Workforce Management Blog

Synerion North America Inc. acquires ITR Systems Division

Synerion becomes the largest Canadian mid-market provider of WFM solutions following the acquisition of ITR Systems Division.

Dec 15^th, 2011, Mississauga, ON – A veteran in the WFM industry, Synerion announced this week their acquisition of the assets of the  ITR Systems Division.  Combined, the merger will create a company with more than 65 years’ experience and 20,000 customers worldwide, in a wide array of industries. The merger of the ITR division with Synerion means more effective, efficient and superior solutions for Synerion’s and ITR’s clients.

About Synerion

Tracking more than four million employees in various industries, Synerion provides comprehensive Workforce Management (WFM) software solutions and services that enable organizations to effectively optimize their most valuable asset – human resources. Using cutting edge technology and industry best practices, Synerion’s WFM Suite offers organizations a set of integrated tools for the measurable management of workforce performance. The solutions help companies meet organizational goals and maximize business performance.

About ITR

Established in 1965, ITR is the largest privately owned Canadian provider of workforce management systems, with more than 45 years of experience. With offices across Canada, ITR delivers exceptional, scalable solutions and responsive customer service. ITR’s Systems Division develops, implements and supports innovative software that helps organizations of any size and in any industry manage all aspects of their workforce including: time and attendance; employee and job scheduling; accruals; labour allocation; and time and labour reporting.  Tracy Parzych CEO of ITR believes that Synerion will be able to nurture and grow the ITR System Division.  She added, “The merger will enable the software to become even stronger and bring new opportunities to the employees”.

Ernie Pozzobon, President and CEO of Synerion North America, says this merger will provide expanded capabilities, and better levels of customer support.

“Synerion is excited about the possibilities and opportunities that will stem from the acquisition of ITR’s division and looks forward to creating many new and innovative releases in the human resources software arena in the future.”

“Moreover,” Pozzobon said, “the products and consulting services that Synerion delivers, combined with the complimentary products with which the company integrates, will create synergistic value. Customers will feel this synergy and ultimately receive a higher return on their investment.”

To learn more about Synerion, visit www.synerionwfm.com.

No matter what industry you are in, companies know that every dollar counts. So why wouldn’t you want a solution that can help save your organization money while improving operational efficiency?

By implementing an automated time and attendance system, you can save your company 2-5% of your annual payroll expenses. This could amount to thousands or even millions of dollars a year. With time and attendance systems, companies of all sizes are able to realize a significant return on investment.

How does automating your time and attendance save you money?

-Decrease in payroll errors

-Decreasing total payroll processing time

-Decreasing unauthorized leave time

-Improving labor reporting

-Eliminating costs associated with paper timecards

-Eliminating the risks of employee buddy punching or time fraud

-And much more…

What should you consider when choosing a time and attendance system vendor?

-Have a few companies present their solution so you can get a complete picture of what a time and attendance              solution can do for your organization

-Consider the level of support you will be receiving from the vendor if any issues arise with the system

-Speak to the company’s current customers to see if they are happy with the solution, the support, etc

-Do not focus too much on the price tag as a low cost solution may not have the capabilities that your organization will require to get a significant return on investment

For more information on Time and Attendance along with Workforce Management visit our website

Most organizations do not realize the importance of the implementation process, when setting up a workforce management system. Depending on how successful an implementation is, it can determine how effective the system will be, and how soon your company will see a return on investment.

In order for the workforce management to be implemented successfully, you need to first understand the business process.  Once the specific needs of your organization and business processes are understood, the implementation process can be tailored appropriately.  When selecting a solution, it is important to have a seasoned and qualified implementation team that is capable of managing all components of the process from planning to deployment.  By paying attention to the following steps, it will ensure that your company experiences a successful implementation, and as a result achieve a great return on investment

Planning

- Project Initiation
- Introducing the Project Team
- Preparing the Design

Design

- Designing Workflow
- Designing Configuration
- Determining Training Strategy
- Determine Testing Strategy
- Solution Acceptance and Final Planning

Building

- Installing Hardware and Software
- Finalizing the Test Plan
- Unit Testing
- Customer Training
- Testing and Preparation

Testing

- Integration Testing
- Parallel Testing

Deployment

- Production and Deployment
- Transitioning to a Support Phase

When adopting a new system, it is critical to remember training. Have the implementation team analyze the existing process and roles within the organization so they can create specific role-based training.  It is important to take into account how the end user will be interacting with the system, so different training programs can be designed for different areas of a company.  The goal is to create an effective, high quality program that will ensure that your company sees a timely return on your investment.

