Costa Coffee has collaborated with UKG, a workforce management specialist, to enhance its staffing and strategic labor planning choices.
Utilizing UKG’s AI-driven solution, Costa Coffee boosted staffing efficiency by close to 50% during the holiday season and experienced a subsequent 65% increase immediately afterward.
“The results we’ve experienced with UKG are tremendous. Store managers can accurately plan their staffing needs well in advance and make data-driven decisions, so our stores always have the right people with the right skills in the right place. This not only helps keep customers happy but ensures we have the ideal mix of employees, which creates a better experience for them, all whilst keeping us on budget,” said Katie Little, labor operations manager at Costa Coffee.
Upon implementing UKG Strategic Workforce Planning as its centralized solution for labor budgeting, recruitment planning, and productivity, Costa Coffee significantly enhanced its operational efficiency. By harnessing workforce management information and labor analytics from each cafe location, the coffee giant achieved more accurate forecasting of its 2022 holiday staffing requirements. This strategic approach enabled Costa Coffee to optimize and invigorate its existing workforce while staying on track with its budgetary goals.
“At one point, we had more than 300 different contract types for our workers. UKG helped us standardize that process, and we’ve seen the total number of contracts decrease substantially,” said Little. “Because we can more precisely plan staffing needs months in advance, we can take better care of our people by offering more hours to our full- and part-time employees and hiring fewer fixed-term workers. This cuts down on recruitment costs and helps us fill gaps to make timely hires when and where they are needed.”
