In Niagara Falls, New York, Delta Sonic Car Wash Systems, Inc. is known as the “kissing clean car wash” because of the care that each car receives. With a mission to create the gentlest, safest, most thorough car wash ever developed, Delta Sonic created the Touch-Less Car (TLC) Wash. With this revolutionary wash, no spinning brushes touch the car’s exterior. The spinning cloth brushes are replaced with special sprays of water and lotion as well as an overhead buffing cloth.
“The bottom line is we’ve reduced administrative headcount because of the efficiencies UKG Pro has provided to our business.”
Tammy JohannesPayroll Manager
Challenges
Delta Sonic Car Wash Systems had been using a payroll service bureau that couldn’t address the company’s complex needs for payroll and reporting. The car wash has a fluctuating workforce, with employees who often work in multiple jobs in different profit centers, who receive tips that may require makeup pay, and who must be paid bonuses and commissions.
Managing compensation for 3,800 employees at 29 car washes, detail shops, lube shops, and convenience stores, Delta Sonic’s payroll staff spent hours each week on manual data entry, payroll calculations, and reporting.
When payroll team members received hourly information from the different locations, they had to break it out by hand according to job and location and then apply the appropriate wage rate for each job. Other calculations, such as figuring makeup pay for tipped employees and bonuses, were completed manually as well. Delta Sonic hoped that a new human capital management system would improve its processes, help reduce its administrative staff, and redirect efforts to strategic assignments.
Solutions
After Delta Sonic began using UKG Pro™ as its people management solution, instead of the HR/payroll team manually entering data, its members could focus on strategic projects that bring more value to the department and to the company. For example, the staff began cross-training in order to more effectively address manpower changes or emergencies, when necessary.
Because Pro fosters an environment of strategic decision-making, the auto retailer is proactively addressing potential problems rather than waiting until issues arise.
“In the past, it seemed like we were always putting out fires because we just didn’t have the time or resources to delve into some of the nitty-gritty details of our business,” said Tammy Johannes, Payroll Manager for Delta Sonic.
“Because Pro simplified our payroll, we can focus on providing quality service to our company and to our employees rather than dedicating our efforts to managing the payroll service bureau.”
Improved efficiencies also came in the area of report generation. Before Pro, Delta Sonic’s payroll team had difficulty finding the workforce data it needed. Delays while waiting for facts from the service bureau frustrated both the payroll department and the executive staff who requested information.
Results
Now, Delta Sonic has immediate, real-time access to earnings and other payroll details, compliance numbers, headcount reports, and a variety of business intelligence data that meets the needs of both the payroll group and company leadership.
Each week, for example, Johannes runs a report within minutes that summarizes productivity indicators of the company’s locations — a document that previously took hours to prepare.
“I run reports from Pro literally every day, and they’re invaluable,” said Johannes. “Most of the time, I just need to change the date fields and the documents are ready to go. I feel good that I’m able to provide my boss and other executives with detailed and current information they need to make strategic decisions.”
“And the bottom line is that we’ve been able to reduce administrative headcount,” Johannes added, “because of the efficiencies Pro has provided to our business.”
