Office Depot Cuts Costs and Enhances Productivity With Workforce Management Tech

Office Depot is enhancing operational efficiency through the implementation of cloud-based, mobile-first workforce management technologies, resulting in a 90% task completion rate and a significant reduction in time spent on scheduling. 

The retailer tapped Zebra Workcloud software and mobile computing solutions to bolster its workforce management strategy. 

As a result of the implementation, Office Depot has improved operational efficiency, so its 13,000 store associates across 1,500 stores can spend more time serving customers. The technology is accessed via mobile devices and has allowed store managers to prioritize and divide associate tasks, giving associates greater visibility into what they need to do, what they completed, and what’s next on their to-do lists. 

The system encompasses scheduling, task management, and reporting, allowing associates to be more efficient while providing real-time reporting to field leaders on compliance and completion rates. 

Office Depot uses Workcloud Scheduling software to optimize scheduling, ensuring associates with the right skills can serve customers at the appropriate times and that staffing aligns with store labor budgets.

By the numbers: 

• Through the implementation of the workforce solutions, Office Depot has seen a 95% reduction in overtime costs.
• Time spent on scheduling has been reduced from approximately three hours to just 30 minutes per week.
• This streamlined approach to scheduling has resulted in a 6% annual saving in payroll costs for Office Depot.

“Technology is at the forefront of everything we do from an omnichannel perspective across the globe, and working with Zebra Technologies has been a game changer for us,” said Jonas Stillman, senior director of omnichannel operations at Office Depot. “We’ve become more efficient, achieving a 90% task completion rate, an increase of 42% since implementing Zebra’s integrated solutions. Zebra’s hardware and software have helped our stores execute at the next level and focus on what matters most: our customers.”