Bizimply > Case Studies > Streamlining Workforce Management in Coffee Retail: A Case Study of Pioneers UK Limited

Streamlining Workforce Management in Coffee Retail: A Case Study of Pioneers UK Limited

Technology Category

Sensors - Temperature Sensors

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Retail

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Personnel Tracking & Monitoring
Retail Store Automation

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Pioneers UK Limited is a franchisee of Costa Coffee, the leading coffee brand in the UK. The company operates 21 stores in the West Midlands and Birmingham, employing approximately 180 staff. The workforce is a mix of full-time and part-time employees, predominantly young people, often in their first jobs who would be between school and college. There are more mature baristas as well. The company has been a user of Bizimply's workforce management solution since 2018.

The Challenge

Pioneers UK Limited, a Costa Coffee franchisee with 21 stores in the West Midlands and Birmingham, faced a significant challenge in managing its workforce. The company employs approximately 180 staff, with a team of between four and ten individuals working in each store, including a manager. The baristas are a mix of full-time and part-time employees, predominantly young people, often in their first jobs who would be between school and college. There are more mature baristas, too, but with so many young workers, there is significant staff turnover. Consequently, workplace management was extremely time-consuming and challenging so long as store managers and Pioneers headquarters were reliant on paper-based rostering, recording of attendance and calculation of wages. The competitive environment and economic uncertainty also meant reduced footfall in most stores and less spending by customers.

The Solution

In spring 2018, Pioneers’ Managing Director attended a Costa Franchise meeting, where Bizimply gave a presentation. Bizimply were then invited to meet the Pioneers management team. Bizimply's solution streamlined the process of timekeeping and wage calculation, reducing the time store managers spent on these tasks from hours to just five minutes. This allowed store managers to spend more time in the front of house looking after customers, managing staff and helping out, for example filling the displays with cakes and sandwiches. The solution also brought efficiency gains at the head office, reducing the time taken for payroll processing from two and a half person-days to half a person-day. Bizimply's features also included accurate recording of staff time, including breaks, and a questionnaire feature on the Timestation to measure employee satisfaction levels.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Bizimply's solution has brought significant operational benefits to Pioneers UK Limited. Store managers are now able to spend more time in the front of house looking after customers, managing staff and helping out with tasks such as filling the displays with cakes and sandwiches. This has improved customer relations and staff morale. The solution has also eliminated problems with clocking in and clocking out, which used to be a challenge with the previous system that scanned fingerprints. The questionnaire feature on the Timestation has enabled the company to measure employee satisfaction levels and identify any problems such as understaffing during peak hours. The company also uses Bizimply to measure KPIs such as sales per labour hour, which helps with budgeting.

Quantitative Benefit

Store managers' time spent on timekeeping and wage calculation reduced from hours to just five minutes.
Time taken for payroll processing at the head office reduced from two and a half person-days to half a person-day.
Accurate recording of staff time, including breaks, to the second.