|
| Scottsdale Camelback Resort |  Located at the foot of the majestic Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Scottsdale Camelback Resort is one of the first purpose built timeshare properties in the state, and an ideal destination for both business and pleasure. The 11.35 acre resort features 111 luxury villas, restaurants, tennis courts and a nine-hole executive putting green.
The Camelback Resort has the capacity to serve 200,000 guests each year. With an average occupancy rate of 95 percent and just 68 employees, the management and staff appreciate every opportunity to make their jobs as efficient as possible — especially when it comes to administrative activities.
On a rainy night in August 2006, Mother Nature opened the window to just such and opportunity. Arizona’s monsoon season produces violent thunderstorms each summer between July and September. During one of these storms, a bolt of lightening hit a palm tree growing next to theresort’s housekeeping building and traveled into the structure. The surge of electricity destroyed a time clock — one of just two clocks on the premises, the other being located in the main building about a half mile away. The time clock and software the resort was using came from a well known time and attendance provider. When resort staff discovered that this vendor would require them to replace the clock with an entirely new — and much more expensive — solution because it was phasing out the older system, they decided to “do some shopping.”
General Manager Lori Entwistle initiated the search for a new time and attendance solution; Director of Operations Eric Downey was also heavily involved. Because they were extremely satisfied with their automated payroll system and wanted to ensure full integration with the new time clocks and software, their first step was to contact their payroll vendor, CompuPay.
As the county’s largest privately-held payroll services company, CompuPay understands the challenges of getting employees paid on time and accurately. In order to offer their customers a fully automated process, CompuPay teams up with select time and attendance partners. Together with these “endorsed vendors,” CompuPay is able to offer their customers a seamless “punch to paycheck” solution. CompuPay recommended several potential vendors to the Camelback Resort, including Qqest.During the evaluation stage, resort personnel set up regular conference calls and web demonstrations to determine which solution was most appropriate for their needs. Qqest’s TimeForce quickly emerged as a strong competitor. “Qqest was extremely responsive right from the initial review stage,” said Downey, “Like the other vendors, we had regular conference calls to ask questions and discuss details. The difference with Qqest was by the time we hung up, they were already emailing the answers to our questions. And their online demo was extremely impressive. We really felt a ‘wow’ factor from the Qqest team that we did not feel with the other vendors.”
Resort management selected Qqest’s Timeforce for a variety of reasons, including the strong software package, a web-based interface, flexible input options, and the promise of seamless integration and automation with the payroll software. But the most compelling factor continued to be the exceptional level of service they received, which continued throughout and beyond the implementation phase. Qqest assigned Jesse Harris, Implementation Specialist, to oversee the Camelback Resort’s installation. One challenge that arose was getting both time clocks to communicate with the main computer. To address this issue, the resort set up a virtual private network, which ensured secure, reliable communication between points. After conquering that challenge, the rest of the implementation process was effortless. “We experienced absolutely zero bumps when it came to converting and loading data, said Downey. “In fact, I kept feeling like we were the ones slowing down the process. When I needed to talk to Jesse, I was almost always able to reach him directly on the first try. I felt like I was his only customer”. Even though Camelback Resort has only been using TimeForce for a short time, they are already seeing significant benefits:
|
|
