Likelihood to Recommend 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.
Read full review ScheduleFly is well suited for small or large businesses. We have around ten employees, and this works great! If you had a much smaller group to manage/schedule, you might not need something as complex and detailed. For larger groups, this would be perfect and well worth the cost for a subscription.
Read full review Pros 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. Read full review It works on your cell phone, which is wonderful! Our workers always have their schedules on hand and easily accessible. ScheduleFly works in real-time, so changes and updates are immediate across all platforms I love the message wall. If someone wants to find a replacement or swap hours, they can do so. Read full review Cons 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. Read full review It can be costly, depending on the size of your team/staff. Can be complicated and hard for older audience to adapt to and get used to There are some extra features like the weather that aren't necessary and busy up the program. Read full review Likelihood to Renew Ease of use, efficiently creating and posting staff schedules.
Read full review Usability 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.
Read full review Support Rating 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.
Read full review I have never had to use support directly. Still, I love that even though they seem to be a smaller group that runs it, they are very personable in their email correspondence and supply phone numbers and contact information in case we are ever in a bind. It's nice to know that we have the option to contact them and will get personal support if we need it.
Read full review Alternatives Considered 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.
Read full review ScheduleFly had a lot of extra features that some of the other scheduling software didn't offer. For example, one of the big draws of ScheduleFly was the ability to switch shifts right in the app. Workers continually need to make changes to their schedules, and it can add a lot of time to our plates as we try to put the puzzle together and make sure all shifts are covered. ScheduleFly gives workers a chance to makeshift and schedule changes on their own and leave leadership out of the picture. I love the display and organization of ScheduleFly too! It just seems a lot more organized and put together than some of the other ones we explored.
Read full review Return on Investment 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. Read full review Keeps everyone organized, which makes the workplace more effective and well-staffed. The older staff doesn't adapt to the program as well and makes things difficult and added a lot of time on our plate to train. Great way to communicate between staff! Read full review ScreenShots