| Industry analysts say sales at auto supply | | | | It's tedious, it's time-consuming, and it's crucial. |
| retailers have been bolstered during the downturn | | | | These are dizzying times for auto parts and |
| by customers purchasing replacement parts as | | | | supply store managers. The industry-and key |
| they maintain older vehicles rather than investing | | | | players-seem to be changing on a minute by |
| in new models, a cost-saving trend that is likely to | | | | minute basis. Efficient auto parts employee |
| continue as the economy recovers. That's good | | | | scheduling and attendance monitoring is essential, |
| news for the auto supply industry. | | | | but there are plenty of other urgent issues vying |
| But that doesn't mean that auto supply store | | | | for a manager's attention. |
| managers can get sloppy about employee | | | | This is where a solid labor management system |
| scheduling and attendance monitoring. In fact, | | | | will come into play, freeing up employee and |
| dealing with an uptick in business in a downturn | | | | management time, while increasing store |
| makes auto parts supply employee scheduling and | | | | profitability. Good labor management software |
| attendance monitoring even trickier-you need to | | | | should: |
| schedule enough employees to handle your | | | | - Create a schedule in seconds, not hours. |
| customers, without over-staffing or watching | | | | - Manage schedules at one or many locations |
| your profits leach into unnecessary overtime. | | | | (above store schedule creation). |
| Without careful management, relatively small | | | | - Schedule those with particular skills or the most |
| successes can lead to large failures. | | | | experience in the high volume time slots. |
| Even in more normal times, auto parts and supply | | | | - Notify employees of upcoming schedules and |
| employee scheduling and attendance monitoring | | | | schedule changes by email or text message - |
| can be a headache. The manager building the | | | | eliminating confusion and missed shifts |
| schedule has to consider employee abilities/skills, | | | | - Allow managers to monitor attendance |
| anticipated sales volume, employee availability, | | | | remotely, using the web, a cell phone, or even |
| individual work requests, accrued PTO, labor laws | | | | Facebook. |
| for employees who are minors, overtime, and | | | | - Stop early clock ins and late clock outs or buddy |
| overall labor costs. | | | | punching to provide immediate labor cost controls. |
| Make a mistake with any of these details, and the | | | | - Accurately forecast future scheduling needs and |
| store can lose sales, employees, or be fined. | | | | labor costs. |
| Managers have to communicate the schedule (and | | | | - Increase store profitability |
| every shift swap or schedule update) to all the | | | | Many web based labor management systems |
| employees. They have to keep an eye on late or | | | | exist to provide these immediate benefits to |
| missed shifts, early clock ins and late clock outs, | | | | store operators. |
| or buddy time punching. | | | | |