HotSchedules is a cloud-based scheduling, labor and communication management software solution serving the restaurant and hospitality industry. According to the vendor, key benefits include: Build & Communicate Schedules The scheduling and labor management software reduces the time it takes managers to create and communicate schedules. All scheduling and employee information is stored in one central location, so managers have access to time-off requests,…
$2
per month per employee
Sage HR
Score 7.2 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Sage HR is HR software for small to medium
businesses. The vendor states Sage HR is designed to be easy to use, and automates every
step of the human resource process. Sage HR is designed with modular
functionality to be customized for users' needs. According to the vendor, key differentiators include: 1. Easy to use 2. Modular functionality 2. Automates the end-to-end HR process 3. There's a mobile app (iOS & Android) 5. Feature…
$5.50
per month
Pricing
HotSchedules
Sage HR
Editions & Modules
Essentials
$2
per month per employee
Plus
$4
per month per employee
Quote-Based
Quote-based pricing
Expenses Management
$1.50
per user, per month
Performance Management
$3.00
per user, per month
Shift Scheduling
$3.00
per user, per month
Timesheets
$3.00
per user, per month
Leave Management
$5.50
per user, per month
Recruitment
$200.00
per user, per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
HotSchedules
Sage HR
Free Trial
Yes
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
—
The modular product.
- No hidden fees
- Cancel anytime
- No credit card required
For small to medium-sized companies HotSchedules works great when business is very static. If you are simply using HotSchedules for a schedule writing tool, it is phenomenal. However, it does miss the mark as a labor control software. Needs more controls to keep managers aware of spending versus historical sales data.
Keeping an accurate time off calendar, with specific buckets, is extremely important. It has helped my company grow without having to manage things in Excel. Also, implementing an annual review process by using CakeHR has been very clean and transparent with my employees. This also allows me to see year over year. In years past, we used Word or a Jotform which made it challenging to pull up years past.
Communication is so simple on HotSchedules. Whether it is communicating a new schedule release, or a quick note about tonight's shift we as managers are able to easily communicate and know that it will reach our team through text notifications, or email notifications.
The Meal Break planning tool is very useful in being able to help our floor leaders clearly understand and plan for what breaks are needed throughout the shift. This allows them to come up with a strategic game plan quickly and spend more time with our guests.
Shift Swaps and Releases are so seamless. This is our favorite tool as it makes helping our team cover shifts extremely easy and painless. On the flip side it also makes staff who want more hours be able to find what is available in real time.
Employee self service - the apps and desktops GUIs are very intuitive.
Leave management - this manages itself through the app and system, saves lots of admin.
Customization - you can tailor the system more and more to suit your specific needs.
Updates and Customer Service - the CakeHR team gave dedicated a lot of time to bring out weekly updates and systems improvements which shows they are dedicated to making this a great product - the fact that they were bought by Se recently is also testament to their ongoing mission.
Clocking In and out can be a little slow. It takes longer to clock in then our previous method. Before we just had a card you swiped and it would clock you in. Took 2 seconds. Now with the Hotschdules method we use it take 30 seconds or so. Not a huge issue but it can add up if you have one computer and a line of employees waiting to clock in.
Time Cards. It does not allow you to view someones current time until the "punch" has ended. If the manager would like to check what time the employee clocked in/out from lunch they have to wait until the employee has clocked out for the day before the record is generated. As a shift lead you may send and employee to lunch but forget to note what time you sent them. Awhile passes and you feel like they should be back by now, so you want to go in and see what time they left for lunch but it does not show you that punch record because the employee is still "clocked in" they are just on their "Meal Break"
The ability to customize the restrictions for Clocking in and out. You can set it up so that employees can only clock in from a specific location, however if you have a manager who is allowed to work from home they would not be able to clock in without being at the same location as set in the software. It would be nice to see it able to be customized per user.
6 Years of Experience provides me the insight on the upgrades and changes that HotSchedules has done to improve the experience of its users. There are so many features that we still have not started or used to the fullest, but we believe that we are currently getting a strong value out of the money that is paid for this product.
On rare occasions a phone call has been required to find the solution to a problem, the HotSchedules response staff have been helpful, courteous, and genuinely seem to care for their clients and take pride in what they do. The consistent development and fine tuning of the platform, interface, and mobile environment shows that this is not a program full of people who rest on their laurels.
Customer support is amazing. There are times I post a question and I don't get back to support. They will always follow-up with an email to make sure our questions are answered. I even had a call with Julianna who was wonderful and very personable. You definitely get a level us service that exceeds most companies. Keep up the good work CakeHR.
I have not used any other Scheduling software for employees. As a campground manager in the summer season, we are using campground master for reservations. it is very similar in process to employee scheduling. the ability to the user of that program to set up their own parameters for time and reservations is something that would benefit the employee scheduling software.
Bamboo is more versatile for large enterprises where as Sage HR is better for smaller/mid-size businesses. Both systems have very similar features and functionality. Sage HR has great tools for companies with multiple locations which has benefitted us in tracking employees' time, resources, and performance. Both have similar customer service and it really comes down to what features you are wanting to focus on as a business.
Saving time on scheduling means our managers can focus more on guest experience, managing the floor and other areas that contribute to the success of our business.
