WFM, Time And Attendance: Enablers Of Store Ops Optimization

October 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Matt Pillar, editor in chief

The data that feeds — and is created by — time and attendance and workforce management applications holds incredible value for store operations improvement.

We caught up with Larry Dawson, VP of marketing at Accu-Time Systems, to get his thoughts on the delicately intertwined relationship between store operations and labor optimization.

What sources of data are feeding retailers’ ongoing quest for optimization of time and attendance and workforce management?

Dawson: Today’s retailer is intensely data-driven. Brickand- mortar retailing still involves considerable customer/ salesperson interaction. Customers’ behavior, including the paths they follow through a store, the hours they visit, the days they visit, the items they buy, the season, the weather, the price points that change buying behavior, and dozens of other metrics have a direct impact on store staffing. Whether in an auto parts, grocery, convenience, clothing, or home improvement store, retailers all depend on data to optimize profit. Since retailers’ payrolls represent a large portion of their expenses, special attention is paid to having just the right number and type of personnel in the store at just the right time.