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plano | References | SUMMACOM

Digitalized and optimized staffing planning as a key success factor

SUMMACOM has been an established provider of contact center services for over 25 years.
The company offers tailored communication solutions and supports clients from a variety of industries, including banking, retail, and energy providers.
To meet the growing demands for efficient workforce scheduling, Summacom relies on the workforce management solution from plano.

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SUMMACOM GmbH & Co. KG

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Initial situation

Before the implementation of plano‘s WFM software, workforce scheduling at SUMMACOM was primarily carried out using the RichClient. The high complexity of the four planning areas at SUMMACOM, which included varying opening hours, diverse skill requirements, as well as a multitude of employee preferences and temporary workers, presented major difficulties for the planners.
There was a clear need for a modern, web-based solution that would enable quick adjustments, continue to work with existing scheduling and payroll-related data, and involve employees more actively in the planning process

To meet the growing demands for efficient workforce scheduling, Summacom relies on the workforce management solution from plano. The goal is to optimize shift planning, increase employee satisfaction, and digitally and transparently map processes.
With the implementation of the plano Roster, the plano Optimizer, and the integration of the ESS employee portal, Summacom is successfully able to achieve these objectives.

Branche

Contact Center

Number of employees

approx. 370

plano in use

plano Roster, plano Optimizer, plano ESS (Employee Self Service), plano Time Recording

plano is an invaluable tool for us.
The solutions are user-friendly, flexible, and save us a tremendous amount of time.
Without plano, we would not be able to meet the demands of modern workforce planning.

Daniela Gard

Workforce Management Division Lead
SUMMACOM GmbH & Co. KG

Project goals

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Efficient and Dynamic Shift Planning

  • Setting up centralized planning tools to address complex skill-based requirements.
  • Algorithmic generation of scheduling scenarios to ensure swift and optimal decision-making.
  • Less planning effort resulting in shorter scheduling times.
  • Effective and up-to-date reporting for customers, controlling, and HR.

Increasing Employee Satisfaction

  • Digital schedules and independent entry of preferred shifts and vacation requests.
  • More self-responsibility and flexibility for staff.
  • Strengthening employee engagement through transparent and flexible work-time models.

Future-Oriented Digitalization and Scalability

  • Implementation of an integrated system for workforce planning, time tracking, and vacation management.
  • Migration to a cloud-based solution for improved scalability and availability.
  • Continuous analysis and optimization of workforce planning processes.

Improvement

SUMMACOM reference image

Replacement of the RichClient with plano Roster and migration to the cloud

The step-by-step transition from RichClient to plano Roster was seamless and without data loss, as existing data models from RichClient were integrated.
Planning and payroll-relevant data remain usable, enabling thoroughly efficient and consistent scheduling. Furthermore, SUMMACOM transitioned from an on-premises solution to a cloud-based solution, benefitting from enhanced flexibility and scalable infrastructure moving forward.

Transparency and Employee Satisfaction

Employees benefit: they can continue to use the well-established ESS application post-transition with the same familiar look and feel, allowing them to manage weekly schedules, time tracking, and vacation requests independently and digitally.
This practice greatly contributes to high employee satisfaction and effective communication with team leaders. Furthermore, employees are increasingly involved in planning, gaining additional flexibility and responsibility. The planned integration of additional plano WFM modules is expected to further enhance this positive development.

SUMMACOM reference image
SUMMACOM reference image

Modern and Future-Proof Infrastructure

Migrating to the cloud has provided SUMMACOM with a modern and scalable IT infrastructure, easing internal IT resources, significantly reducing costs, and creating an ideal foundation for future extensions, such as self-rostering and mobile applications (myplano).

Improvements for planners

  • Significant reduction of planning efforts
  • Dynamic planning enables swift, resource-efficient adjustments to short-term demand changes
  • Optimal oversight of staffing levels (under- and over-staffing), skills, and availabilities
  • Integrated real-time time tracking and vacation management

Improvements for employees

  • Access shift schedules anytime, anywhere, from any device
  • Actively participate in planning by submitting shift preferences
  • Transparent and simplified management of vacation requests and time tracking
  • Increased flexibility and autonomy
Case Study (PDF)

What Our Customers Say

1,000,000 users in 33 countries — How we successfully implement workforce management for our customers

  • client reference Patrick Kozak, IT- project manager von Hellweg - Die Profi Baumärkte

    The large-scale rollout across all our branches was a success primarily thanks to the professional and consistently personal collaboration with plano.

  • plano client reference, Lucardi Juwelier testimonial

    The solution from plano provides us with comprehensive transparency in time management and workforce planning, enabling us to manage processes efficiently and in a user-friendly way.

  • Maik Gebhard, team lead Business management, CommuniGate Kommunikationsservice GmbH

    Thanks to the consultants’ extensive expertise at plano, drawn from a strong track record of successful project implementations, we feel well looked after and benefit from outstanding professional support.

  • Miriam Mertens, Prokuristin & Leiterin Personal und Organisation, Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach

    We were looking for software that, on the one hand, reflects the regulations of the collective agreement for the public sector, but on the other hand is also flexible enough to map and implement the very specific circumstances we have at the theater.

  • Reinhard Rehm-Rink, nutzt Plano für DRK-Kreisverband Kassel-Wolfhagen e.V.

    With plano WFM, our employees can now plan their schedules flexibly and according to their own personal circumstances. It’s great!

  • Referenzbild Flughaven - hier ist plano Aviation im Einsatz

    The entire plano package is consistent and I highly recommend it. The service, customer focus, and product are fantastic!

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