It is important during the implementation that the process contains stringent testing levels to provide high quality assurance levels. Once the project goes live, customer care professionals should be available for ongoing support.

Workforce management systems, and time and attendance management software are not one size fits all.  Whether you are looking to transfer away from a manual system or upgrading technology, make sure your chosen vendor can quickly and efficiently implement the technology in a way that best suits your company and optimizes the value of the dollars invested.

Visit our website to find the best workforce management system or time and attendance software for you!

Your company has decided that it’s time to take a look at your current workforce management system, and maybe it’s time for a new change. But where do you even begin?

Shopping for a new time and attendance system isn’t as simple as just looking for the best price you can find. Implementing a new time and attendance system can be a time consuming and costly process. You need a solution that will be specific for your organization’s unique needs, while keeping in the project’s budget.

What most organizations do not realize is that a properly executed implementation process is a key contributor in the projects return on investment. You want a vendor whose implementation methodology has been specifically designed to bring a structured, reliable approach to implementing workforce management solutions.

When it’s time to make the final decision, look for solutions that are designed to shorten implementation cycles, deliver high end user adoption rates, focus on optimizing business processes, and is built on proven best practices. This approach brings the greatest ROI as quickly as possible.

Plan:

The plan phase brings alignment and provides clarity on overall project goals and success criteria. This phase also prepares the customer to effectively participate in the project.

Design:

The design process should be focused on optimizing the customer’s business processes. A detailed examination of policies and rules should be captured and incorporated into a configuration design. This ensures system calculations are programmed accurately to provide maximum automation and accuracy.

Through an effective workflow design session, an effective role based training plan should be created to ensure high end user adoption rates of the workforce management solution.

A comprehensive approach to solution design ensures the customer is well positioned to implement the most effective workforce management processes for their business.

Build:

It is essential for the build phase that you have experienced and accredited system consultants for the configuration of the solution. Since the implementation directly relates to the return on investment, the efficiency of the process is very important.

Test:

No matter how smoothly the initial implementation was executed, it is always beneficial to have a comprehensive testing strategy. Unit, integration and user acceptance testing should be supported by test cases developed during the design phase. This approach ensures that by the time parallel testing is conducted, the system performs as expected.

Deploy:

A well defined deployment strategy should be executed to ensure the move to the production environment is done successfully. Once live, Customer Care professionals should be introduced as the primary point of contact for ongoing support.

By keeping in mind the following objectives during your implementation process, it will help to ensure the fastest and greatest return on your investment.

Learn about Synerion (formerly TimeTECH)’s proven implementation methodology and time and attendance solutions at our website.

Here is an interesting article by Bruce Anderson; president of TimeandAttendanceCompare.Com in which he identifies the 5 reasons Time and Attendance Software Implementations Exceed Budget. When it is time for your company to begin your implementation process, these are the things you hope to avoid.

Let’s highlight on the important points on this article and give an alternate point of view on how to keep your time and attendance implementation from exceeding budget.  In no particular order the top 5 reasons were as follows:

1.       Time and Attendance System Implementation Scope not defined

2.       Time Attendance Software Implementer’s access to time and attendance Payroll, HR and IT resources are limited

3.       Lack of experience from the Time and Attendance Tracking Software implementer

4.       The project time was under quoted

5.       Unforeseen computer errors and conflicts

Research is key. You need to figure out what you want to improve on from your current system, what specific functionality you need and make sure that the new solution can accomplish that, so you won’t have to worry about reason number 1.

Next, do some background research on your potential vendors! Ask for potential references of clients in the same industry, same employee size, same geographic, or using a similar solution, etc. Get a variety of different references to make sure that the vendor you choose is qualified and experienced and avoid reasons 3 and 4.

Now don’t think that once you have made your final decision on solution you are done. It is unrealistic to think that all implementations go on without a hitch. Have the necessary people available to the implementation team in the case any issues or questions arise. It is essential for someone to take ownership of this project. Implementations are a two way process.  Work together with the implementation team to ensure that the project moves as quickly and smoothly as possible and forget about reason 2.

In regards to the last reason, unfortunately this is something that is out of your control.  That’s why you should focus on the aspects that you can control, so the project doesn’t exceed budget. Shopping for a new time and attendance solution isn’t as simple as buying a new pair of shoes. You need to do your research, compare prices, and be involved with the process to ensure you get the best solution to meet your company’s specific needs, and stay within your budget.

Visit our website to learn more.