process.
Operations reporting
Real-time dashboards showing job status, operative performance, and operational data.
SoAppy platform modules
One platform. Every part of the operation.
Jobs used to be dispatched through a WhatsApp group.
Despite paying nearly £3,000 a month for Templa, field operatives were receiving their jobs through a shared WhatsApp group. There was no confirmation that messages were read, no way to track whether jobs were completed, no photos, no sign-off, and no audit trail. SoAppy replaced all of that with a purpose-built mobile experience that works for the people actually doing the work.
WhatsApp group for job dispatch. No confirmation. No tracking. No evidence of completion. Supervisors manually compiling timesheets.
Every operative has their jobs on their phone. Clock in, complete, photograph, sign off. Timesheets automated. Zero manual admin.
Cost comparison
£3,000/month for software that wasn't doing the job.
The economics of replacing Templa with SoAppy are straightforward — and they improve every year.
⬤ Templa — previous platform
⬤ SoAppy — ongoing estimated cost
Additional improvements
Beyond the headline changes.
WikiTech's involvement spans the full technology picture — not just the headline projects.
Service desk — from shared inbox to managed ticketing with Power BI reporting
So Clean's internal service desk team of five were managing all requests through a single shared mailbox. There was no visibility of who was handling what, no priority system, no way to track progress, and no record of time spent. If a request got buried or missed, nobody would know until someone chased it. There was certainly no way to report on any of it.
WikiTech built a PowerApp service desk platform that replaced the shared inbox with a structured ticketing system. Every request is now logged, categorised, and assigned on arrival. The team can set priorities, track time spent per ticket, add notes and updates, and close tickets with a resolution record — giving the entire history of every issue in one place.
Tickets are categorised by type — facilities, IT, HR, maintenance, and so on — making it easy to spot patterns: which categories generate the most volume, which are taking the longest to resolve, and where the team's time is actually going. That kind of visibility simply wasn't possible when everything lived in an email inbox.
Alongside the ticketing platform, WikiTech built a Power BI reporting dashboard for the service desk manager. For the first time, management can see live workload distribution across the team, track average resolution times by category, monitor SLA performance, identify recurring issues, and produce reports for senior leadership — all automatically, from data the team is already generating just by doing their jobs.
Mobile phones & SIMs — fully managed, no surprise bills
So Clean's mobile estate was on a shared bulk data bundle — 300GB split across the fleet, with a low per-SIM cost that looked reasonable on paper. The problem: once the bundle was exhausted, data charges became eye-watering. No alerts, no controls, and no visibility — so when one employee burned through the remaining allowance in a single month, nobody knew until the bill arrived. That month's overage came to £9,000.
WikiTech moved the entire fleet to all-inclusive unlimited data plans at £22 per SIM per month (ex VAT) and took on full management — provisioning, device setup, usage monitoring, replacements, and direct network liaison. Because WikiTech are the IT provider and not just a phone supplier, every device is enrolled in Microsoft Intune. New handsets are configured and ready to issue in minutes, remotely wiped when a staff member leaves, and locked to company management from day one — eliminating the recurring problem So Clean had with departing employees leaving devices tied to personal Apple IDs or Google accounts, rendering them useless.
How does £22 compare? O2's best current business SIM promotion is £18.50/month ex VAT — rising to £20 ex VAT from April 2026, then increasing by £1.50 every year after that. That's a promotional price, not their standard rate; O2's standard unlimited business SIM is £25/month ex VAT. So compared to the promotional offer, WikiTech's managed service costs £2 more per SIM per month — and WikiTech handle everything. Compared to the standard price, it's a £3 saving and the management is essentially free.
What's next
SoAppy is good enough to sell. And they plan to.
The cleaning industry is, in Nick's own words, severely underserved by technology. The platforms that exist are expensive, outdated, and not built for the way modern cleaning businesses operate. SoAppy was built to solve So Clean's specific problems — but in doing so, it has produced something that other businesses in the industry need too.
So Clean are planning to commercialise SoAppy — taking the platform they commissioned and turning it into a product for the wider cleaning industry. When the time is right to launch, WikiTech will be instrumental in that process: from structuring the new company, to building the infrastructure that supports a multi-tenant deployment at scale.
Phase 3 in progress — Intune & SharePoint migration
Devices being joined to Intune. Files moving to SharePoint. AVD dependency reducing as SoAppy and cloud tools replace server-dependent software.
Continued SoAppy development
The platform continues to evolve. New modules, deeper integrations, and ongoing refinements based on how the operations team uses the system day-to-day.
SoAppy commercialisation — coming
So Clean plan to bring SoAppy to the wider cleaning industry. WikiTech will be central to setting up the new company and scaling the platform for external deployment.
WikiTech haven't just fixed our IT — they've fundamentally changed how we run our business. SoAppy has transformed our operations. What used to take our supervisors hours of manual work is now handled automatically, and our operatives can't imagine going back to a WhatsApp group. The technology WikiTech has built for us is genuinely ahead of anything else in our industry.
Results
Three years of continuous improvement.
Services provided
The full WikiTech service picture.
Managed IT Support
Microsoft 365 & Azure
VoIP & Telephony
Mobile Phones & SIMs
Custom App Development
Intune & Device Management
PowerApp Service Desk
Business Setup & Strategy
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