Case Study
Scottsdale Camelback Resort
Located at the foot of the majestic Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Scottsdale Camelback Resort is one of the first purpose built timeshare properties in the state, and an ideal destination for both business and pleasure. The 11.35 acre resort features 111 luxury villas, restaurants, tennis courts and a nine-hole executive putting green.
The Camelback Resort has the capacity to serve 200,000 guests each year. With an average occupancy rate of 95 percent and just 68 employees, the management and staff appreciate every opportunity to make their jobs as efficient as possible— especially when it comes to administrative activities.
On a rainy night in August 2006, Mother Nature opened the window to just such an opportunity. Arizona’s monsoon season produces violent thunderstorms each summer between July and September. During one of these storms, a bolt of lightening hit a palm tree growing next to the resort’s housekeeping building and traveled into the structure. The surge of electricity destroyed a time clock—one of just two clocks on the premises, the other being located in the main building about a half mile away.
The time clock and software the resort was using came from a well known time and attendance provider. When resort staff discovered that this vendor would require them to replace the clock with an entirely new—and much more expensive— solution because it was phasing out the older system, they decided to “do some shopping.”
General Manager Lori Entwistle initiated the search for a new time and attendance solution; Director of Operations Eric Downey was also heavily involved. Because they were extremely satisfied with their automated payroll system and wanted to ensure full integration with the new time clocks and software, their first step was to contact their payroll vendor, CompuPay.
“ Qqest was extremely responsive right from the initial review stage,” said Downey. “We really felt a ‘wow’ factor from the Qqest team that we did not feel with the other vendors.” .”As the county’s largest privately-held payroll services company, CompuPay understands the challenges of getting employees paid on time and accurately. In order to offer their customers a fully automated process, CompuPay teams up with select time and attendance partners. Together with these “endorsed vendors,” CompuPay is able to offer their customers a seamless “punch to paycheck” solution. CompuPay recommended several potential vendors to the Camelback Resort, including Qqest.
During the evaluation stage, resort personnel set up regular conference calls and web demonstrations to determine which solution was most appropriate for their needs. Qqest’s TimeForce quickly emerged as a strong competitor.
“Qqest was extremely responsive right from the initial review stage,” said Downey, “Like the other vendors, we had regular conference calls to ask questions and discuss details. The difference with Qqest was by the time we hung up, they were already emailing the answers to our questions. And their online demo was extremely impressive. We really felt a ‘wow’ factor from the Qqest team that we did not feel with the other vendors.”
Resort management selected QQest’s Timeforce for a variety of reasons, including the strong software package, a web- based interface, flexible input options, and the promise of seamless integration and automation with the payroll software. But the most compelling factor continued to be the exceptional level of service they received, which continued throughout and beyond the implementation phase.
Qqest assigned Jesse Harris, Implementation Specialist, to oversee the Camelback Resort’s installation. One challenge that arose was getting both time clocks to communicate with the main computer. To address this issue, the resort set up a virtual private network, which ensured secure, reliable communication between points. After conquering that challenge, the rest of the implementation process was effortless. “We experienced absolutely zero bumps when it came to converting and loading data, said Downey. “In fact, I kept feeling like we were the ones slowing down the process. When I needed to talk to Jesse, I was almost always able to reach him directly on the first try. I felt like I was his only customer”
Even though Camelback Resort has only been using TimeForce for a short time, they are already seeing significant benefits:
Ease-of-Use
The Camelback Resort’s previous system often had to have
the swipe card run through the reader six, seven, even eight times before it
registered. Although it only meant a few extra seconds of time for each
employee, the multiple attempts, coupled with urgency of clocking in and out
on time produced significant frustration. When selecting features for their
new time and attendance system, Camelback Resort chose TimeForce’s
proximity reader option. Now, according to Downey, employees only have to wave
their card near the reader, hit enter, and they’re “good to
go.”
Minimize Buddy Punching
The TimeForce proximity reader also minimized buddy
punching. With the former system, each employee was assigned an identification
number, which most quickly memorized. Because workers could punch in using the
number instead of a personal card, employees got in the habit of clocking in
and out for each other by keying in ID numbers. With TimeForce, the
clock’s keypad can be locked, requiring employees to be present with
their proximity cards at punch time. The result: more accurate accounting of
when workers really arrive and leave.
Automation
With their previous system, the resort’s HR manager had to
manually import time and attendance information from each time clock location,
which took time and produced more opportunities for errors. The Qqest system
automatically transmits this data to the main computer every hour. They
benefit, HR saves time and gets more accurate information, while supervisors
have access to timely information, enabling them to address problems
immediately.
Control
Under the former system, all changes and corrections to time and
attendance input was done manually, The HR manager issued printed reports that
supervisors corrected and submitted. Changes were made, reports were re-issued
for a second supervisor review, and then HR finalized the reports. With
TimeForce, all data is displayed in real time online. In accordance with
Camelback Resort’s horizontal management philosophy, supervisors are
given the latitude to make changes directly in the system, bypassing the
manual correction process. Now, HR just “does a quick look,” and
then imports the information directly into the CompuPay payroll system. In
addition, the resort set up rules that lag unusual employee entries or
supervisor changes. The result: a fully automated system that empowers
supervisors with accurate, timely information, and gives managers control
without micromanaging.
As the Camelback Resort continues to use Qqest, they anticipate seeing even more benefits. “We wanted to start off slowly with the new system so employees weren’t overwhelmed,” said Downey. “Because the implementation went so smoothly we’ve already started tracking personal time off information, something we did not anticipate doing for quite some time. The more we use Timeforce, the more benefits we discover.”
