Beyond Workforce Management Software: Why a Service Contract Is an Investment in Success

Workforce management software is not just about attendance tracking, absence management or preventing employee scheduling conflicts. It’s the key to optimizing labor costs.

But there’s another element to success – tweaking your implementation whenever necessary and quickly resolving issues. This agility translates to less downtime and the ability to seize opportunities faster.

At MANUS, we’ve introduced service contracts which ensure expert support and fast issue resolution. Compared to ad-hoc support, it positions organizations to get the most from their configuration. This article explains what’s involved.

The Hidden Costs of Ad-Hoc WFM Support

Having a service contract helps you avoid several roadblocks.

Delays and Red Tape

Without a contract, any needed change (like a small configuration tweak) might require you to request a quote and get approval before the vendor can address it. Such administrative processes mean your team could wait days for a fix, during which productivity may suffer.

Higher Costs for Small Tasks

Ad-hoc support might come with high minimum fees. A vendor may charge a full hour for a 15-minute fix, or a simple question could require purchasing a full hour’s consultation.

Lower Priority Support

Without a service contract, your support tickets are likely to be addressed only after those of customers that have contracts. The result can be extended downtime and productivity losses as you await assistance. Essentially, having guaranteed support when you need it may be part of your risk management strategy.

How Our Service Contracts Work

A service contract with MANUS is an annual subscription (which renews each year). You buy a number of workforce management consulting hours in advance, giving your company priority access to our team’s expertise. Here are some more details.

Pre-Purchased Hours at a Discount

You buy a set number of consulting hours for the year at a discounted rate (up to 10%) compared to if you paid on demand. There’s no need to approve a new expense every time you need help; you simply use your prepaid hours, reducing admin.

Flexible Use of Time

Those hours can be used for any mix of support or consulting tasks, such as implementing a software change, configuring a new scheduling rule, providing user training or fine-tuning a process. It could be used for integrating with other workforce management tools, such as real time analytics or payroll processing software.

It all comes out of the same bank of hours. Thus, you can apply the time wherever it brings the most value, without extra administrative tasks.

Priority Support

Usually, if support is required, customers need to submit a ticket through the helpdesk and go through the subsequent steps like getting approval for the work, etc.

As a contract client, your issues are addressed ahead of non-contract requests, resulting in faster turnaround. Any problem that arises is handled with urgency.

Your Own Dedicated WFM Consultant

We assign a dedicated consultant to your account; a seasoned WFM expert who gets to know your configuration, your processes and your business overall.

When you need help or advice, you’re dealing with the same consultant who understands your goals. This means you don’t have to explain things more than once to different people. Instead, your needs are addressed by someone that truly understands your unique situation and challenges, and this may also speed up resolution.

Our consultants bring deep knowledge of WFM best practices across industries. They can suggest more effective strategies (such as dynamic workforce scheduling), analyze different business scenarios, interpret data for insights, configure new features as your needs develop – and many other use cases that improve your workforce management capabilities.

More Benefits of MANUS WFM Service Contracts

Preventing Issues from Escalating

With priority support and a familiar consultant on standby, issues that might drag on get resolved in hours. Minor glitches are stopped in their tracks before they can escalate.

Continuous Improvement Made Easy

Workforce planning software doesn’t need to remain static after going live. Business requirements change and so do the software’s capabilities. Service contract customers can more easily benefit from ongoing improvement. Regular check-ins with your consultant can uncover opportunities for more streamlined processes, or the discovery of new features. This leads to continuous gains in operational efficiency.

Flexibility

Organizations can respond quickly to changes, such as surges in demand, regulatory changes, or expansions, without worrying that their workforce management system will hold them back.

Lower Total Cost and Predictable Budgeting

A service contract often proves to be more cost-effective than ad-hoc support. Ad-hoc services may appear cheaper at first glance but, as discussed, they can quickly add up due to minimum billing requirements and so on.

And, as mentioned, once organizations experience the benefits of a comprehensive workforce management solution, they often want to get more out of it. With a service contract, you can invest gradually in these improvements without dealing with unpredictable costs every time.

For many organizations, especially those in cost-sensitive sectors like retail and logistics, this predictability is a significant advantage. It provides clarity and supports better decision-making.

Peace of Mind

Ultimately, a service contract provides peace of mind. You’re not just buying hours but are investing in stability and responsiveness. Your teams can focus on their core role, knowing that help is just an email or phone call away.

Conclusion

Implementing a workforce management solution is a crucial step in reducing labor costs, but ensuring its long-term success requires ongoing input.

A service contract with MANUS is an investment that keeps paying off by safeguarding organizational success. It provides quick support if issues arise and expert insights for improvement – which translates into less downtime and improved workforce productivity.

Ultimately, it transforms support from a reactive, pay-per-incident expense into a proactive, predictable service. You gain a team of experts on call who can fix problems and help you continuously improve.

To enquire about our service contracts – or to request a demo of MANUS WFM – contact us today.