Why Invest in Automated Rostering Software for Your Business

Are you having thoughts on shifting to a cloud-based rostering software system? If you’re managing a shift-based workforce, you know that organising employee schedules can sometimes be an uphill climb. 

For instance, working off whiteboard or spreadsheet rosters, with employees marking their unavailability for next week or jotting their names down, the list goes on. You then have to stop your daily tasks when an employee can’t work due to unexpected circumstances—leading you to find an eleventh-hour fill-in to make amends. 

And while managing employee schedules in excel is a decent solution as opposed to pen-and-paper, this still demands back-and-forth communication. This method often doesn't factor in pay and award rates, and it’s not accessible across the organisation, remotely or not. You know these issues too well if you’re managing retail or hospitality. 

Guess what? We have some good news for you. You can solve all of these by using cloud-based rostering software.

Get Rid of Scheduling Conflicts 

Mistakes are inevitable no matter how adept you are in employee scheduling. For example, you may have forgotten that employee A is on vacation or that employee B had a family anniversary party. 

Compared to the traditional manual method, cloud-based rostering systems help deter scheduling conflicts. Your employees can quickly request time-offs via the platform, which prevents them from being scheduled during those specific dates.  

Employee rostering software can also prevent scheduling the same employee on the same day twice. Reducing unnecessary schedule conflicts allows your business to have sufficient workers, thus resulting in increased customer satisfaction and higher profit. 

So, employee A can go on vacation, and employee B can enjoy their family party whilst keeping your schedule in check and faultless. 

Swap Shifts Easily 

Life happens. It is what it is—an out-of-the-blue vacation, undesirable schedule conflicts, or sudden flu. For this reason, there is a need for someone to cover a shift, thus highlighting the importance of hassle-free shift swapping. 

You can bid farewell to your employee contact spreadsheet with employee rostering software. Avoid manually contacting employees and forget about being stressed because you’re hours behind and are understaffed. 

Cloud-based rostering systems like RosterElf allow your employees to swap schedules with each other conveniently. After requesting a shift swap through the platform, RosterElf will alert all qualified employees to check the shift. Even more impressive is that picking up and swapping shifts can be done through mobile devices, either Android or iOS. 

RosterElf increases the odds of employees picking up a shift, given alerts are easily accessible and are highly visible to everyone in the organisation.

Smooth Time-Off Requests 

In most businesses, time is of utmost importance. Yet, many business owners do not have the luxury of time to accurately log time-off requests from employees. Instead, they may find themselves with time-off request sticky notes piling on top of each other that are not valid or legible. 

Does this scenario ring a bell? If so, having a cloud-based roster app is the ideal course of action to take. With RosterElf’s scheduling software, you don’t have to fret about logging time-off requests properly. Instead, your employee will send a request via their account for approval. 

Once approved, the software will alert you about their leave if you try scheduling these employees on those dates. As a result, it reduces wasted time, excess office supplies, and scheduling mishaps. 

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Simplify the Process of Communication 

There are moments when your business may need to close early or open late. You must inform your employees of any unanticipated operations, whether it’s because of a bad weather condition or a power outage. 

You can manage these situations well if you have automated rostering software. For example, you can relay important announcements across the workforce fast and smoothly. Rather than reaching out to them individually, the software will send messages to every employee via mobile. 

Streamlining announcements to all workers saves you ample time from doing so manually. It also saves employees a trip to the office since they can check their notifications remotely. 

Access to Mobile Devices 

Most people today have smartphones, given that it is deemed a necessity by most. However, regardless of which smartphone you have, what matters most is that you have one handy. RosterElf can be your ultimate tool in managing mobile rostering software. 

With a mobile app, you can access your calendar anywhere you are to check for time-off or swap shift requests and other updates. It’s common knowledge that timeliness and flexibility are the nitty-gritty of a business. Likewise, from an employee’s standpoint, having a mobile device makes it easier to check schedules anywhere and at any time. 

A Cost-Efficient Solution 

Price and smooth implementation are other attention-getting capabilities of cloud-based rostering software. Apart from its multitudes of functionalities and features, of course. 

Numerous rostering software systems offer “pay-as-you-go” payment options, which don't require long-term contracts and are affordable for most businesses. 

And since most rostering software is web-based, they are easy to implement and only require an internet connection for you to use it. No additional hardware necessities, no other feature downloads, and no extra installations are needed. 

They don’t need any IT or internal support, as the service providers handle all upgrades, maintenance, and updates. You simply access the app with ease.  

Minimise Labour Costs 

We all want our businesses to thrive, yes? And to obtain that, keeping track of all operations is vital—from services management and equipment maintenance to managing employees’ schedules. So you can keep an eye on all fixed and variable costs. And, when keeping track becomes back-breaking, there’s a risk of incurring more costs, including labour costs, which are generally the highest expense of a business. 

Automated rostering software like RosterElf has a labour budgeting feature that can help reduce your labour costs—showing you when employees may go into overtime. If you’re considering paying overtime, the rostering app will notify you of how much it will cost for a certain overtime period. Doing so can make better adjustments to meet desired revenue targets.

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Key Takeaway 

There is no doubt that implementing employee rostering software is a convenient tool. More so, if you want to stay on top of the competition. Remember, your business has a higher chance of success if you manage it well; otherwise, you know what will happen. So it’s about time you switch to something that will add value and boost workforce productivity. 

RosterElf: Rostering Made Easy 

RosterElf’s cloud-based rostering software truly is a game-changer. Say goodbye to roster conflicts and chase employees for their availability to work. Instead, employees can easily update their availability to work and notify managers about it through a smartphone app. 

Staff set the times and days they can work, and RosterElf does the rest. Our software then automatically suggests available employees to fill shifts. 

What are you waiting for? Time to take your rostering and payroll game to the next level and boost your business’ performance.

To get a clearer view of how our app works, enjoy 15-day access to our tool for free!