Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, announced today that Pep Boys, the leading automotive aftermarket service and retail chain in the U.S., has significantly improved its people management processes and achieved overall business results with Ultimate Software’s UltiPro.

With nearly 20,000 employees in over 730 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, executive management for Pep Boys determined that the company needed to transform its HR operations — which meant replacing the outdated mainframe system it previously used with completely new cloud-based HCM technology. Pep Boys chose Ultimate’s UltiPro solution and went live in July 2011.

Since deploying UltiPro, Pep Boys has addressed a range of critical HR challenges that many industries, particularly retail, face such as:

• Expediting and automating complex and manual HR and payroll processes
• Reducing expenses associated with managing a large, geographically dispersed workforce
• Improving services to employees by providing direct access to vital information that matters to them

“Especially for larger businesses like ours, managing people-related activities is a big portion of day-to-day operations, and a considerable focus is given to how our HCM resources impact the overall budget,” said Mark Buzby, HRIS and payroll director at Pep Boys. “Ultimate’s technology is a huge advantage for our business — elevating the efficiency of our HR and payroll processes for managers and employees, helping our dispersed teams work smarter and collaborate more effectively, and delivering results that have impacted the entire business.”

Retail businesses frequently experience a higher-than-average turnover — so accurate, real-time data is critical to staying on top of workforce changes, as well as managing new hire and terminations with speed and precision. Retailers’ needs include handling complex compensation, such as bonuses and commissions, and seamlessly integrating with third-party point-of-sale systems in locations that are often located around the world. With such a diverse workforce to handle, HR and payroll professionals in the retail industry must deploy the right technology in order to solve critical business problems.

“UltiPro makes my life easier because employees can make changes independently from store or home, and redundant data entry for managers or administrators has been eliminated. The accuracy of our information, our ability to immediately access meaningful metrics, and the speed of delivery has significantly improved,” Buzby added. “Personally, my favorite thing about UltiPro is that we can calculate payroll in 15 minutes for our 20,000-person workforce — a fraction of the time it took with our previous provider. This level of business efficiency has been a huge win for our company.”

Time savings has been an additional benefit because UltiPro provides Pep Boys’ employees with 24-7 access to their information, including payroll details, year-to-date pay summaries, tax-withholding information, and more. Rather than printing checks or payroll advices, employees can view their individual information online and handle a range of transactions that previously involved emailing, faxing, and using a tremendous amount of paper.

“Since we rolled out the UltiPro portal, the savings in paper usage and mailings alone has been significant,” said Buzby. “We’ve stopped printing and mailing hundreds of thousands of pieces of paper each year, which certainly has made an impact on our bottom line.”

With UltiPro as the primary hub for workforce information, Pep Boys’ employees can use UltiPro for snapshots of their compensation history, benefits coverage, and job details.

“Now that our employees are able to make changes on their own and access what they need when they need it, HR is getting out of tactical responsibilities and moving to a more strategic focus, and the response from store employees has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Buzby. “UltiPro is innovative technology that has taken us into the future.”

“Ultimate Software has years of experience and success with many retailers of all sizes, and we have a proven understanding and insight in how businesses like Pep Boys work to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their HCM operations,” said Greg Swick, chief sales officer at Ultimate Software. “Pep Boys understands how cloud-based HCM technology can help companies adapt to complex and evolving business needs, and we are pleased that UltiPro is supporting this successful retail organization by delivering tangible business results.”

About Ultimate Software

Ultimate is a leading SaaS provider of people management solutions, with more than 8 million people records in the cloud. Built on the belief that people are the most important ingredient of any business, Ultimate's award-winning UltiPro delivers HR, payroll, and talent management solutions that seamlessly connect people with the information and resources they need to work more effectively. Founded in 1990, the company is headquartered in Weston, Florida, and has more than 1,600 professionals focused on developing the highest quality solutions and services. In 2012, Ultimate was ranked #25 on FORTUNE'S “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Ultimate has more than 2,300 customers with employees in 115 countries, including Adobe Systems Incorporated, Culligan International, Major League Baseball, The New York Yankees Baseball Team, Pep Boys, and Texas Roadhouse. More information on Ultimate's products and services for people management can be found at www.ultimatesoftware.com.

UltiPro is a registered trademark of The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Ultimate Software on Twitter: www.twitter.com/UltimateHCM

Follow Ultimate Software on LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/UltimateHCM