Over the last two decades, the so-called “digital revolution” swiped over the entire society changing how humanity works, communicates, and behaves right to the very core. Of course, the business world, which was always dependent on the latest tech breakthroughs, was not excluded from this process.
On the contrary – AI has found a way to refine, speed up and improve even the most mundane workplace tasks like scheduling. But why would you invest in software platforms that are dealing with such specific tasks that have been accomplished one way or another?
Reclaiming lost time and effort
Depending on the industry and the size of the business, managers and HR consultants can spend anywhere between two and twelve productive hours creating the schedule for the following weeks. This time can be spent much more efficiently and purposefully.
Furthermore, the recent survey regarding the scheduling problems in the retail industry pointed out that as much as 62% of respondents lost sales associates due to ongoing scheduling conflicts. All these problems can be easily avoided by streamlining this critical task with the help of digital tech.
Keeping everybody on the same page
One of the main reasons why final schedule drafts end up being a mess is that different decision-makers within the company often use different out-of-sync tools for making their edits. In such a case, the final result can only end up being an unorganized mess with a lot of conflicting errors. Present-day dedicated scheduling tools have no such problems.
All managers and HR workers access the drafts through the same clean interface, edits are synched immediately, and eventual conflicting errors are pointed out in real-time. This creates one very fast, uniform, and streamlined experience.
Useful features and micro-scheduling
Another great thing about the last-gen scheduling software is that these platforms are packed with a bunch of helpful, scheduling-related features like setting up durations, notifications, reminders, and rates. Functionalities like these are sorely absent from your average spreadsheet. However, one of the most significant advantages of these platforms lies in the option to set up various short-time micro-tasks and organize employees’ work hours even better. Once again, trying to do this through traditional productivity tools would take too much time and create needless visual clutter.
Reduced chance for conflicts of availability
Most of the present-day scheduling tools are open platforms that allow access to anyone the employer sees fit. Because of that, managers and other decision-makers can invite personnel to engage in the scheduling process and make their own initial schedule drafts. This can be beneficial for several reasons.
First, the burden of creating the weekly timetables is no longer exclusively on the manager and HR staff. Second, employees get a say in the whole process which can reduce the chance for conflicts of availability and improve overall workplace satisfaction.
Remote access to the platform
In the previous times, weekly schedules and necessary edits were usually made in the workplace during work hours. Although this idea is highly respectful of the workers’ free time, the modern business environment, as well as uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 outbreak, mandate far more agility. Fortunately, most scheduling tools are cloud-based, meaning they can be accessed at any time from any device. Because of that, necessary edits can be made on the go as soon as the situation requires.
Collaboration and the chance to know your staff better
We already touched upon this when we talked about including the employees in the scheduling process, but let us quickly elaborate. Giving your workers access to your scheduling platform doesn’t only empower the staff. It also effectively turns the software into an egalitarian tool where people are able to communicate, leave notes, and collaborate in a very important company process together with management staff. You, on the other hand, get an opportunity to meet your staff, get to know their habits, daily activities, and even personalities. This can have a very positive impact on the atmosphere among the staff.
We hope these few examples gave you an idea of just how beneficial present-day scheduling tools can be. The contemporary business environment is very competitive and leaves no room for errors. Scheduling that makes the backbone of all business operations is probably the least department where you should leave things to chance. With all this said, we can conclude that the benefits offered by scheduling platforms far outweigh the price of investments you are asked to pay.
