Quinyx polled 300 global operations executives to find out their biggest challenges and priorities in managing a deskless workforce.
The results show businesses who rely on the deskless workforce - but don’t have an AI-driven workforce management solution - are losing up to 15% of revenue and overspending on salary costs by up to 25%, largely due to poor scheduling.
Scheduling has always been notoriously difficult to get right. A good schedule will take into account the needs of the business and customers, alongside balancing costs and employee needs while delivering a strong ROI.
The art of good scheduling means having the right people in the right place at the right time - but good scheduling has been made even harder because of the pandemic.
Effective forecasting is key to achieving this but, thanks to fluctuating demand, changing consumer behaviour, local restrictions and a whole host of health factors to add to the equation, forecasting and scheduling are now tougher than ever.
More often than not schedules also fail to do the job they are meant for. We analysed 450,000 schedules of deskless workforce employers and found many failed to fulfill basic functions. Many also violated labour laws on a daily basis.
So where are the biggest issues with scheduling and how can they be fixed?
Let’s take a look:
1. Out-dated technology
Out of the operation executives we polled 30% said they faced too many scheduling variables for their current workforce management (WFM) software to handle while 40% said out-dated technology was their biggest constraint.
Schedules produced in a spreadsheet or legacy software are always going to be limited in their functionality. What’s more, they only deliver 70% accuracy.
Compare this with AI-driven WFM software which is built to consider all scheduling variables, delivers near-perfect scheduling accuracy and delivers significant savings on salary cost.
If your technology is holding you back, now is the time to take the leap and find a solution that’s built to help you deal with all the challenges a post-pandemic world will throw at you.
2. Compliance
Our research found schedules have, on average, 3-8 labor law violations every week. These violations might not seem serious at first glance but one major restaurant chain was slapped with a $1 million fine for non-compliant scheduling practices.
AI-driven WFM solutions improve compliance with scheduling rules, legislation changes, contractual requirements, union limits, meal breaks, and rest periods. They accurately monitor the skills and certifications required to perform each role and publish schedules well in advance, allowing greater flexibility.
3. Fluctuating demand
Consumer demand is extremely volatile right now. Schedules that have worked for your business historically might not do so now. There’s workforce disruptions to consider (if employees get sick or have to isolate) alongside the changes in consumer demand.
In a constantly-changing economy, you must have tools in place to automate and optimize schedules based on demand fluctuations. WFM tools auto-assign shifts to employees based on availability, preferences, type of contract, and skills. And, with the help of AI in your WFM tool, you can leverage recent actuals to see what’s going to happen next and then schedule for this demand accordingly.
4. Overtime costs
Overtime costs that spiral out of control are another key headache for the scheduler. Failure to manage overtime effectively can crush your labor budget. Of course, time tracking that’s integrated into payroll can help you control your overtime costs but so can automated, AI-driven scheduling. And it works. One global retailer saved 4,000 overtime hours in just 6 months when they started using a modern WFM solution.
5. Employee preferences
Finally, the good scheduler will always try to take into account what their employees want. However, it can be notoriously tricky to manage and to strike the right balance between the needs of the business and the wants of your employees.
This is where mobile-first WFM comes into play. When your employees have a WFM app, it’s simple and straightforward for them to request time off, switch shifts and claim open shifts. It makes life easier for them and it saves the scheduler time. Everyone wins.
The perfect schedule ensures optimal business performance with accurate data and with automated checks against forecasts, skills, educations, working time directives and employee contracts.
Using a AI-driven WFM solution for your scheduling needs will help you make better decisions, free up your time, save you money, reduce your admin and eradicate errors.
Download our free report on the true cost of poor scheduling to find out more.
