| DALLAS�December 18, 1999�In today�s volatile labor market, hospitality
businesses are facing tougher challenges to deliver maximum profits while
balancing the lifestyle demands of their staff, both in terms of time off
and maximum earnings per shift. To help take the guesswork out of
scheduling, Dallas-based UniFocus is offering Watson, RM� , a new management
software program to assist businesses in significantly lowering labor costs,
increasing operational efficiencies, fostering dynamic employee scheduling
and measurably impacting profitability.
UniFocus� Watson, RM� software offers restaurants, hotels and service-oriented
businesses �cluster� scheduling, or the ability to schedule staff in multiple
locations within close proximity or in multiple positions throughout an
operation. The system schedules staff based on changes in business
volume and business specific operating standards enabling an operation
to fully realize the benefits of flex scheduling.
�With labor being in such short supply, Watson is one of the key operating
systems that enables management to improve productivity and optimize the
use of their available labor resources, said Mark Heymann, managing partner
of UniFocus. �The use of Watson helps an organization �right staff�
which positively impacts profitability, employee retention and increases
the amount of time supervisory and management staff can spend interacting
with customers and helping employees be more successful.�
The Watson, RM software achieves results through easy-to-use computer
software that forecasts, plans and schedules labor. Additionally,
Watson, RM assists in budgeting and setting service quality standards.
UniFocus has built a proven track record of reducing the impact that
labor shortages have on operations while ensuring service delivery that
meets restaurant and hospitality standards.
Watson, RM� is made up of four modules, each with a specific role in
the process of managing labor.
-
Forecaster - Analyzes historical patterns
to accurately predict future business volume for the upcoming schedule
period. (It is a self-learner, using multiple forecasting methodologies.)
-
Planner � Provides the essential framework
for accurate planning and evaluation of labor. (It calculates labor
requirements by day and time, based on operating standards, customer demand
and business volume.)
-
Scheduler � Automatically schedules
all employees based on labor requirements, employee skills, availability
and contractual restraints. (It cross-utilizes staff and drastically
reduces the amount of time managers spend scheduling employees.)
-
Budgeter � A tool to prepare period
and annual labor budgets. (It uses established labor standards to
develop a budget that links directly to key business indicators.)
UniFocus ensures the successful implementation of Watson, RM through software,
training and standards consultation. The process not only focuses
on technical aspects, but also on the operational changes and non-technical
skills that are required for the successful use of the system.
UniFocus Fact Sheet
| UniFocus, one of the most comprehensive performance management
firms in the hospitality industry, offers full-service operational management
analysis, systems, information and training to assist the hospitality industry
in reaching optimum staff performance, guest satisfaction and asset value.
Based in Dallas, Texas and serving the hospitality industry
in the U.S. and overseas, UniFocus offers unrivaled comparative guest data
from more than 3,000 hotels monthly and employee data from more than 300,000
employees annually. Gathering more information from more hotels in
more countries than anyone else, UniFocus easily correlates and benchmarks
each client�s performance against the competition.
With a combination of leading-edge technology, experienced
hotel and restaurant industry consultants, and proprietary comparative
data, UniFocus represents the next generation of balanced performance management
systems and processes.
Unifocus Offers the following solution - oriented services:
GUESTScope ensures
that clients know what their customers are thinking. Using pro-active
card-based systems, direct mail, E-mail, interactive voice response (IVR)
and other collection methods, UniFocus helps their clients understand the
strengths, weaknesses and areas of risk within their operation. These
systems ensure that UniFocus�s clients receive statistically reliable information
that can be used by individual properties and corporate staff to make informed,
fact-based decisions.
STAFFScope lets clients
know what employees are really thinking. UniFocus helps management
lower turnover and boost service quality by improving communications with
the staff. These processes allow a company to keep a regular pulse
on the attitudes and opinions of their most valuable and diverse resource
� their employees.
SERVIScope help clients
confirm that they are delivering service that is consistent with the delivery
standards that are the foundation of the customer satisfaction process.
After conducting a property review, UniFocus compares the findings with
guest responses and other performance indicators to develop a blueprint
for improvement.
CUSTOMERScope site
analysis and marketing system defines profitable target markets that helps
clients identify their customer, their customers� expectations, service
deficiencies and solutions to reach optimum guest satisfaction and operating
performance. By linking customer satisfaction to �lifestyle characteristics,�
clients are able to focus on how to retain their most valuable customers,
as well as grow their markets with customers who have a high probability
of being retained. Additionally, this process creates a proprietary
statistical site model used to accurately forecast the sales potential
of new store locations and locate top target customers in relation to proposed
locations, ensuring high performance.
UniFocus� Watson, R.M.
software allows client organizations to significantly improve control of
labor costs, increase operational efficiencies, foster dynamic employee
scheduling and measurably impact profitability. Watson, R.M. achieves these
results through easy-to-use computer software that forecasts, plans and
schedules labor. Additionally, Watson, R.M. assists in budgeting,
setting service quality standards and most importantly it optimizes the
use of labor in a tight labor market.
UniFocus� Consulting Services
offer unparalleled industry experience to help clients develop and maintain
effective management practices. UniFocus has a proven track record
of reducing the impact of labor shortages on operations while ensuring
service delivery that meets customer expectations.
UniFocus offers expertly designed Management
and Supervisory Development Training, which addresses the issue
of attracting, developing and retaining a satisfied, effective workforce.
This is done by providing tools such as selective interviewing skills,
custom-designed standards of performance manuals, on-the-job operational
skills training, behavioral and attitudinal standards development and problem
solving/decision-making exercises. The key focus of these developmental
processes is real world application that ensures performance improvements. |
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