Reliant on Excel schedules and disparate HR tools, Pyramid Foods needed a more streamlined and cost-effective way to manage its Human Resources and Operations. The company found its answer in an all-in-one labor management platform designed for busy grocers.
By implementing an all-in-one, Pyramid Foods was able to streamline processes, reduce overtime expenses, and dramatically cut costs, which resulted in quick ROI for the business.
Case Study Summary
Company: Pyramid Foods
Business Type: Multi-unit grocer based in the Midwest
Problem: The company was spending too much money on separate systems for scheduling, timekeeping, applicant tracking, and onboarding. Unintegrated solutions meant inefficient manual data entry/transfer between systems. Not enough efficiency and transparency in scheduling (Excel). Lack of real-time reporting.
Solution: All-in-one cloud-based labor management platform. It enabled the company to immediately cut costs and streamline its HR and Ops processes, improving efficiency and empowering store managers to monitor the business in real time.
Success highlights:
- Reduced overtime by 72%, saving an estimated $95,940 annually
- Saved thousands of dollars by switching to an all-in-one
- Improved budgeting and transparency
- Reduced time spent on manual data entry
- Increased efficiency in scheduling
- Improved employee satisfaction
About Pyramid Foods
Established in 1967, Pyramid Foods is dedicated to providing consumers the very best food and service at the very best prices.
The company is headquartered in southwest Missouri and operates dozens of stores under multiple store banners, including Price Cutter, Save a Lot Food Stores, King Cash Saver, King Food Saver, and Country Mart.
As a leader in the independent grocery industry, Pyramid Foods supports employees, consumers, and their communities through charitable programs, including the Pyramid Foods Giving Program, which donates resources to local non-profits, and The Price Cutter Charity Championship, which benefits local children’s charities.
Pyramid Foods is a Member of Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG).
The Challenge: Disparate systems are costly and inefficient
Pyramid Foods was using multiple systems to manage its HR and Operations, including separate solutions for scheduling, timekeeping, applicant tracking, and onboarding.
While these programs performed their separate functions well enough in some cases, the complexity and lack of centralized data made it difficult for Pyramid to effectively monitor and control labor costs. Management had to enter the same information in multiple places or manually export and import data for reporting purposes, which was inefficient and time-consuming.
In light of these challenges, Pyramid Foods identified the need for a comprehensive workforce management solution that would help reduce costs and streamline its HR and operations. The company needed a centralized platform that would allow them to manage employee schedules, timekeeping, and onboarding all in one place.
“As a growing grocery company, we needed a solution that would consolidate our HR and operations needs and increase our overall efficiency,” said Rob Marsh, Chief Operating Officer of Pyramid Foods.
The Solution: An all-in-one labor management platform
While considering options, Pyramid Foods heard about TimeForge from ProfitTrax, the profit improvement system that guarantees up to 15-18% shrink reduction. ProfitTrax is a partner of both TimeForge and AWG.
Pyramid Foods received a live demo of TimeForge and made the decision to move forward with the all-in-one labor management platform. The company’s choice quickly paid off.
By implementing TimeForge, Pyramid Foods was able to consolidate its HR and Operations processes into one easy-to-use platform, significantly reducing its overhead expenses and gaining access to real-time sales and labor data through the TimeForge dashboard.
“We became far more efficient in the admin side of things, being able to see everything at a glance on our end and not have to transfer labor hours manually between stores,” said Melissa McCormick, Human Resources Specialist for Pyramid Foods.
Becoming more efficient was especially important in the wake of the pandemic, at a time when the company was feeling the effects of the worker shortage.
“With TimeForge, we were able to shift how we were scheduling employees because we were able to see where we needed them the most,” said McCormick.
Streamlining HR and operations
The switch to an all-in-one system helped Pyramid Foods streamline HR and Operations for a more efficient workflow while reducing manual data entry and errors. The centralized platform also helped management make better decisions by providing access to real-time sales and labor snapshots.
McCormick, who loves training and working with operators at the stores, said, “I’m a firm believer in coaching people on where their strengths are, because I think with the right coaching, everyone can be successful.”
For McCormick, TimeForge is an integral part of her everyday work and helps her ensure that both management and employees are set up for success.
“I communicate a lot with the stores during training,” she said. “Overall, I have loved [TimeForge]. I hear a lot of really great things from the store directors, as well. Before, we were using multiple platforms, and now we can have everything in one system, and that really works to our advantage.”
"I'm a firm believer in coaching people on where their strengths are, because I think with the right coaching, everyone can be successful."
When asked for her favorite thing about TimeForge, McCormick laughed and said, “Coming up with just one is hard. I love that I can see the full dashboard of every store right there on my Today tab. It’s just like right there at my fingertips. Before it really wasn’t that way, it was a lot more spread out.”
Key result: 72% reduction in unauthorized overtime
Using TimeForge’s schedule enforcement features, Pyramid Foods was able to reduce its overtime costs by a dramatic 72%, for an estimated savings of $95,940 over the course of a year.
“Before implementing TimeForge, our company averaged 114 hours per week of unauthorized overtime and is now averaging 32 unauthorized hours of overtime per week,” said Marsh.
“That is a great return on investment, but combining that with a mobile app where our team can access schedules, availability requests, and hours worked is substantial.
To see these differences in a snapshot has been a game changer for our team.”
“[TimeForge] has made a huge difference for us,” said McCormick. “They really do a great job of making sure the stores get the information needed and to learn everything. But it’s really helped us with our budgeting. We’re no longer using spreadsheets for schedules, and we can see all that data right as a snapshot, which is really nice.”
All-in-one labor management: a worthwhile investment
Because Pyramid Foods was able to eliminate a few platforms it no longer needed, the company was able to see an immediate return on investment by using TimeForge.
But the ongoing benefits are experienced every day when managers access the real-time dashboard to make decisions and when employees check the schedule without having to call or drive to the store.
“There’s a lot of great ROIs through the transparency and communication you get from a program like [TimeForge],” said McCormick. “It’s a great investment. I get calls from the stores every day telling me how much they like the program and how they enjoy being able to see when someone’s in and when someone’s out.”
Pyramid Foods’ success with TimeForge is a testament to the power of workforce management solutions in helping companies better manage their labor costs and increase efficiency. With industry-leading solutions such as ATS and onboarding, scheduling, timekeeping, and sales forecasting, TimeForge helps companies like Pyramid Foods save money while maintaining a great employee experience.
As for the customer service?
“Amazing,” said McCormick. “They’ve been so awesome. I cannot rave about [TimeForge] enough because they’re so fast to respond and so helpful.
After hours, if I had a question during implementation, they were willing to call or text. And even now if we have a question, they’re quick to respond. A lot of times, that service kind of trickles off after a program has been implemented, but it hasn’t with TimeForge.”
TimeForge is a full-featured employee scheduling and labor management software designed to help businesses proactively control costs. The system integrates with over 60 leading POS and payroll providers and features a centralized operations dashboard with real-time sales and labor metrics.
TimeForge has received several accolades from grocery retailers for ease of use, value, functionality, and outstanding customer service. It was ranked as a top workforce management product based on user reviews in 2022.
