UniFocus’ Watson, R.M.™ Improves Casino Windsor’s Labor Management Processes

DALLAS – UniFocus, L.P., an integrated solutions provider of innovative business information systems and operational applications for the hospitality and service industries, is pleased to announce that it has completed implementing its Watson R.M. Labor Management System at the Casino Windsor™. Casino Windsor, located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, engaged UniFocus to implement the Watson R.M. program, which provides integrated business forecasting, labor planning, and scheduling.

Terry Black, CFO of the property, said, “The preliminary impact of the installation of the software has been very positive and we look forward to continued gains in service and efficiency as we improve our use of this technology.”

UniFocus’ Watson R.M. Labor Management System has helped the property refine its forecasting of short-term business volumes, which is the first step in effective staff planning. Further, UniFocus’ Business Advancement consulting staff worked with the various department teams to develop and refine the staffing standards that are the foundation of the staff planning process and an integral component of the software. The UniFocus philosophy on such standards is that they must have management buy-in, ensure proper service delivery based on the property’s market position and determine service needs by period of the day, as compared to a standard for an entire shift or day. For productivity to be accurately measured, it cannot be expressed as a percentage of labor dollars to revenue.

The UniFocus experienced team facilitates the development of highly effective labor standards by analyzing the way work gets done, distinguishing between fixed and variable work coupled with guest service demand patterns. While it is common in the industry to express standards on a per shift basis, more precise standards that relate to guest demand, or units per hour, allows for more flexible staffing that can include short shifts and/or cross-utilization of staff. Casino Windsor now has a fully integrated software program to help manage the entire labor management cycle from forecasting and scheduling to reporting and evaluation as a result.

“We are happy to see Casino Windsor benefit from the use of Watson, R.M.,” stated Ken Heymann, UniFocus’ President of Watson, R.M. and Business Advancement Services. “The service and efficiency improvements translate into measurable operational returns. As a result, the entire engagement including the software system will pay for itself many times over.”

About UniFocus, L.P.
Based in Dallas, UniFocus solely serves the hospitality industry in the U.S. and overseas. Its executives collectively bring over 100 years of direct hospitality experience to the table. UniFocus provided integrated solutions that include full-service operational analysis, financial and labor management applications, as well as staff, meeting planner and guest satisfaction measurement programs executable across a wide variety of technology platforms. The resulting database allows UniFocus to uniquely correlate and benchmark each client’s performance to their particular competitive markets. Enhanced reporting capabilities allow hospitality executives to have a “total picture” overview of their operations, set strategic actions and gain asset value.

UniFocus is a Microsoft® Certified Partner, an affinity partner of the International Association of Conference Centers, a business partner of the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, and an allied member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. For more information, visit www.unifocus.com.

SOURCE: UniFocus, L.P.

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