Quad/Graphics Inc. utilizes thousands of temporary and contract employees each year at its nine plants, but until 2003 the printing company lacked central management for its temporary labor contracts.

That meant Quad/Graphics management had no idea of how many temporary employees were working on a day-to-day basis because each department within Quad/Graphics requisitioned its own temporary work force. Quad/Graphics executives also lacked information on the amount the company was spending on the temporary work force until the end of the year during budgeting.

Privately held Quad/Graphics, Sussex, is a printer of magazines, catalogs, and other commercial products with more than 12,000 employees. Managing its plants requires staffing assignments that are highly flexible by shift, day and location based on continually changing production requirements.

Managers at Quad/Graphics hired temporary workers when department heads needed them, usually from local staffing agencies. The human resources department had little involvement because managers kept track of it.

In 2003, Quad/Graphics' HR department stepped in and assumed tracking the costs for the temporary work force. The company also signed a contract with IQNavigator, Denver, which created Web-based staffing management software called IQNavigator7 that allows Quad and other large employers to track rapidly changing production demands.

"I can see our temporary staff usage within seconds at every one of our plants," said Robert Quadracci, human resources director for the company. "Navigator7 shows me how many temps we ordered for the day and how many temps our agencies were actually able to get us."

IQNavigator7 allows companies to send their temporary staffing agencies the next day's temp worker requests including hourly shifts, locations and tasks. The software enables companies to define the number of workers required across dozens of facilities and more than 40 job roles, specialized skill sets, and the desired rate of pay.

Big-name clients
IQNavigator began selling the software, which has gone through seven variations, in 2000. The company has more than 40 customers, including Shell Oil Co., Houston; Xcel Energy, Minneapolis; Northrop Grumman Corp., Los Angeles; and CUNA Mutual, Madison.

IQNavigator's software is designed for larger employers who use thousands of temporary employees annually.

The software company's clients pay for the software on a per-usage basis; therefore, the total software ownership cost is less than if customers had to purchase licenses, employ an IT staff to install it and buy upgrades, said John Martin, senior vice president of strategy and technology at IQNavigator.

IQNavigator's clients log onto its Web site and enter their customized system with their own access codes. From the Web site, clients send out the data to the staffing agencies.

According to HR Magazine, Quad/Graphics is paying $100,000 to $200,000 annually, a figure Quadracci declined to discuss. He justifies the program cost because of the savings on staffing supplier contracts, the magazine said.

Because Quad/Graphics can see how well staffing agencies are performing, Quad's representatives can better renegotiate staffing agency contracts based on their performance, Quadracci said.

Another client base for staffing procurement software is companies that provide temporary and contract employees to companies like Quad. Manpower Inc., the Glendale staffing concern, customized an application from PeopleSoft, which is now owned by Oracle Corp.

Manpower uses a Web-based application called Direct Source which is based on a PeopleSoft application called Enterprise Service Procurement, said Jay Schaudies, global vice president of e-commerce with Manpower.

Online approvals
Direct Source has similar capabilities to IQNavigator7. Direct Source allows Manpower's clients to place orders for employees via online and approve invoices. Clients can track the temporary employee process from start to finish

Direct Source was licensed to Manpower in 2004. It was implemented in the United States and Europe in 2005. Manpower clients in 30 countries are currently using Direct Source to fill employee orders with the staffing firm, Schaudies said.

The software is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, German, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Canadian French.

"This software has helped Manpower be responsive to our clients' needs," Schaudies said. "A lot of our clients were saying they needed an end-to-end e-commerce system. Temporary employees are the largest expense our clients have."

Software programs like IQNavigator7 and Direct Source are beneficial to companies that utilize temporary staff because of the cost savings, service and quick turnaround on company staffing requests, Schaudies said.

"With this type of application, we have the ability to provide a better quality of service and support to our clients," Schaudies said.

The makers of IQNavigator believe their software even helps with legal issues by making sure companies contracting for temporary help comply with the contracts they've executed with staffing agencies.

"When the software isn't being used, sometimes managers call up random people they know at a staffing agency to get a position filled," said Martin of IQNavigator. "This could end up costing the company more money because a contract isn't involved."