Best Scheduling Software

A profitable business is accountable for finding a balance between human resources and their activities. A lot of services we consume daily, like accessing the internet, receiving food deliveries, taking a cab to an office, or even communicating through satellite, are all possible because each of these facilities has adopted a lean process for mapping their resources to their activities.

Wisely, in this digital age, organizations can ensure that their day-to-day operations are executed well without friction. Their secret behind perfect execution lies in how well the company/manager schedules work for the team members. Scheduling team members’ jobs has helped organizations beyond the corporate world. Space institutes like NASA schedule their projects to ensure the million-dollar satellite lands on a destined space spot.

• Appointment Scheduling
• Project Scheduling
• Employee (Workforce) Scheduling
• Production Scheduling
• Payment Scheduling
• Field Service Scheduling
• Scheduling venue (meeting hall) booking
• Resource scheduling

Gone are the days when traditional manual methods were used for scheduling work. They used to rally their activities on an Excel sheet and mark them “done” when finished. Manual processes are still helpful but are prone to errors and are time-consuming. Here are a few common challenges one may face with manual methods.

1. Unorganized Scheduling

Manual scheduling can be completely disorganized. Take, for example, manual appointment scheduling, which involves maintaining a register book that has data with the tiniest information. The vague information leaves room for error when the receptionists want to change/ reschedule the appointment date or fetch the customer’s contact details for follow-up. There will be more confusion when the receptionist changes their shift and the new person is not aware of the change in appointment date. Also, with the manual system, sending an automatic notification to the scheduler when some client arrives at his premises is impossible. In short, the manual management of appointments can potentially drive up the company’s operating costs.

2. Not Reliable

Though manual scheduling is helpful, they are not entirely reliable. For example, a company manager books the conference room repeatedly over the phone for various events. However, due to his busy work schedule, he mistakenly reserved two venues for the same event. If the error is not rectified early, it could result in a big blunder. There always lies a chance of human error whenever an individual relies more on manual methods. The organization keeps pace with the current trends and sees automation as a revolutionary technology that will speed up complex tasks.

3. Inconsistency in Scheduling

A complex business operation includes strategic planning and resource scheduling. Resource scheduling involves projects, sites, teams, equipment, and any other resources associated with the project. It is tedious to keep everything upbeat through manual methods or spreadsheets. For example, scheduling a sudden change in an employee’s work. A change in one employee’s work could affect the work of the rest. Rescheduling and manually informing each employee about the change is almost impossible. Another issue in manual resource scheduling is mitigating the “understaffing” problem. During peak hours for business or projects, work overload sometimes demands the temporary shifting of employees. Not having real-time data on an employee’s current work status and total strength makes it challenging to modulate their workload. Likewise, if equipment requires timely service or replacement, but the maintenance team does not have a reminder option that notifies them about the service, it can cost the company a lot.

4. No 24X7 access

A manual schedule cannot be accessed 24x7. A schedule can make more sense only when it is accessible for change or rescheduling at any time.

5. No real-time updates

Some extensive recreational facilities handle a pool of members. It is almost impossible for them to schedule the activities for each member manually and, at the same time, update them about the change. It is also difficult for members to know if the facility is considering changing their activity’s timing unless they inform them through phone calls.

6. No automation

The most significant setback of manual scheduling is that it does not provide the automation option. Many scheduling activities in organizations are repetitive, and performing them manually each time is a waste of time and resources.

7. Overscheduling

Being busy is good, but overscheduling is lethal. Most managers, no matter their field, do advanced planning to meet their objectives. With manual methods, they cannot figure out how much time it may take to complete the task, so they overschedule their activities.

The above challenges can be easily overcome by investing in Scheduling software.

Scheduling software helps to automate the process of creating and maintaining a work schedule. The scheduling software can span a range of activities depending on the industry or profession. For example, a dentist may use the appointment scheduling software to schedule appointments for their patients, whereas a project manager may use it to plan and track employees’ work. An employee scheduling software is used to schedule employees’ work and time.

Most surprisingly, we think of scheduling software as a technological innovation, but if we take a closer look at our daily routines performed at specific times, like waking up in the morning, taking a meal, going for a walk, and gardening. It implies that humans are naturally inclined to work with a scheduled timeline. One can say the blueprint of the scheduling software was drawn from our habits to plan our daily routines or work. However, the scheduling software is more potent in organizing the work schedule and responding quickly to unexpected scenarios.

