CASE STUDY: SHEETZ

Reducing Service Calls, Errors, Delays and Manual Processes

When the executive team sat down to really look at revenue numbers, they realized that an increase in profits by just half a penny per gallon would significantly impact the bottom line. However, in this highly competitive consumer market, the team knew they couldn’t simply raise prices. So CEFCO reviewed their processes, unafraid to challenge the status quo, and discovered redundant efforts, unreliable data, manual processes, technology limitations, and incomplete information from which to make long term business decisions. Simply put, CEFCO needed to modernize operations to stay competitive, and they knew that the right technology solution would significantly improve operations.

After a thorough and honest analysis of operations and extensive industry research on best practices and best-in-class tools that could support their revenue goals, CEFCO crafted a retail pricing strategy and partnered with PriceAdvantage to help CEFCO achieve its goals.

ROI of $141,000 plus 18,000 Hours

These two improvements yield an annual savings of $141,000 in service maintenance and increase the availability of the store managers up to 50 hours annually per store. With 360 stores in the mid-Atlantic region, the company could realize an additional 18,000 hours of customer service and selling time each year. “The software gave us all of that in a usable, understandable, teachable and trainable package,” Wilson says.

“The smarter the systems are that we place in the stores, the better information we have at headquarters. That’s what we look for in technology today.”

In addition, PriceAdvantage fueled:
• a 49% reduction in on-site service calls by remotely resetting price signs;
• the ability to instantly react to competitive market changes, thereby maximizing revenue opportunities;
• the ability to proactively head off potential problems with remote monitoring and dynamic notification of pricing errors;
• lower total service costs; and
• a reduction in system downtime, inaccurate price changes, and amount of time to make a price change.

Unexpected Qualitative Improvements

Employees, especially store managers, were happier and more productive as store managers had more time to do what they do best, manage their stores and spend time with customers.

“Our overriding team goal is to ensure that store managers can maximize their time with our customers,” Wilson says. “This is a key corporate initiative and competitive advantage for Sheetz. To achieve that, I look for the smartest, most efficient technology in our devices that will allow for low maintenance and high productivity. PriceAdvantage gives us that…directly impacting our top line revenue.”

PriceAdvantage Integrations Can Cut Expenses an Additional $460,000

What started as a test has become a foundational shift in Sheetz store operations. Integrations between the Radiant Systems POS, the pump, and the Skyline Electronic Price Display allow headquarters staff to remotely update fuel prices in the field. Best of all, the prices can be updated not only from a desktop or laptop, but on mobile devices as well. Partnering with Radiant Systems, Skyline’s PriceAdvantage is expected to free up another $460,000 annually to re-allocate to additional systems and resources.