Boots customer story
The web-based WFM (Workforce Management) system Quinyx ensures the optimization of staffing planning and provides better control over personnel costs.
Boots Pharmacy has 159 pharmacies in Norway and is part of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the world's largest pharmacy-led company represented in more than 25 countries. Boots Norway has been using Quinyx's WFM system since 2017.
"Boots is such a large organization that we need a proper WFM system. We switched to Quinyx to gain more predictability and ensure good and efficient processes. We have made it work well," says project manager Morten Herman Vogt, satisfied.
Saving time and money
The time spent on staffing, planning, and payroll usually decreases significantly when a good WFM system is implemented.
One of the pharmacists at Boots Norway states that he now spends less than a third of the time managing staffing and payroll than he did before. "It has been a profitable investment for us," Vogt confirms.
Smarter forecasting
There is tough competition in the industry. The number of pharmacies in Norway has increased from 351 in 2001 to 964 now. Margins are tight, and having the right staffing is crucial for both customers and employees.
Quinyx has a semi-automatic forecasting module that shows the staffing situation six months in advance. Peaks occur, for example, during Black Friday and in December, as pharmacies also have higher turnover in such periods.
"The forecasting function is very useful. It makes planning easier. Predictability is important for both management and employees. Each manager becomes aware of the staffing situation when planning," Vogt explains.
App and website
All 1700 employees in the chain use the system, which can be accessed through both the app and the website. Employees use the app on their smartphones to follow the staffing schedule and see when they are scheduled to work.
Through the app, they can also communicate with management and request time off and leave. It's a plus for employees to have their work schedules easily accessible in their daily lives to make the practical aspects of life function.
System administration—both at the head office and by local leaders in the stores—occurs through logging in on the website.
Be flexible
Flexible staff plans allow employees to exchange shifts with each other. It is also possible to take shifts for other pharmacies in the chain.
The system calculates wages correctly, even between pharmacies. "Such flexibility is positive for us. In addition, it is positive that the system allows the chain to delegate responsibility to local leaders," says Vogt.
Self-administered systems
Quinyx is a standard WFM system that users customize for their own business and, for the most part, administer themselves.
Morten Herman Vogt explains that Boots found it a bit of work to set up the system initially, but since then, it has been easy to make adjustments. For example, there were significant changes when the new collective agreement with pharmacists came into effect in April. Quinyx is relatively easy to use.
"We made the adjustments ourselves with only minimal consultant assistance. We appreciate being able to administer it ourselves," says Vogt.
The system is integrated with the payroll system so that manual wage calculation is unnecessary. It is only necessary to review the basis. The pharmacy chain now rarely experiences errors.
Good processes
In pharmacies, two professional categories dominate: Pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. Naturally, the industry is well-regulated. When handling prescriptions and medications, all processes must be good. Vogt confirms that Norwegian pharmacies are at the forefront.
Boots Norway is committed to ensuring that all processes are streamlined and correct, including staffing planning. With Quinyx, they have ensured compliance with the law on staffing and wages. The system handles, among other things, inconvenience allowances and overtime calculations.
"The system takes into account technicalities, such as special rules in the Working Environment Act. We are very concerned with doing things right for our employees and treating them with respect. Similarly, employees want to do a good job," concludes Morten Herman Vogt.
