7 Factors to Consider when Choosing Employee Scheduling Software

Whether or not you’re in the business of scheduling employees to work at different times and in different locations, a traditional spreadsheet can’t do the job. Instead, you need specialized software. 

Employee scheduling software can be very helpful when you operate with a fluctuating workforce, when you need to accommodate variable schedules or when you want to track the performance of employees in a given time period. Here are some features advantageous to have on your employee scheduling software.

Easy accessibility

Many businesses out there are looking for employee scheduling software that’s easy to use. If it’s not easy to use, it’s not very useful to the business. Therefore, it’s essential that you look into the accessibility of the software. It should be easy to navigate and simple enough for the employees to use without any prior experience or training. That way, the employees can enter their timesheets and schedule their shifts without too much hassle.

For most employees, being able to access the scheduling software from anywhere is a must. The last thing you want is for employees to have to wait until they get back to the office to check their schedule. They should be able to look at it from the bus, their friend’s house, and even the bathroom (if that’s where their phone is).

Integrations

Integrations allow you to connect your employee scheduling software to other tools that you use, such as your accounting software or employee communication platform. Without integrations, you must manually enter employee hours into employee scheduling software. Integrations can be time-saving, especially if you have a large number of employees.

Auto assignment of shifts

In a company, the employees are the main assets. This is why the companies make sure that their employees are well taken care of. For example, an employee scheduling software program has the auto-assignment of shifts. 

This is very convenient for the employees as well as employers. The main reason for the use of this software is for the employees as it would be easier for them to view their schedule, and they would be able to know how their day goes. 

For example, there are instances wherein the employee might have too many tasks at hand, and they would want to minimize the time they spend on their busy schedule. This is why they would want to use the auto-assignment of shifts in their schedule. 

It would be easier for them to use this feature as they would not need to look at the schedule of their co-employees. This way, they would be able to focus more on their work.

The best employee scheduling software will allow you to assign and reassign shifts to employees with ease. This has several advantages, including better employee management and less time spent on administration. The best time management software will allow you to create an auto-assignment of shifts that you can use to assign shifts at the start of a week, month, or any time you choose.

Analytics

Analytics is one of the most important factors to consider when purchasing employee scheduling software. Analytics allows you to track your scheduling data, such as the number of times a shift has been allocated, declined, and marked as “unavailable”, among other information. 

This information allows you to see where and when your business is suffering and how you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure your employees are working at the optimal times. For example, if you notice that all of your employees decline a shift from 2 pm Monday to Friday, you may want to consider changing the time that shift is offered. This will ensure your employees have the best possible schedule while also maximizing the amount of time they are working.

Customizable

Customization is one of the most important features of an online employee scheduling program. It is the ability to customize the system as per the requirements of an organization. It is hard to imagine any organization which can’t be customized. If you’re looking for an employee scheduling software that can be customized using the drag and drop feature, you should be looking for a tool that lets you change the templates, add in your own branding and logos, and change the color scheme.

Support

If you don’t want to deal with any glitches or errors, you should avoid software that doesn’t come with a great support system. Keep in mind that you might not need support immediately, but you will need it at some point, especially when trying to learn how to use the system. Good software should always have a support team ready to answer any questions you may have.

Many businesses tend to choose employee scheduling software that their developers can easily integrate with their current software. However, it is more important to choose software that will support the business when it grows in the future. 

A software that is easy to integrate with your current software is good, but a software that can be easily integrated with future software is better. A good employee scheduling software will have a good team of developers and be able to provide multiple ways to integrate with your business systems, ensuring that once the software is set up, it will be able to work efficiently.

Cost

As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The same can be said for obtaining employee scheduling software. When you begin your search for employee scheduling software, you’ll quickly find that there are many things to think about as you determine what’s best for your business. The biggest factor for many businesses is cost. 

Fortunately, there are several options for employee scheduling software. There are free employee scheduling software packages that are designed for small businesses. There are also free employee scheduling templates that you can customize to your business’s specific needs. Although these templates can be customized, they may not offer the same features as paid employee scheduling software. 

Paid employee scheduling software packages are also available. If you choose employee scheduling software that requires a monthly fee, you’ll need to determine how much you can budget per month to meet your employee scheduling needs.

Knowledge is power, and this is especially true when it comes to money. When it comes to your employee schedule, it’s essential to know how much money you’re spending on employee scheduling software.

The reason for this is two-fold — you want to make sure you’re getting the best deal you can on a software that is going to fit your needs, and you don’t want to overpay for any specific software, either. It’s a good idea to do a little bit of research on software that’s comparable to what you’re looking for and then compare the prices.

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