The production scheduling software ensures the scheduled tasks are executed on a set timeline without errors. It could be booking appointments, tracking employee work, scheduling meetings, or even scheduling recreational activities. The software can be accessed on-premise as well as on the cloud. The functionalities of scheduling software may vary depending on the business requirements.

The scheduling software embedded with artificial intelligence (AI) further saves time and makes scheduling activities intelligent. AI can learn from previous actions, and based on those insights, it can plan the future schedule. With the help of AI, the user can predict and make a better decision on the work schedule. Once the AI has more knowledge about your organization’s working model, it reduces human error, schedule variance, and admin work from the process.

• Reduces human error and saves time
  The scheduling software saves a lot of time and resources. It organizes the work in an easy way to approach and takes the burden of scheduling the task.
• Quickly respond to sudden changes.
  An effective scheduling solution allows users to react promptly to sudden changes to the planned activities.
• Reduce overlapping of activities.
  Scheduling software can help reduce work conflicts due to planned activities. Sometimes, unplanned work can overlap and increase the scope of errors.
• Alerts and notifications
  It is easy to commit mistakes while managing multiple activities. It is even worse when errors cannot be identified. Unlike a manual approach, many scheduling software vendors offer the notification feature. It can send text message alerts or reminders via email whenever there is unusual scheduling of any activity.
• Detail reports on scheduled activities
  While performing any activity, people are uncertain about time consumption because they cannot view the scheduled timeline without scheduling software. With a scheduling app, mapping the tasks becomes easy. The software gives a full report about the activity and time consumed by each activity. The reports can help schedule tasks better in the future and improve overall output.
• Smooth Communication
  Communication gaps always cause unnecessary conflicts. A group associated with a single task must remain in sync with each other to ensure it is appropriately executed. Scheduling software keeps the activity and the people associated with it in sync. For example, the Zoom.ai meeting app allows automated scheduling for video meetings so that one can meet their key associates quickly without any follow-ups.
• Better Security
  The scheduling software protects the confidential data of the company or individual. With solid security features, the scope of data theft or any attempt to breach security can be prevented.

Scheduling software can identify and eliminate the roadblocks that are hard to discover through manual methods. It is a must for users to know what features add value to the workforce regardless of their team size. The most common use of scheduling software is to manage the workforce. The features below are in the context of scheduling a workforce that users must look at before boarding them.

• Send notifications to users automatically: The system should send an automatic alert or notification via email or text whenever the new schedule has been published or there is a change to an existing schedule.
• Access from anywhere (Cloud scheduling software): The scheduling system should be accessed from anywhere. There are two advantages one, the chances of error in performing tasks reduce drastically, and second, changes in the schedule can be viewed in real-time
• Capable of assigning more jobs: The employee may have to work more than one job in a week, so the scheduling system should be capable of assigning more tasks to a single employee. The scheduling system should be able to track the number of hours for each employee automatically. The system should enable users to allocate the maximum hours for each employee
• Maintain history for the change in schedule: The system should allow maintaining the log of who has made the changes and when it was done
• Optimized for mobile: With the rising demand for mobile devices, desktop software is being replaced with mobile apps. Scheduling software with a mobile app is leveraged by the user.
• Integration with other tools: The scheduling software can be integrated with other tools like a payroll system, project management software, etc. One software can do everything instead of scheduling different tasks with multiple software.

Step 1) Research the best scheduling Software

Scheduling software comes in many variants. For small businesses, simple scheduling software would be adequate. So, considering the team’s volume, narrow down the features and select the software accordingly. The user can even check reviews and ratings for the software before finalizing it.

Step 2) Pick the software that fits your budget.

Users can buy a premium product if their business demands it. Otherwise, free and open-source scheduling solutions are available in the market that can still add value to your organization. Also, check if the software gives flexibility on payment and if there is any pay-as-you-go option.

Step 3) Decide on cloud-based or premise-based software

Cloud infrastructure has many advantages; one of the main reasons is that the cloud provider handles server maintenance and security. However, some companies still prefer on-premise software as it gives complete control over the software.

