Jeremy Kaplan
It’s no secret that technology is streamlining the way that we do business. From word processing programs and email to blogging and social media marketing, computers and the Internet especially have transformed the commercial world and are continuing to do so. Time-consuming administrative work, in particular, is one of the necessary but tedious tasks in the workplace that can be made far more efficient, thanks to technology.
For companies with hourly employees, manually creating schedules can eat away at precious time, not to mention cause a great deal of hassle. Luckily, there’s a business software that can make this mundane (yet, unfortunately, unavoidable) process faster, smoother, and simpler. Keep reading to find out exactly how scheduling software can make your life easier.
The Basics of Scheduling Software
What Is Scheduling Software?
Scheduling software is—as its name suggests—a type of software that enables you to make, publish, and edit schedules online. Because this method of scheduling uses cloud-based technology, you can access and make changes to your schedule from any Internet-connected device. There is a wide range of benefits that come with web and mobile scheduling, starting with, of course, efficiency.
Paper planners are great for personal use but not so much when you’re dealing with more than one person. Even if your company is on the smaller side, scheduling software is more flexible and accessible than manual scheduling. Image courtesy of Pexels.
What Different Kinds of Scheduling Software Are There?
Because it’s an online tool, there’s more than one kind of scheduling software. The type that we’ll be focusing on in this article is employee scheduling software, which is used to manage scheduling at companies with hourly employees. But, if you’re interested in what other forms it comes in, here are a few examples:
- Appointment scheduling software — Used in the service industries to manage a company’s bookings and appointments.
- Homecare scheduling software — Used by home health care providers and caregivers to manage clients, schedule visits, and process intake and billing.
- Production scheduling software — Used in the manufacturing industry to plan production work, schedule deliveries, track inventories, and follow process flow.
The Benefits of Scheduling Software
Make a Schedule in Half the Time
Using scheduling software can cut down on the time that it takes to build a schedule. Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to fill shifts, and color-coding will help you to keep everything organized. You can also create shift templates to avoid having to enter the same shift every week. Basically, scheduling software will keep your schedules clean and your workday moving, freeing up time that would otherwise be spent laboring over next week’s schedule.
Keep Your Employees Up-to-Date
Your employees will be able to view their schedules online, ensuring that they always have the most updated copy of the schedule and know when they’re supposed to be working. You’ll also have the option to send out notifications when a new schedule has been published or an existing one has been changed.
Most scheduling software providers have a website platform as well as a mobile app. This means that your employees can download the app and check their schedules from anywhere. Image courtesy of Pexels.
Specify Location and Job
If your business has multiple locations, it can get confusing—for both you and your employees—to keep track of who’s supposed to be where at what time. With scheduling software, you can add and assign locations so that you and everyone else knows where they’re supposed to be for each shift.
This same concept applies to different jobs and projects as well, meaning that if you want an employee to work on something specific during their shift, you can include it in the schedule. Assigning locations and jobs is also a great way to visualize and analyze how your employees’ time is being broken down, which can help you amend your business model or just manage your time more effectively.
Schedule Syncing
Because scheduling software uses the cloud, you and your employees will be able to sync your schedule with your online calendar or calendar app. This is only one of the many potential integrations that come with scheduling software.
Simplify Taking Time Off
Web and mobile scheduling makes requesting time off and processing time-off requests more convenient for everyone. Your employees will be able to request time off with a few clicks, and once their request is approved, you don’t have to worry about forgetting that they’re off and accidentally scheduling them because the request will be stored in the software’s system.
Stop Struggling, Start Saving
There are some “chores” that are just part of being in business. You might not be able to get out of having to make a schedule every week, but scheduling software can certainly make it easier. If you’re not convinced, it’s important to remember that you’re not the only one who will be benefiting from upgrading your scheduling system—your employees will be, too.
As we all know, in business, saving time is saving money. Plus, you’ll find that converting to a scheduling software will help your business in more ways than one. From payroll to recordkeeping, web and mobile scheduling can increase productivity, guarantee organization, and speed up the administrative process as a whole. It’s time to stop struggling with scheduling and start saving time, money, and resources.
Hero image courtesy of Pexels.
