Welcome to Episode 3 of The AI Value Track — our brand-new podcast series helping you cut through the AI noise and actually use it in your business.

In this final episode of the series, Simon sits down with Ed Hogg (CEO, SolvedBy.AI) and James Bolle (Head of Data & Insights, ReThink Productivity) to tackle one of the biggest strategic questions leaders face:

👉 Should you build your own AI tools, or buy them off the shelf?

We keep it simple and explore:

• Build vs buy decisions tied to strategy and IP
• When generic problems justify off‑the‑shelf tools
• Niche bottlenecks and owning differentiated capability
• Real costs of talent, data architecture and compute
• Governance, scope control and reliability expectations
• Data quality, sourcing and security by design
• Measurable pilots, baselines and explainability
• EBITDA impact, inference costs and ROI discipline
• Ethics beyond bias, oversight and customer impact
• Partner contracts, IP protection and reuse limits
• Scaling blockers across finance, compliance, HR and IT
• Regulations to watch including EU AI Act and GDPR

If you’re thinking about making AI a real part of your business — not just a buzzword — this episode will help you make smarter, lower-risk decisions.

Tune in and learn how to get your AI projects off the ground — and keep them moving.

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

Welcome back to The AI Value Track – a brand-new podcast series where we’re cutting through the hype and helping you actually use AI in your business.

In this second episode, Simon Hedaux (Co-Founder of ReThink Productivity) is joined by Ian Hogg (CEO, ShopWorks) and James Bolle (Head of Data & Insights, Rethink Productivity) to talk about something most people miss:

👉 You’re probably using AI every day – and you don’t even realise it.

We dig into the three types of AI tools most businesses are already using (or should be):

• Personal tools like ChatGPT (and how to use them properly)
• Embedded AI is already inside your email, CRM or video calls
• AI-native tools that are built to do the job of a person
  
  

We also explore:

• Personal LLMs as thinking partners and draft accelerators
• Embedded AI in email, slides, CRM, and meetings
• AI‑native tools mapped to roles like SDR and legal
• Agents that act: scrape, configure, reset, and schedule
• Quality, speed, and evidence versus laziness concerns
• Training, culture, and best‑case sharing for adoption
• Guardrails, verification, and human‑in‑the‑loop control
• Real‑world cases in support, retail, facilities, and QSR

If you're still thinking of AI as "that tool someone in marketing uses," this episode will open your eyes to what's already happening — and how to level up.

Tune in and see how much AI you’re already using — and what more you could be doing with it.

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

Welcome to the first episode of our brand new podcast series: The AI Value Track.

In Episode 1, host Simon Hedaux (Co-Founder at ReThink Positivity) is joined by our very own, Ian Hogg (CEO at ShopWorks) and Ed Hogg (CEO at SolvedBy.AI) for a no-nonsense conversation about:

• Clear definition of AI and human‑in‑the‑loop
• Where AI adds value across knowledge work
• Culture over tech as the main blocker
• Data readiness and training data basics
• Governance to reduce shadow AI risks
• Leaders modelling tools and setting objectives
• Selecting first three use cases aligned to KPIs
• Measuring adherence to AI recommendations
• Balancing efficiency vs productivity for trust and ROI
• Practical rollout: owners, feedback loops, training

This isn’t about hype — it’s about making AI useful and accessible. If you’re just getting started or thinking “we should probably be doing something with AI”, this one’s for you.

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

Are you ready to dive into the world of AI and workforce management? Then join us for this episode, where we explore the crucial role of data engineering and why it's so essential for WFM and AI.

Our guest expert, Ed Hogg Managing Director of our sister company SolvedBy.Ai, explains what data engineering is and how it differs from data science. We delve into the importance of platform-wide AI solutions and bespoke customer AI and why data engineering is so crucial for workforce management systems that use AI.

We also discuss the tasks that data engineering can do for workforce management software, such as ensuring data is in the correct format and creating a fully automated process to make sure all data needed to train an AI is in the right place.

