Carphone Warehouse is to roll out an employee scheduling system to stores across seven European countries.

The system, from Kronos, will be supplemented by a time and attendance system to monitor compliance with schedules.

The tool is intended to optimise staff levels in Carphone stores to increase sales and reduce wage payments made to staff in error.

The UK business has yet to make a final decision on whether to adopt it, but plans are in place for it to be rolled out country by country to Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

It works by analysing historical trading data, projected sales figures and employee availability to create the best staffing schedules possible for each store. The time and attendance module manages absence, ensures payroll accuracy and reduces admin costs.

Carphone Warehouse senior project manager for business change function Mercedes Garcia told Retail Week that the implementation project is under way in Ireland and user acceptance testing will begin soon, with the system due to be live in all countries by the end of March 2010.

In Ireland, the company will also use biometric terminals to sign staff in and out and guarantee the accuracy of employee attendance data collected.

Garcia added that the schedule optimisation element of the system will come into its own for periods of peak demand, such as Christmas and during special launches, such as for the iPhone.

Carphone Warehouse decided to introduce a scheduling system after installing footfall readers at 15 stores in a proof of concept trial to measure customer flow against sales figures. It demonstrated a direct relationship between the number of staff in-store and sales conversions.