SocialSchedules Reviews

Pros

Ease of use. Messaging system and shift swap approvals.

Cons

There wasn't much not to dislike about this product. I've had no user issues with it, nor manager issues with it.

Pros

Super easy to use and set up. It has been as smooth of a transition for our employees One could hope for. Most employees have been able to get it set up and availability updated with no direct instruction other than our expectations.

Cons

A few simple features I would like to see on the app are: view only first initial of last name on printed schedule (privacy issue of employees), hide total hours on printed schedule, select individual rights for remote clock in (paid version).

Alternatives Considered

When I Work

Reasons for Switching to SocialSchedules

When I Works app was very glitchy and its expensive for just a scheduling package. Free trial only allows you to schedule out 10 days and that made the testing out process double the work.

Pros

Everything is great about opensimsim except in January of 2019 the update they did made their system non-compatible with use on iPad.

This is a huge huge downside of the product someone not to smart didn’t keep the system compatible with iOS on an iPad cuz I used it for over a year that way.

I don’t carry or want to carry a laptop with me everywhere which means I get chained to a desk to write schedules now that I can’t use my iPad anymore. Two thumbs down!!!!

Cons

Everything is great about opensimsim except in January of 2019 the update they did made their system non-compatible with use on iPad.

This is a huge huge downside of the product someone not to smart didn’t keep the system compatible with iOS on an iPad cuz I used it for over a year that way.

I don’t carry or want to carry a laptop with me everywhere which means I get chained to a desk to write schedules now that I can’t use my iPad anymore. Two thumbs down!!!!

Pros

It gives us ease of access to schedules for multiple locations, and easy to identify and contact an employee that is working.

Cons

Setting up mutiple locations and schedule labeling/identification.

Alternatives Considered

Spark Hire and HireVue

Reasons for Choosing SocialSchedules

More centralized location of schedules for multiple locations.

Switched From

Microsoft Excel

Pros

I like the price, because we are a non-profit organization with about 20 volunteers. I needed something that would keep track of everyone and with your product I can see the schedule on my phone or computer. It is very handy.

Cons

I'd like to be able to schedule people from my phone.

Alternatives Considered

When I Work

Reasons for Switching to SocialSchedules

OpenSimSim allowed me to schedule out for months at a time. The When I Work program only let me go out for 10 days.

Pros

web-based, price, and on-boarding for employees. The software gives you the flexibility that you need when running payroll.

Cons

No phone app. It is difficult to navigate the first uses.

Alternatives Considered

Paychex Flex

Reasons for Choosing SocialSchedules

Employee visibility of whats happening with their wages.

Switched From

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

Reasons for Switching to SocialSchedules

price

Pros

I like that I am able to check my schedule online with ease. I am also able to request time off and that can make it easy so I do not have to come into the office to request.

Cons

I don't know if this was an option that my employer chose, or if it is part of your software, but I would like to be able to see who is scheduled throughout the week. This can solve some confusion if a shift is covered or give you the ease of looking to switch shifts or ask others to cover a shift for you.

Pros

I've been using OpenSimSim now for over a year. I really enjoy all of the benefits of the program. Obviously, the greatest thing about OpenSimSim is that it is free; however, I also really love the ease of use. If I am unable to put in the schedule for my agents, it is easy to instruct one of my mentors to do so. The platform is colorful, fast, and the notifications setting is much appreciated by myself as well as my staff.

Cons

I feel like the platform is geared more towards businesses that consistently have weekly set schedules. With the type of business we handle, I wish there was an easier way to create multiple shift opportunities for one day. We could really benefit from being able to quickly create shift intervals. The mobile app lags a bit when a shift is posted, preventing agents from applying for the shift in a timely manner. I also wish the chat system was an API that could be integrated into other programs so that everything can be uniform.

Pros

I use this daily to keep track of my working schedule, my daily calendar and my leave/ vacation. It is easy to use and put into the system. It is great to reflect back onto past days.