So, tune in and join us for a thrilling conversation on the importance of data engineering in AI and workforce management. Don't miss out on the chance to learn from our expert guest and discover the key factors that can help your business thrive. And if you want to dive deeper, head over to our blog post.

Read the full blog here: https://solvedby.ai/blog/consulting/why-is-data-engineering-important-for-wfm-and-ai/

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

In this episode, we dive into the exciting world of AI and explore how it can if someone will resign using WFM. Our guest, Ed Hogg, Managing Director of our sister company SolvedBy.Ai, walks us through the ins and outs of using Ai.

Ed and Ian talk us through how you can use AI and WFM data to improve employee retention. They also discuss the intricate details of what data sets in a workforce management platform make it ideal for estimating if someone is about to leave.

They then walk us through the benefits can an AI tool using WFM data bring to retention. So, tune in and join us for a thrilling conversation on how Ai can boost staff retention!

Don't miss out on the chance to learn from our expert guest and discover the key factors that can help your business thrive. And if you want to dive deeper, head over to our blog post.

Read the full blog here: https://solvedby.ai/blog/employee-retention/how-an-ai-can-predict-if-someone-is-going-to-resign-using-wfm-data/

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

In this episode, we're joined by the fantastic Ian Hogg, CEO and Co-Founder of ShopWorks, to talk about the ins and outs of labour demand forecasting. We'll be exploring why it's so essential, how it works, and why organizations of all types need to be taking notice.

If you've ever heard the phrase "demand curve" and wondered what it meant, or if you're struggling to figure out how often to run a labour demand forecast, then you won't want to miss this episode. Ian shares his expert insights on everything from creating a demand curve to converting your forecast into actionable insights.

So if you're ready to supercharge your workforce management and planning, be sure to tune in!

And don't forget to check out our blog post based on this episode for even more information: https://www.theshopworks.com/blog/labour-demand-forecasting/what-is-labour-demand-forecasting/

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

Are you curious about how AI-based forecasting can transform the way you manage your workforce?

In this episode, we dive into the exciting world of AI and explore how it can help you make smarter decisions when it comes to forecasting. Our guest, Ed Hogg, Managing Director of our sister company SolvedBy.Ai, walks us through the ins and outs of AI-based forecasting.

We start by exploring what AI-based forecasting is and why businesses are turning to it. Then, we examine the different types of forecasting needed for workforce management software and the benefits of using AI over traditional methods.

If you're looking to gain a competitive edge in your workforce management strategy, you won't want to miss this informative episode. Listen to it now!

Read the full blog here: https://solvedby.ai/blog/forecasting/what-is-ai-based-forecasting/

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.

Do you find it tedious and time-consuming to manually create your team's work rota? Are you looking for a way to streamline the scheduling process and ensure fairness? Look no further than the power of AI technology. In this episode, we'll explore the world of auto-scheduling and how works.

Our guest expert Ed Hogg, Managing Director of our sister company SolvedBy.Ai, breaks down the steps involved in scheduling a rota and explains how auto-scheduling differs from Workforce Management (WFM). But that's just the beginning. We'll answer your burning questions, like where the auto-scheduling tool gets its data and whether a perfect rota is possible (spoiler alert: it is!).

We explore the various factors an AI considers when building a rota, from staff preferences to business rules to minimum staff levels. With real-world examples, we'll demonstrate how AI technology can simplify your team's scheduling process and create an optimal rota that takes into account all the necessary factors.

Whether you're a business owner or a manager, this episode is a must-listen. Don't miss out on the chance to learn how AI can improve efficiency, save you time, and create a fair and balanced schedule for your team. Tune in now!

Read the full blog here : https://solvedby.ai/blog/scheduling/what-factors-does-an-ai-take-into-account-when-auto-scheduling-a-rota/

The Workforce Management Podcast is delivered to you by ShopWorks Workforce Solutions, provider of cloud-based Workforce Management Software, Time and Attendance Software, Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Demand Forecasting for the modern workforce manager.