Resource planning

With the construction of the Pradas Resort, he faces new challenges: the networking of the hotel business, restaurants and mountain railways. The newly built Pradas Resort has 83 apartments in 16 holiday homes, in addition to five restaurants and the mountain railways. Different systems are used in these areas: Xenia, Protel, Abacus and Skidata. Beat Zenklusen wants a tool that brings together all areas and simplifies controlling – from accounting software to till systems and recording of working hours – and for the new tool to provide interfaces for the relevant areas and systems. Not an easy task. ‘But without data there is no controlling; in business terms you are flying blind. Only if you have facts can you react quickly and optimise service for the guests,’ says Zenklusen.

Beat Zenklusen had good experiences with EuroTime, and the existing cooperation with SWIT also convinced him to put his faith in iMIS. He wants to ‘streamline’: the basis for that is software that provides the desired figures. This entrepreneurial vision also means transparency: all employees, all the way down to the unskilled labourer, know the figures – that motivates them and strengthens team spirit; individual performance becomes part of the success.

Two factors were important in the evaluation phase and when searching for a suitable software system: the technical requirements and the specialist know-how. ‘The decision is not based on the product alone, but also dependent on the people behind it’, explains Beat Zenklusen. He wants a partner to whom he doesn’t have to explain the industry, or rather industries: mountain railways, hotels and restaurants. The software should provide data at a glance, fulfilling industry-specific specifications and laws in the process: with iMIS, these parameters, such as shift work, L-GAV and AZG, can be set and considered individually.

Access to data and key figures is a competitive advantage: they massively simplify staff resource planning and shorten reaction times. In the process, open communication is maintained – at 7.30 a.m., Beat Zenklusen looks at the previous day’s figures and compares them with the budget and the previous year’s figures. By 8 a.m., all squads receive updated daily and cumulative figures. They, too, are impressed by iMIS. Price changes can finally be implemented directly via the server and not just on each individual till. Of course, the staff have received appropriate training. And because nothing works without the network, the mountain railways and Brigels Resort AG now have a fibre-optic network. ‘Management by numbers’ says Zenklusen, adding ‘but the social abilities need to be right, too.’

At Pradas Resort and the Brigels Resort AG Hotel Frisal restaurant, digitisation is everyday reality. For example, guests can order bread via a tablet in the reception area. The Director of Pradas Resort has achieved a lot, but he knows that technical requirements are constantly developing. That was yet another reason to choose the EuroTime and iMIS software – the modularity of the systems. Plus the fact that SWIT sees itself not only as a supplier of products, but also as an adviser and companion. From system planning to interface adjustment and employee training: as a service provider, SWIT relies on short decision values, flexibility and service – including in the evenings and on Saturdays.

Zenklusen views the figures in peace on the computer in his office. However, he is often on the go – in the restaurants, on the slopes, on mountain railways, in meetings. With the app, he is always up to speed: it provides data in real time. He knows which of the staff have signed in, how many guests are in the hotel and what turnover is being generated in the restaurants. Ah, yes. At the moment, there are 1,318 guests on the slopes. Soon it will be 1,319. Beat Zenklusen says goodbye. He has time for a ski run – after all, the forecast for tomorrow is good.