For 25 years, Clamore has flourished as a national restaurant franchise, employing over 270 team members across 13 locations in Tennessee and Georgia. At the heart of its back-office operations is CFO Sue Reller, who goes beyond financial management to handle various administrative functions. “I wear many hats and I love helping our teams with whatever they need,” she says.
Sue oversees HR, accounts payable, payroll, and other key functions, while General Managers, Area Directors, and a Director of Operations support each location. To boost efficiency and lighten administrative workloads, Clamore sought a streamlined HCM platform to empower managers and improve daily operations.
Why Clamore Needed a Change
Before switching to PrimePay HCM, Sue explains that Clamore was experiencing challenges with its previous HR and payroll vendor. These issues included:
Recruitment Challenges: Clamore was stuck in what Sue referred to as “applicant tracking jail.” A technical issue with their previous system resulted in restricted job postings, hindering applicant flow. This 90-day job posting restriction impacted hiring in an industry with high turnover. “In the restaurant industry, hiring is constant. Not being able to post jobs for 90 days was simply unsustainable.”
Sue expressed frustration at how this limitation severely hurt operations, as they could not replace employees quickly enough. Pre-COVID, Clamore had a workforce of approximately 450 employees. The inability to post jobs as needed put them at a significant disadvantage in a competitive labor market.
Workforce Engagement and Productivity: While Clamore had access to workforce data through their current systems, they lacked certain self-service tools. Employees could not reset their passwords within the app, requiring manual assistance for login issues. Additionally, PTO balances had to be manually processed due to the absence of an automated accrual tracking feature, making it difficult for employees to view their available time off in real time.
Limited PTO and ACA Flexibility: The system did not fully align with Clamore’s PTO program and lacked flexibility in ACA compliance tracking. This made adapting to Clamore’s specific needs challenging, creating obstacles in managing these processes efficiently.
The Right Fit: Why Clamore Chose PrimePay HCM Platform
These issues led Clamore to seek a new vendor that could provide a more tailored, yet flexible solutions. “We chose PrimePay because of its willingness to customize solutions and provide hands-on support,” says Sue.
“The PrimePay team was totally engaged in helping me find solutions to my problems instead of just putting me in a box.”
Key factors in the decision included:
Enhanced Applicant Tracking and Onboarding: The ability to refresh job postings on employment websites at any time and from anywhere ensures a steady applicant flow. “With PrimePay, I can refresh job postings and get them back to the top of the list. That alone has been a game-changer for our hiring process.” This feature was particularly crucial given Clamore’s need to rebuild their workforce to pre-COVID levels.
Streamlined PTO and Payroll Management: PrimePay helped design a PTO tracking system that provides employees with real-time visibility into their accrued time off.
“For the first time, our team members can see how much vacation time they have at any moment, which has been a huge morale booster.”
Comprehensive Training and Support: PrimePay is committed to ensuring Clamore’s team is fully trained and supported throughout implementation.
“The team at PrimePay didn’t just sell us a product and disappear. They’ve been there every step of the way, answering questions, finding solutions, and making it fun!”
Integration Capabilities: PrimePay is working on direct integration with Clamore’s POS system (TRAY) to automate payroll and onboarding, reducing manual data entry and compliance risks. “Once the TRAY integration is complete, it’s going to take a huge burden off of both me and our managers.”
The Right Partnership: Built on True Collaboration
As implementation nears completion, Sue is thrilled with the results. Clamore has found PrimePay to be responsive, collaborative, and solution-oriented.
Sue expressed her appreciation for PrimePay’s human approach to HRIS, contrasting it with vendors that force clients into rigid systems without accommodation. “I’m going to miss this implementation. I’ll miss the interaction.” This sentiment reflects the positive, collaborative relationship that has developed.
Sue’s goal extends beyond efficiency; she wants to empower managers with greater ownership of store operations. By streamlining HR, she can focus on strategic initiatives instead of daily administrative tasks.
Clamore looks forward to a continued partnership with PrimePay, especially the upcoming TRAY Enterprise POS integration that will further streamline operations. Sue’s parting words:
“I’m all in on PrimePay—they go the extra mile, and that means everything to us.”