How Pilot Company is creating better experiences for their team members

During a recent webinar, I had the chance to connect with leading team members from Pilot Company, one of the leading suppliers of fuel and the largest operator of travel centers in North America. The conversation with Kelly Satterfield, senior manager of HR technology and shared services, and Leann Robbins, supervisor of HRIS support, was super insightful about how they are fueling success with Infor, but more importantly, with their team members.

Pilot has more than 2,800 remote workers and 23,000 “deskless” employees, most of whom are constantly on the move running registers, cleaning, and stocking. And the paper-based processes for managing those employees were ripe for digital transformation—from payroll to transfers and promotions to changes of address. It wasn’t uncommon for store managers to use a wall calendar for time-off requests, where employees would post their requested dates with a sticky note. Communication was also a challenge. Many team members didn’t have a corporate email address, so it was always difficult to distribute news and updates.

Addressing the expectations of a new generation
Behind the scenes, the company operated a mix of different systems to manage its HR processes. But the disparate systems from different vendors led to process inconsistencies across its network of locations. And like many companies, Pilot found that its up-and-coming generation of workers expected to work the way they live—using mobile technology that’s quick, intuitive, and always available. So, Pilot turned to Infor for workforce management and HR solutions to help drive their digital transformation project.

A smooth transition to remote work
Pilot began its HR and workforce management transformation with Infor prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, so when so much of its workforce had to transition to working from home, the company already had the supporting technology in place. Like every company, Pilot found some kinks it had to resolve, but the transition to remote work was fairly seamless. Since then, remote work has become standard practice for a portion of its workforce. Like a lot of companies, the Pilot team identified roles that could work remotely on a permanent basis. But as with its deskless employees assigned to its travel centers and retail sites, the company needed a way to get out messages quickly—especially on pandemic-related topics such as contact tracing and vaccination availability.

Transforming the employee and manager experiences
By providing a single platform that employees could access via their mobile devices, Infor helped ensure that Pilot’s distributed and mobile workforce always stayed in touch. But the changes to the employee experience weren’t just pandemic-related. Before deploying Infor Workforce Management, Pilot’s managers had to notify team members individually when their work schedule changed. Now, each team member gets an automated alert regarding schedule changes. Also, team members don’t have to call their colleagues when they want to see if their co-workers can cover a shift. They can post it online for the entire team to see. They can also clock in and clock out for their shifts from their mobile devices, thanks to Infor’s geofencing capabilities. In essence, Pilot employees have more control over when, where, and how they engage with their employer—which ultimately improves their experience and job satisfaction.

Those same improvements apply to the manager’s role. Previously, a travel center manager could spend hours each week helping employees complete paperwork and walking them through the onboarding process. With Infor, employees can submit that same information themselves before their first day on the job. The payroll data submission process is also dramatically easier. Managers can approve or reject employee time submissions instead of manually inputting each employee’s time report. And with the hours that managers save each week, they can spend more time with customers and team members. Everyone wins.

Seemingly small improvements yield big results
Even small improvements in the employee and manager experiences can have a sizable impact when multiplied across Pilot’s network of locations. Aside from the measurable ROI that Pilot achieved with Infor, the company has seen other, equally important improvements. The work experience has improved, which lowers turnover. And employees at every level of the organization can focus on making the customer experience richer and more worthwhile—which is ultimately what Pilot is all about.

Written by:
Marcus Mossberger, Global Product and Industry Market Strategy