Alison’s Updates | Give-a-Shift: Online Scheduling blog

Archive for the ‘Alison’s Updates’ Category

Attach Google Maps & Location Information to Shift Schedules

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Maps & Locations - Example Shiftboard Organization

Attaching Google Maps to shifts within our online scheduling system is not anything new. However, the feature has recently been enhanced. In addition to a location name and address linking to a Google Map, managers can now associate a contact name, phone number, notes and special instructions for each separate location.

This means all employees and/or volunteers have a Google Map to their destination as well as easy access to all important contact information they may not necessarily keep on file or have memorized. Excuses for being late go right out the window with this tool.

Small enhancements like these make scheduling and communication with Shiftboard much easier for scheduling managers in many different markets. These markets range from small to large businesses, healthcare, education, municipalities and the non profit sector.

-Alison J

Links in this Post:

http://www.shiftboard.com

Tags: employee scheduling software, online scheduling software
Posted in Alison's Updates, Online Scheduling | No Comments »

Shiftboard Goes Back to School

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Kids back to school

It is September and I don’t need my calendar to tell me that. I know it is September because of all the frantic calls I’ve been receiving from schools, PTA (parent teacher association) members and booster clubs. School is in full swing and for involved parents this means schedules are completely packed. Parents who volunteer at school functions don’t generally have time to worry about details. They want to help and be involved, but the process must be very easy and stress free. Shiftboard also understands volunteer scheduling needs to be affordable.

Different volunteer programs call for robust scheduling tools (more…)

Tags: affordable, booster club, PTA, school
Posted in Alison's Updates, Customer Stories, Easy to Use Software, Volunteers | No Comments »

30-Day Expiration Reminder

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Google Image Result for http---www.worldprintmakers.com-shows-dash-tm2004-LL-TimeExpired.jpg

Keeping track of all your employees licensing and credentialing information can be a nightmare. Far more frightening is how easy it is for these very important dates to pass without notice.

Expiration Reminders

Shiftboard’s 30-day expiration reminder tracks your employee’s credentials. A license and expiration date can be associated with any employee. Examples include First Aid & CPR, a driver’s license, malpractice insurance, professional license, etc. The list goes on and on.

An expiration reminder message is sent to both the user and the system administrator when there are only 30 days left on the certificate. These simple reminders relieve a lot of stress and ensure your employees are properly certified so they can perform their jobs correctly. This tool will also keep your business out of the legal trouble involved with expired certifications. Phew!

-Alison J.

http://www.shiftboard.com

Posted in Alison's Updates, Online Scheduling, Product | No Comments »

Clock In, Clock Out

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Clocks at work on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Pay employees for the time that they actually work, not the time they are scheduled to work. Sounds like a good idea, right? In just a few clicks employee’s clock-in and clock-out online via Shiftboard. Lunches and breaks are easily tracked. Managers can view their employees work history to look for trends; showing up late, leaving early, etc. This tool can work from any computer or be set up to only work from a computer(s) at specific locations.

If enabled, a Shiftboard team manager can clock an employee in or out. They can also view a real-time list of all clocked in workers. If an employee forgets to use the Timeclock system they submit an online Timecard of hours worked. These timesheets are approved by a manager and then processed and downloaded for payroll/accounting. You can sort and filter timesheets by client (external) or department (internal) for reporting. With Shiftboard’s electronic timesheet submission you will do away with the mess of paper and faxing. Clock in, clock out – it’s that easy!

-Alison J.

Tags: electronic timesheet
Posted in Alison's Updates, Easy to Use Software, Online Scheduling, Product | No Comments »

Updated Shiftboard News Page

Friday, August 7th, 2009

We have made some changes and updates to the Shiftboard news page. This is the first page any user sees when they login. It’s similar to a reader board in that it quickly grabs the viewer’s attention. All managers, coordinators and end users land on this page first. The news page is completely customizable by managers. You can include links to the Internet and insert documents like a PDF waiver or training packet. The news page holds all necessary info and can be designed to be bright and colorful or plain and simple. Updating the page is a cinch and all edits are available to users in real-time. image_products

Volunteer scheduling managers use the news page to thank members for their efforts and highlight shifts they are desperate to fill. Nurse scheduling managers post reminders about proof of immunization requirements and CPR re-certification classes. Lately, healthcare staffing managers have been using the news page to post current reports about swine flu. Amongst all market segments it seems there is always something new to message. Our news page offers a user-friendly approach that is easy to update 24/7.

For Shiftboard users, checking the news page quickly becomes routine, just as routine as a morning cup of coffee.

Tags: Nurse Scheduling, volunteer scheduling
Posted in Alison's Updates, Nonprofits, Nurse Scheduling, Online Scheduling | No Comments »

Uploading Shifts on a Repeating Schedule

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Customers definitely don’t have time to enter the same repeating shift over and over again on the calendar. With Shiftboard, managers can post a repeating shift by date, time, day, week, etc. This means you can post the same shift through the end of the week, month, or year.

A delivery customer can post a shift for the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday of each month and only needs to enter the information once. The same goes for a theater needing ushers each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:00 PM through the end of 2009. Once the scheduler clicks “Set Coverage” all the shifts go straight to the calendar for viewing. The scheduler also has the option to keep these shifts hidden until it is the correct time for them to go live.

I love showing this part of our software because it is always an immediate jaw dropper. Potential customers instantly recognize the value. “WOW, that’s cool” and “I can actually do that?” are common responses.

-Alison J

Posted in Alison's Updates, Customer Stories, Online Scheduling, Product | No Comments »

Hourly View Product Enhancement for Online Scheduling

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

At Shiftboard, we listen to our customers. If one customer has a particular need somebody else is likely to have a similar request.

A few weeks ago I started hearing quite a bit of feedback from our call center customers. They were requesting the ability to view calendars in an hourly view in addition to the current day view. Call center scheduling is unique because shifts often are assigned in very small increments of time. This type of scheduling is nothing like your typical 8-hour shift.

Shiftboard understood the request and recognized the value an hourly view would provide. The hourly view was developed quickly. This view slices data into clear and concise information. Managers see color-coded assigned and unassigned shifts for each hour by team and employee. The hour view allows managers to ensure adequate employee coverage amongst a highly variable schedule of inconsistent demands. The option to see who, when, and how many employees are working during a specific time period saves time and money.

Other types of customers have started using the hourly view as well. This view is perfect for event management companies scheduling employees & volunteers or office managers scheduling nurses & doctors.

Tags: call center, shift worker, telemarketing, volunteer scheduling, Volunteers
Posted in Alison's Updates, Customer Stories, Online Scheduling, Product | No Comments »

Customer Needs to Change 300 Scheduled Shifts

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Last week I got a call from a customer who was frantic to change the start times of 300 event shifts over a two-week period. It was 24 hours before the first event and there was definitely not time to change each shift individually. Finding time to call each employee about the change was out of the question. After a brief phone conversation and viewing of a short instructional video the customer was able to change the start times of all 300 shifts in less than 5 minutes.

These Bulk Change & Bulk Upload features allow customers to:

-Upload multiple future shifts at once using an excel template
-Post assigned and unassigned shifts straight to the calendar for immediate real-time employee viewing – no messaging necessary
-Change the time, location, shift name, etc. of a group of shifts
-Delete multiple sets of shifts

These tools significantly decrease the number of hours managers spend scheduling and messaging employees. Feedback has been extremely positive, although we still receive requests to “add more hours to each day” – sorry we won’t be able to finish that one anytime soon!