Cons

I can not comment on this question as I have not come across anything so far.

Pros

As a GM I love OpenSimSim it’s very user friendly

Cons

Budgeting wasn’t working at first but then did work.

Pros

SocialSchedules is easy to read and manage. Our schedules are published every Friday, and we receive a notification as soon as our manager sends it through. I can see my weekly schedule, and I can see a countdown until my next shift is scheduled to start. I can also rotate my screen sideways to see the schedule for the week along with who else is scheduled to work each day. This makes swapping shifts easier if necessary. I can also message my coworkers in the app and receive managerial notifications in the messaging section or in the "Schedule Notes" section on the home page, which is flagged with a red dot if there is a note that needs to be read. Submitting time off requests is a piece of cake, truly. There is even a segment to leave a note about why you are requesting off, which comes in handy! Overall, I enjoy this product.

Cons

I do not like how I cannot see my total weekly hours after the initial schedule notification is opened. I must manually count my hours if I want to know my exact weekly total. I also do not like how I cannot see the day of the week I am looking at when requesting time off; it would be more convenient if there were a calendar layout as opposed to manually scrolling to the date, month, and year you need.

Pros

The design is easy and simple to see. Updates are made real time and notifications are sent.

Cons

There are functionality limited to mobile, and this is extremely unhelpful when I’m working at a customer service position where I’m not supposed to look at my phone.

Cons on the computer:
-I cannot see who else is working when I’m not working that day.
-I cannot see a list of people and their shifts the way I can view it on mobile.
-When I make the window size smaller (when I have to sometimes for my work), the application won’t let me view anything.

Overall cons:
-Setting availability/unavailability is a nightmare. It just takes so much time, especially when my hours are variable. There must be a better way to design this.
Also, this function is limited to the web app — why design the software where the functionality is half and half between different platforms?
-is there a way to change the view setting to “Month”? That will make the schedule easier to see.
-The notifications are exsessive — I get one when my schedule is changed, then published. For one change, I get four notifications (2 app, 2 emails).

Pros

1.I love that there is an app! Doggonit, that thing is awesome!! When staff can get on there and swap and not have to call or message me to make that change, that's AWESOME!!
2. The help desk people (bless their hearts) are very patient, knowledgeable and are available to help every time I have messaged them.
3. I really like that I can stay home when someone calls in. I just open my app and send out a message as well as ask individually if needed.

Cons

1. I would like to be able to see/print a month view at a time
2. I would somehow REALLY REALLY like to be able to see what changes were made to each shift ie..who traded with who, who was originally scheduled on a shift, etc...
3. I would also like the ability to shrink the page (on the screen) so that I'm not constantly scrolling and up and down the page through a long list of staff

Pros

I like that the software works on multiple operating systems as well as moblile devices. I find the 'landscape' feature when a mobile phone is turned sidways to be especially helpful and well thought out. I really like genaral ease of use for scheduling, removing, and adding workers, arranging time off, basically keeping everyone in communication (and thereby accountable).

Cons

I have not discoverd how to do all my managent tasks from my phone, and thus must always use my computer. I don't know if that's an option, but it hasn't been intuitive enough that I have figured it out (or important enough that I have spent time to figure it out). I wish that when people sent messages that they were more flagged or intrusive, I have a lot going on and sometimes I miss messages sent through OpenSimSim... Like a pop up window or something?

Pros

The software is super easy to navigate and its all very basic to learn. You can control your costs and see your weekly world all right on the program. I recently opened up a store and the Owner wanted me to use a different program and it is a nightmare compared to the simplicity yet efficiently of Opensimsim. Opensim sim does all the work for you.

Cons

Nothing so far. I had trouble and was a little frustrated trying to figure out how to give employees individual pay, but the OpenSimSim staff walked me thru it and now it makes complete sense. They were very patient and tried different things to show me how it worked. I know I was not the easiest person at the time to work with but they helped me figure it out and now that I understand how to enter it. It is awesome.

