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Scheduling software that is easy to use with room to grow with your business
October 22, 2018

Scheduling software that is easy to use with room to grow with your business

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with EMS Software

The software is used for scheduling of spaces within a performing arts center. We use it to schedule rooms for performances, conferences, receptions, dinners, etc. It is used by the Operations department, Front of House, Technical production and Building and Facilities staff. It is also used by the programming department to book artists for the venue. We also use the software to collect labor and performance cost and invoicing after events.
  • Room scheduling
  • Flexibility in user interfaces
  • Multiple booking in one room - a must for performing arts programming
  • Customizable report creation by the end user - VERY INFLEXIBLE
  • 3-day view to add to the 1 and 7. 3 days is a performance period and again, important for performing arts programming.
  • The software was easier for our base users. One result was shorter turnaround times for billing information input.
  • While the software comes with a host of canned reports, there is no flexibility to modify the reports to fit the individual business need. We have spent many person-hours trying to find a way to make the included reports work with the data we want to collect.
  • We are using the software as part of a university enterprise version. Sharing as part of a larger group means we can share the cost with different departments while still retaining an individual data set. By using the sharing model, we are saving more than $7000 per year on scheduling software cost.
Our previous scheduling software was considered the premium for the arts industry. It did somethings very well, and others were more difficult than they should have been. We also realized that although it could do a wide variety of things, we were only using about 20% of its capabilities. We did not have the time for multiple users to master the software. We went with EMS as it has the basics we need with features that can grow with us. It was easy to learn, and entry-level users could come on board quickly. Also, we are sharing it across multiple university departments reducing our overall cost significantly.
The rating is based not on the normal scheduling of rooms, but from an entertainment industry perspective. While fulfilling the mission of a scheduling software, there are several features available in the market that will not become part of EMS
Entering old data from a previous scheduling software was the most difficult part of the configuration. Other aspects were straightforward, and there were clear instructions within the manuals. Also, we had a fantastic implementation rep that helped us every step of the way.
I feel it is well suited for a conference center, classroom settings, or settings where the room is either booked or not. The immediate check out of a room, and users booking their own spaces or making requests are great features. In the case of performing arts where the bookings are fluid it is not as flexible to the needs of this industry.