Step 4) Communicate benefits to the team, take their feedback, and train them

Before finalizing the scheduling software, users must discuss the benefits with their team members. Explain to remote employees how they can remain in sync through the software. It will help the company to adopt software smoothly. Organizations should answer all the questions about the new software, be sensitive to employees’ concerns, and show readiness to resolve their problems. They should also give them proper training for the software as per the protocol.

Step 5) Follow the necessary procedures and documentation

Complete all the required paperwork and procedures for enrolling software into the system.

The various business that benefits from scheduling apps are;

• Construction Industry
• IT Industry
• Retail Industry
• Manufacturing / Production Industry
• Aviation Industry
• Natural Resource and Mining industry
• Logistics
• Petroleum and Energy sector
• Health Organizations
• Food Industry
• Scientific Organizations
• Event Industry

Buying a scheduling tool gives the owner an advantage to capitalize on its workforce, but sometimes, complex features may do more harm than good. There are a few things to consider before investing in Scheduling Software.

1. Adding value for money

There is the expensive software that has advanced features and the best support service. However, not necessarily. One may use all those features; some might not even apply to the user’s business. Such software may add liabilities to the organization. So, it is always advisable to see whether the tool offers value for money.

2. Scalability

Over time, the organization may expand its operations and require handling more employees and tasks. If the software is not scalable, the organization has to switch to other software after a few years or months, which adds extra implementation and training costs to the company.

3. Avoid extra assistance

Some software requires continuous implementation assistance to fix bugs during its usage. When a company boards a complex model to schedule their employee’s work, it consumes a considerable amount of time to get used to; besides that, due to its complex structure, it demands frequent assistance from the expert. This may negatively affect its adoption, and the software solution meant to solve the problem may soon become the problem. To avoid such a situation, the ideal is to perform rigorous research on their features and services. The time invested in early research could save a lot of time and expense for the company/user later.

4. Support and services

Support and services for the scheduling system are critical to the seamless adoption of software in an organization. Even if one has no choice other than picking up a complex scheduling software, strong support and services could take much of his pain by actively responding to the issues. The support and services could be very productive, especially when the organization has a small IT team and more employees. Make sure to check what kind of support they offer. - phone support, email, or ticketing system.

5. Security

Security is a sensitive issue when buying software and integrating it with your confidential data. It is highly recommended that users check the security compliance and regulations drafted by the vendor. Also, users may consider checking compliance regulations like HIPAA, PCI, Section 508, GDPR, and WCAG. Some companies even prefer to hire a compliance officer or lawyer to review the security documents.

6. Alerts on updates

The company must use the latest software version to avoid technical glitches. Check the software vendor has the system to automatically send alerts on software updates or any other alternatives to communicate the updates.

7. Customization

Some companies need customizable software systems to fit their business needs. Check if the customization option is available. Prices may increase as users look for more customized options.

The scheduling software has features such as real-time scheduling, appointment scheduling, resource scheduling, and automated meeting scheduling. Still, besides that, they also come with additional features like tracking resources, creating & distributing work, gathering customer information, etc.

The cost of the software varies based on the features. It isn't easy to figure out the exact price of scheduling software. However, the approximate cost of scheduling tools would be as low as $1/month per user and may shoot up to around $200/ per month.

Small businesses with a minimum budget can settle with tools like Ximble, shiftboard, AppointmentQuest, etc. At the same time, medium-scale businesses can choose mid-range tools like Skeda, Omnify, and x.ai. The enterprise-level companies have to deal with many employees and may need advanced features to track employees’ work; they can choose tools like Timetrade, Bookers for Salon, and Bitrix24.

The application of the scheduling software is vast, and for users who want to explore the tools, there are still alternatives in the form of free and open-source scheduling software.

The organization looking for employee scheduling software can research a broad list of tools from here.

GoodFirms is an independent platform that publishes reviews and ratings for IT solutions and relevant products based on in-depth research and analysis. It has structured the product outline with valuable information and essential metrics for users to funnel out the best solutions from the list. It has empowered consumers to take a holistic view of the software with genuine reviews.

The team behind GoodFirms foresees market influence, identifies efficient solutions, and includes them periodically in the growing software list. Scheduling software has emerged as a popular category for user tracking and scheduling business activities. The category showcases the scheduling software used for various purposes and price ranges that suit all types of business.