News
Rabobank Enschede-Haaksbergen to schedule staff with ORTEC 
March 03, 2008
Because customer visits at Rabobank Enschede-Haaksbergen vary strongly with high and low frequencies at specific times, the bank has decided to implement ORTEC’s workforce scheduling solution, Harmony. The local Rabobank has decided to begin its implementation of the system in its three largest departments, which collectively employ 110 staff. “The Customer Advice department and the Call Center had the most urgent need for an efficient workforce scheduling system,” says Project Manager Jeannette Mondria.
Peak times
It is important that Customer Advice department and Call Center staff are scheduled specifically for peak times. “At a small number of branch offices we are currently counting the number of customers who visit or call for an appointment at peak times. Once we have collected this information, we will be able to use it as a basis for the roster. This will enable us to prevent overstaffing at off-peak times,” says Project Manager Mondria. “With the aid of Harmony we hope to be able to schedule in such a way that our customers’ needs are met at the desired times.”
Selection procedure
The implementation of Harmony will commence in March 2008 and the workforce scheduling system will come into operation at Rabobank Enschede-Haaksbergen at the end of May. “We will only be able to see whether we have met our objectives when our new rosters have been set up.” Jeannette Mondria is positive regarding the introduction of Harmony. “During the selection process, which included ORTEC and two other candidates, we decided on ORTEC because Harmony most closely fulfils our requirements. Once Harmony has been fully implemented within the three departments, we expect to be able to roll out the system easily across the remaining departments.”
Rabobank
The Netherlands has some 180 local Rabobanks. These banks are all independent corporations with their own management boards. The banks' respective areas of operations are limited to their own immediate vicinity. The Dutch 'dichtbijbank' (bank around the corner) has a total of some 1,200 branch offices – the most dense branch office network of any bank in The Netherlands. The local Rabobanks employ approximately 35,000 staff and operate more than 3,000 ATMs. Rabobank Enschede-Haaksbergen employs 270 staff across 20 departments.