After joining the store, Frank implemented TimeWellScheduled’s cloud based scheduling software to replace the old scheduling solution. Since its implementation, he has noticed immediate time savings and improvements in scheduling, administration and employer-employee communication.
We surveyed Frank to learn more about his experience with TimeWellScheduled’s cloud-based scheduling software at the Oakville Party City store.
Case Study
Oakville, Ontario Party City
The Oakville Party City retail store is located at 230 North Service Road West in Oakville, Ontario. It is about a 20-30 minute drive from the city of Mississauga. As of 2021-2022, Oakville, Ontario has a population of approximately 212 000 people.
Oakville is an affluent community. Relative to the rest of Ontario, Oakville’s average household income is estimated to be $198 622.41 (The average household income in Ontario is $ 116 877.51) (Invest Oakville, 2021)
The Oakville Party City store stocks a wide variety of themed party supplies, costumes and holiday decorations. The store currently has a staff of 21 employees.
Case Problem
Time to Update Scheduling Software
The previous scheduling system was not user friendly or efficient. For instance, creating and inputting schedules was time consuming. Communicating new schedules and scheduling changes to the employees required a lot of manual effort and managerial time. In addition, it was a challenge to know for sure if employees were being over or under scheduled.
According to the General Manager, Frank Frutti, the previous scheduling system at the Party City store did not automatically email or notify employees regarding a new schedule or any schedule modifications.
With the old scheduling system, the employees would need to either go into the store and check the actual physical schedule, call the store and ask someone for their shift times or go onto the online system to get access to their schedule. While this process did work to some degree, it was not ideal.
After implementing TimeWellScheduled’s cloud-based scheduling solution, one of the first benefits that Frank and team realized was the automated communication and notification features. For example, once the schedule is completed and posted, it is then automatically sent to employees via email or the TimeWellScheduled App. This communication feature saves managers the time of having to inform employees of their shifts individually.
TimeWellScheduled improves general workplace communications between managers and employees by providing organizations with two essential tools. The online portal and the TimeWellScheduled App. The TimeWellScheduled App can be found in both the google play store and the iPhone app store.
Furthermore, time off requests can be submitted via the TimeWellScheduled app or portal informing managers and employees that open shifts will be available on a given date and time.
These innovative features mean that there is no need for paper requests or to chase down employees who may or may not be available. All of this information is on the dashboard! These features significantly reduce the likelihood that a shift will go unstaffed, allowing managers to refocus their time on more critical tasks.
“Scheduling is a lot quicker, easier to send out messages to the entire staff. The App also helps out a lot” – Frank Frutti, General Manager Party City.
SOLUTION
Party City Saves Time and Money on Schedule Creation & Administration
TimeWellScheduled can dramatically reduce the number of hours Party City managers spend on planning and administering the weekly, bi-weekly and monthly schedules.
For instance, TimeWellScheduled’s template feature allows managers to save schedules that have functioned exceptionally well and are available for future use. Thus, there is no need to recreate schedules from scratch every week.
We refer to this as our scheduling template “feature”! There are several benefits to using Scheduling templates:
- Helps plan and control costs
- Ensures everyone is on the same page
- Assists in preparing for unexpected problems
- Allows for the tracking of attendance & performance
- Eliminates the need for manual entry
In the case of Oakville Party City, scheduled templates will reduce the time required to create consistently reliable work schedules, eliminating the need for manual calculations and inputting of employee work hours.
About
TimeWellScheduled.com
Download our (Excel) employee scheduling template; IT’S FREE!
TimeWellScheduled.com is a secure, online time and attendance software that is 100% tailored to meet your scheduling needs! In addition, TimeWellScheduled facilitates employee attendance tracking & payroll tasks and enhances your staff management capabilities.
