Seminole County FD Makes Staff Scheduling 10 Times Faster with Kronos TeleStaff Solution

Kronos TeleStaff Benefits

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“Once we saw the product [the Kronos TeleStaff solution] could take all the information we sort, and list personnel for hiring, process it quickly, and generate a list of personnel in correct order, we were hooked.” — Division Chief Robert Carter, Seminole Country Fire Department

• 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

Seminole County Fire Department at a Glance

Industry: County Fire

Location: Florida, USA

Residents: 400,000

Fire Personnel: 90 per shift

Service Area: 298 square miles

CHALLENGES

The Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) focuses on meeting the demands of a growing service area of 298 square miles made up of land, small lakes, and 46 square miles of water. Staffing approximately 90 staff members per shift across 16 stations in one of the largest fire departments in Central Florida was becoming increasingly challenging. Strong population growth in the eighties and early nineties had led to an increased number of incidents.

As a result of this rapid growth within its service area, the department realized it needed to automate its scheduling processes, from creating better schedules faster to communicating with staff about work assignments to handling leave requests and distributing overtime. With the previously labor-intensive manual process, SCFD used a combination of paper worksheets, staffing sheets, and Microsoft® Word to create schedules and fill shifts.

A handwritten ledger was used to keep track of overtime hours, but calculation errors were common. Determining leave requests, tracking and calculating hours worked per staff member, and identifying who was accomplishing these daily tasks within the department was at times impossible to manage.

SOLUTION

The SCFD chief looked to the Kronos® TeleStaff™ solution to help his department improve its scheduling operations. “Once we saw a product could take all the information we sort, and list personnel for hiring, process it quickly, and generate a list of personnel in correct order, we were hooked,” says Division Chief Robert Carter about the solution.

BENEFITS

Solution configured to department’s rules and policies

To identify improvement opportunities, SCFD worked closely with a Kronos TeleStaff project team to analyze the department’s business practices and determine the right configuration. It was agreed that the key to improving SCFD’s staffing efficiencies was to continue using the department’s existing scheduling rules and guidelines, but allow the Kronos TeleStaff solution to take over making staffing decisions through its sophisticated staffing engine.

Staffing time reduced tenfold to 30 minutes daily

The benefits were immediate in allowing the Kronos TeleStaff solution to sort through data on available and qualified personnel, incorporate complex department rules, and then fill open positions. A process that once took anywhere from four to six hours each day to complete, and was randomly spread over different staff members in the department, now takes only 30 minutes each day.

The move to automate this process has freed up more time for staffi ng officers to spend in the field with their personnel and less time at their desks making phone calls. Staff members throughout the department are happy with these new efficiencies, and that staff is scheduled fairly and accurately.

Remote access and self-service create efficiencies

SCFD also implemented the Kronos WebStaff™ module, allowing its staff and administrators to access the Kronos TeleStaff solution remotely via the internet. Staff members can view their personal calendars, sign up for overtime, and check their station assignment. They also can make changes to their personal information, such as changing their primary contact number if they will not be at home when called for overtime.

At the same time, administrators are able to make staffing decisions remotely. This added autonomy and flexibility for staff and administrators have increased satisfaction with the scheduling process.

Faster scheduling and emergency communication via automation

SCFD plans to further automate its scheduling process to include the Kronos TeleStaff solution’s notification feature, allowing for outbound phone calls to be made from a centralized server. Once appropriate personnel are identified as available and qualified, employees can be notified by telephone, the internet, or pager of their need to be at work.

The department will also use this module in emergency situations where fast communication with first responders and other staff is vital.

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.