So you’re thinking of ditching your manual spreadsheets or you’re unhappy with your current scheduling system.
Maybe you need software that simply digitally creates schedules or perhaps one that also integrates with POS or payroll. Where do you start?
Like any new tool, use some unbiased, third-party reviews to make sure you’re getting what you pay for.
And to make the decision easier, here are three key criteria to consider before choosing an employee scheduling software.
1. You need to solve your biggest pain points
When you manage a dental practice, your main concern is providing quality care for your patients. As a hardware store owner, you’re always focused on having the best supplies in stock and hitting your sales targets. And if you manage a restaurant, you need to serve up superb food.
But to hit your main goals, you likely have a handful of big pain points that drag you down. The first step to identifying the best employee scheduling software is to identify those pain points so you can evaluate whether or not the software can address them.
Here are a few common pain points that the best scheduling app can help with:
Manually creating and distributing schedules
Inefficient record keeping
Limited accessibility of schedules and updates
Disconnected employee communications
Staying compliant and ensuring employees take the right breaks, have the right advanced notice of schedules, and are paid correctly
Not all employee scheduling software is created equal. If you have a minor pain point that can be resolved with simple software, the cost of a full suite might not be worth it. The key is to first identify exactly what you want to accomplish with an employee management software — then find the solution that gives you what you need..
2. It needs to be easy to use
You’ve identified your pain points, and now it’s time to do your research.
As you’re evaluating your options, a key qualifier should be ease of use. How do you measure that? Well, think of someone on your team who is resistant to new technology — it’s OK if that person is you.
Now, ask yourself these questions to determine if that person would be satisfied.
How long does the software take to implement?
How much training is involved?
Do users need to buy a new device?
Can the software be used anywhere?
Add in some additional questions based on your business. The idea here is that simple doesn’t mean less powerful. It just means that anyone can use it.
3. It needs to integrate with your existing technology
In order to have a full view of business performance, you need a clear view of labor hours, costs, profits, and legal compliance. And let’s be honest — you can spend any more money.
So you need to ensure that your employee scheduling software plays nice with your other tools.
Your IT team will have a list of technical questions to answer, but here are some baseline questions about integrations that your new software should address.
Will this quickly sync with your existing payroll system?
How does this integrate with your point of sale solution?
Can you connect your HR system to sync employee details like pay rates, leave balances, and time off requests?
Can you switch from different devices, like Android, iPhone, and desktop?
The right integrations can improve productivity, save time and resources and, best of all, provide you with full visibility into money going in and money coming out of your company.
Sounds like a dream!
Choose the best scheduling app.
With hundreds of tools out there, it’s hard to feel confident in your choice. Use your third-party research to back up your decisions and make sure to focus on solving your pain points, ease of use, and saving money.
And another way to choose the right employee scheduling software is to try it. Sign up for a free trial of Deputy to see how much easier your scheduling can be.
