Crew scheduling software allows managers to automate and manage crew schedules. If you’re looking to simplify the schedule-creation process, check out these top 5 crew scheduling apps.
Creating crew schedules is a time-consuming process. And with constant shift changes, trades, and time-off requests, it can feel neverending. Crew scheduling software turns this process on its head, allowing you to make schedule changes on the fly, keep your team up-to-date, and reduce the amount of time you spend on administrative tasks. Read on to learn what to look for in crew scheduling software and how to choose the best software for your business needs.
What To Look For in Crew Scheduling Software
Crew scheduling software should make life easier. Here are the features to consider when making your decision:
- Easy to use: Look for software that’s easy for both managers and employees to learn and use.
- Built-in availability system: Employees should be able to input availability and time-off requests directly into the system, and that information should be easily accessible during the schedule-creation process.
- Qualifications system: Your software should allow you to input your employees’ qualifications so the right team members get paired with the right tasks.
- Highlight errors: Your software should notify you when you create errors during scheduling.
- Budget-friendly: Your chosen software should fit into your business’s software budget.
Best Crew Scheduling Software, Reviewed
Fourth
Fourth offers crew scheduling software specifically to meet the needs of restaurants and their employees. By occupying a specific niche, Fourth has managed to create software well-equipped for helping restaurants with their scheduling challenges.
Fourth’s system for shift-swapping is at the heart of this restaurant-focused software. It allows employees to trade shifts with other team members with the same qualifications as them, even on the day of the shift. This leads to fewer call-outs and no-shows and reduces the chances of restaurants operating without the right amount of workers.
Fourth also empowers employers by providing information about labor costs and unclaimed or available shifts. There’s even an option available for split shifts for further flexibility.
Key Features:
- Intuitive indicators show managers trends and predict problems before they happen
- Mobile access ensures team members know when they’re supposed to be working
- Alerts keep managers up-to-date about changes to schedules
Pros:
- Specifically aimed at restaurants, making it an optimal choice for that industry
- Shift trading is easy and cuts down on missed shifts
Cons:
- Specifically aimed at restaurants, so managers from other industries may find that it does not meet their needs
- Poor customer service
Wrike
Trusted by major companies, including Nickelodeon and Google, Wrike offers work management software designed to simplify the workday and increase employee productivity. Chief among their offerings is crew scheduling software that lets everyone see when employees are scheduled while also allowing you to create customizable work schedules for every member of your team.
This means that you have visibility into when team members are scheduled to work and the specific projects each team member is assigned to tackle during that shift.
Key Features:
- Real-time chat to ease communication between team members
- Automated scheduling with calendar management and syncing
- Includes project management software so you can manage multiple aspects of your team in one convenient location
Pros:
- Robust suite of features that larger businesses may appreciate
- Easy setup so you can start working with Wrike immediately
Cons:
- Much more expensive than other crew scheduling options
- Expansive features that smaller businesses or teams may not need
- Poor customer service
Connecteam
Connecteam offers an all-in-one scheduling solution to help you create and manage crew schedules from anywhere. Custom drag-and-drop templates optimize your schedule creation process. You can copy or duplicate existing schedules, set recurring shifts, and even allow for self-service shift replacements to empower your team members and minimize the time spent on administrative tasks.
The ability to add shift instructions, including notes on project locations or tools needed, makes Connecteam especially valuable as a field crew scheduling software. In-app chat allows your team to stay connected, even on the go, while time clock features mean that your employees can clock in or out from anywhere — perfect for team members who work outside the office.
One feature that sets Connecteam’s software apart is its GPS functionality. The GPS function gets field crew members where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there. In-app chat makes it easy to provide directions if field crew members get lost, so you can reduce frustrations and provide service to your customers as quickly as possible.
Key Features:
- Templates that you can customize
- Ability to add shift notes and attachments
- Intuitive scheduling software with recurring shifts and overtime notifications
- Easy communication with in-app chat
- Special features to help you manage time-off requests
Pros:
- Budget-friendly, all-in-one solution
- Easy to use, with drag-and-drop templates, recurring shifts, and more
- Great customer support team
Cons:
- The team is still working on adding additional software integrations
Humanity
Humanity offers crew scheduling software for companies that are tracking labor law compliance or who need to minimize overtime requests. The app comes equipped with insightful data to help you track how much your employees are working. Alerts notify you before you schedule employees to work overtime or outside appropriate hours for their needs. Even with schedule changes and shifts, you don’t need to worry about underage workers being scheduled to work later than labor laws allow or crew members taking on so many shifts that you wind up paying out the nose in overtime fees.
Key Features:
- Shift-swapping features that notify management before approving overtime
- Alerts and notifications to help managers and team members keep informed about the schedule
- Automated scheduling process to streamline the scheduling process
- Accessible from desktops, mobile devices, and kiosks
- Integrates with top employee management and payroll systems, including QuickBooks, Oracle, Paycor, and Workday
Pros:
- Easy-to-use
- Helps with labor law compliance
Cons:
- Can get expensive, especially for large teams or teams with multiple locations
- Break features and shift-swapping features can be buggy
Sling
Designed with ease of use in mind, Sling is ideal for teams with different schedules every day and must be able to establish schedules on the go.
With a simple, color-coded interface that looks similar to Google Calendar or Outlook, Sling helps employees and managers understand the schedule at-a-glance. Managers can monitor PTO and track availability in one convenient location, and automated notifications prevent managers from scheduling overtime or creating scheduling conflicts. Shift-swapping features allow team members to enjoy self-service while automatically notifying managers about potential scheduling conflicts.
Key Features:
- Intuitive scheduling feature
- Robust alerts and notifications to prevent scheduling errors
- Ability to track and manage availability, time off requests, vacations, and sick leave
- Employee database helps you manage everyone on the team
Pros:
- Creating schedules is easy
- Schedules can be accessed at any time from any location
Cons:
- Managers can’t monitor messages within the system
What Is Crew Scheduling Software?
Crew scheduling software is designed to create and manage team schedules through automation and easy-to-use tools.
With this software, you can automate certain aspects of scheduling with templates. You might choose to copy schedules from one week to the next or create recurring schedules for certain team members. Time-off requests and availability information are built directly into the software, while notifications alert you of scheduling errors. Certain crew scheduling software even includes qualifications information to ensure you always have the right level of service for each shift.
Benefits of Crew Scheduling Software
Instead of spending a weekend putting together a schedule only to have to adjust it throughout the week as employees’ needs and availability change, you can automate the process with crew scheduling software. The initial schedule creation process takes significantly less time, as do any schedule updates.
With fewer errors each week, there are fewer needs for schedule updates. When updates do need to happen, the software can help team members communicate, trade shifts, and get manager approval — all while ensuring that you continue to have the right coverage all week long. The ability to reduce your hands-on time in dealing with scheduling will give you back hours each week.
