If you do a simple search for an ‘employee scheduling software’ on Google you will find that there are hundreds of them. Most of them are good, but they aren’t perfect for every business. Different software will suit different businesses. Therefore, you should follow a step by step approach to find the best software that will work for your business.

I have listed these steps below. Go through them and find the software that fits your needs.

Make a list of the whys:

Why do you want this software? How do you expect it to transform your business?

The only way you will pick the right software is if you know how it is going to affect your bottom line whether it is to increase revenue, traffic or to just boost your brand image. So, go through your overall business strategy and determine how using an employee scheduling software will help you accomplish your business goals. Make a list of all the positive changes you expect the scheduling software to bring about. Your potential software needs to have all the features that will bring about these changes.

Determine your budget:

Now that you did some homework about the popular employee scheduling software features, you should determine your budget. Here again you should take a look at your business goals and the results you expect from this software. If you expect the software to bring about a massive change on your bottom line you shouldn’t mind spending more.

The pricing for these software can vary a lot. Some will charge a fixed rate per month no matter the number of users, while some will charge a rate per user. And then there is also the option to hire a developer to set up a custom software. This will cost you thousands of dollars as you will also need the developer to maintain it. Sometimes you might need to hire a full time developer. But the investment will be worth it if you are certain that it will help you make a bigger profit.

Look for the software online:

Next, open up a software directory like G2 Crowd and look up the word ‘Employee Scheduling Software’ in their search filed. This will show you all the companies listed on their site. You will be able to see the product’s rating, reviews from users, pricing and features. You will also be able to compare the different software to see what features they have, what they lack and how much they charge comparatively.

Go through as many software as you can here that have the features you are looking for and make a list. Try to find at least 10 potential software.

Contact sites for a demo:

The next step is to contact the sites for a demo. Most of these companies will offer this. It is better to go through the demo first before a trial because someone who knows everything about the software will show you all the features they offer and how to get the most out of it. This is something you won’t discover if you just use the software for a couple of weeks.

Make sure they share their screens by using a tool like Skype so that you can see and understand everything they are referring to. If possible, get some of the managers and employees from your team to watch the demo too.

And don’t be afraid to ask all the questions you have no matter how silly they seem. Make sure you take notes during this demo.

Test the software and make a decision:

After the demo the list of potential employee scheduling software will get shorter. So, you can begin testing them by signing up for a trial. Use them for 2 to 4 weeks at least and test out all the features that were demonstrated in the demo. Again, get some of the employees and their managers to test out the software along with you.

After that pick the software that suits your business and is within your budget.

Conclusion:

This is the step by step process you should follow while choosing your employee scheduling software. Following them will ensure that you will pick a software all your managers and employees will be happy with.