Integration of Kronos TeleStaff Solution Helps Plano Fire Rescue Streamline Its Payroll Process

Kronos TeleStaff Benefits

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“At the time we purchased the Kronos TeleStaff solution, it was the only program with its capabilities. Since then, we have seen other systems and still firmly believe that we purchased the right product.” — Kevin Haines, Kronos TeleStaff Coordinator Plano Fire Rescue

• Automates scheduling
• Speeds scheduling communications
• Supports client-specific configuration
• Improves operational efficiency
• Increases staffing accuracy
• Helps ensure compliance
• Controls labor costs
• Promotes employee satisfaction
• Integrates with the Kronos workforce management suite
• Integrates with third-party systems

Plano Fire Rescue at a Glance

Industry: Municipal Fire

Location: Texas, USA

Residents: 308

Sworn and Civilian Employees: 148

Service Area:79 square miles

CHALLENGES

In the late 1990s, Plano was becoming one the fastest-growing cities in Texas and the U.S. Meticulous city planning and development, as well as the positive attitude of the local business community, led many companies, professionals, and executives to move to Plano. Fueled by this expansion, the Plano Fire Rescue department experienced its own growth spurt and quickly realized it needed new staff scheduling and management technology that could keep up with the growth.

The in-house system the department had been using was dated and difficult to support, and was not capable of handling the department’s needs in light of the recent and forecasted growth. Of high priority for the department was streamlining the payroll process through automation. Plano Fire Rescue wanted a system that could keep track of work hours, leave time, and work codes — and ultimately have the ability to pass this staffing data to its Peoplesoft payroll system in the city’s accounting department.

The payroll process — including researching, collecting, and calculating staffi ng hours and data — had been taking various employees an excessive number of work hours to complete. This labor-intensive manual process was also prone to errors. Additionally, the department wanted reporting capabilities to analyze department wide staffi ng, scheduling, and payroll data, and was looking to eliminate its hard calendar staffi ng procedures.

SOLUTION

Plano Fire Rescue selected the Kronos® TeleStaff™ solution to not only automate and streamline the department’s payroll process, but to provide a feature-rich scheduling management solution that could support its fast-paced growth.

BENEFITS

Job-specific work codes improve payroll reporting

Plano Fire Rescue, with the help of a Kronos TeleStaff configuration team, created 70 work codes assigned to employee work hours in the Kronos TeleStaff solution. For each pay period, the solution creates a report containing final pay hours and work codes, which it then passes on to the city’s payroll system.

Automated solution saves time, reduces error rate, decreases labor costs

This new, streamlined process eliminates duplicate data entry by accounting personnel and saves the department and city numerous work hours historically dedicated to this task. It also has sharply reduced the error rate associated with calculating hours and tracking work codes, as well as reduced the size of the accounting department by two staff members. As a result, Plano Fire Rescue has increased productivity, reduced operational costs, and decreased the hours spent on payroll tasks.

Enhanced reporting capabilities improve oversight

In addition, the Kronos TeleStaff solution maintains all leave and payroll records for reporting purposes, providing Plano Fire Rescue with powerful tools to monitor department wide staffing, scheduling, and employee information.

Real-time visibility of scheduling data

Furthermore, the hard calendar staffing process has been eliminated. Employees are now scheduled in the Kronos TeleStaff solution on a dynamic daily roster that displays the day’s exact staffing at any time. Once data is entered into the system, it is instantly available.

Employee self-service creates efficiencies

Plano employees are able to log on to the Kronos TeleStaff solution themselves and perform certain staffing tasks and obtain information, which reduces the workload for the department.

Automated scheduling increases accountability and productivity

Conducting all staff scheduling within the Kronos TeleStaff system allows for information to be input, stored, and shared among administrators, divisions, and managers, so that every step, change, or action is recorded in the system. The outcome has been greater accountability and flexibility and better record keeping.

More information about Kronos customer success stories may be found at www.kronos.com/resources. © 2011, Kronos Incorporated. Kronos and the Kronos logo are registered trademarks of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. TeleStaff is a trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. For a full list of Kronos trademarks, please visit the “trademarks” page at www.kronos.com. All other product, company names, or marks mentioned, if any, are used for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change. All rights reserved.