Pros

Cost. For the features it offered, it seemed to be a good value and they didn't insist I use their credit card processor. My staff hasn't had really any difficulty using the program. It seems very straightforward.

Cons

Not that I have a lot of experience with this type of software but setting up some of the till-order details seemed like it could be more stream-lined. I know it is not specifically designed for restaurants but it would be great if it included more sub category options instead of having lots of multiple choice product group. Also, being able to have a negative charge option would be helpful when somebody want to remove an item from the meal.

Pros

I like how easy it is to add new employees to the system. I like how the everyone can know what they need to through the app. I also like the budgeting feature to help keep our production costs down. I also like the messaging feature, I don't use email anymore.

Cons

One thing I don't like is how I can't assign more tasks or positions to one person per shift, or maybe I just don't know how. Another thing is, sometimes I would like to see all of my employees schedules at once instead of scrolling up and down.

Pros

I use this to schedule a team of work-study students in my office, so it was important to me to use a system that would allow people to drop shifts without needing to find a cover and to post open shifts that any worker can sign up for- this fulfills both of those needs. I love seeing a weekly view and daily view, being able to sort alphabetically and by time of shift for the day, being able to save a schedule template for a week so that I don't have to manually schedule shifts every week (their weekly schedules are the same), and I love how easy the app is to use so that I can manage the schedule while I'm out of the office.

Cons

I created a fake employee account when I was first starting to use this system so that I could see how things look/work from the worker perspective, and then had difficulty deleting my fake worker account. Customer service helped me out with this, but it would be nice if there was a feature that let administrators toggle to the worker view just so that they have an idea of what schedules/notifications look like to their workers.

Pros

Live scheduling tool, any changes is immediately sent to the relevant people. Team can book time off on the software. There is an app for everyone to use. Its simple and not bulky. Gives you a breakdown of cost per day. You can have offsite working.

Cons

Not having the ability to talk to SAP Payroll. Not having the ability to input other breaks in a shift (paid and unpaid) you can only put one break in.

Pros

Firstly I use the standard version so it's free, one of the only free rostering software packages I could find

Cons

Lack of auditing tools. I would have liked to be able to track back who has authorised annual leave and also have the ability to input sickness etc

Pros

Can be used from anywhere, allows staff to say when they are not available, alerts them when they have been given a shift and allows them to swap. I don't need to rely on my fading memory anymore or sticky notes or diary entries, simply awesome :)

Cons

So many buttons to print the same report every week but this is a minor inconvenience for the benefits being offered

Pros

It's Free!!!!
It also has some great features, I really appreciate that they added the reminder feature to remind employees when shifts are coming up. Really easy to use. posting a schedule doesn't take more then 5 minutes and they have made it easy to copy over the previous weeks schedule.

Cons

it can get a little buggy sometimes and you have to refresh. The only thing that I would like to see different would be the ability to change availability for my employees. or to schedule folks even when they show up as unavailable

Pros

The scheduler is intuitive and suggests common shifts along with templates making the uploading of the monthly schedule a breeze. Letting my staff have the freedom to trade and give away shifts, with an automatic schedule update saves me time. I like that I am always informed of activity regarding shifts. Love the chat option.

Cons

Sometimes when inputting shifts, lines are unclear leading me to misalign. Having a history of a staff member after they quit/ are fired would be useful.

Pros

I love the ability to message my entire staff or individual staff members. I love the ease of the app. I love adding shift opportunities and staff being able to request time off, drop shifts and pick up shifts as they wish.

Cons

I have no negative opinions of this software. It did take me a while to realize that I could turn my device sideways to view the entire schedule but that's just on me for not taking the time to learn its features.

Pros

The ease of use is what we like most. Any one of our coordinators can send out shift opportunities and we can keep them organized according to who sent the opportunity out.
Our staff has never had a problem downloading the app onto their devices, and they all enjoy how user friendly it is.
When I have run into a small problem or question, the support staff was right on top of it.

Cons

It would be better if , when a staff member declines a shift, that the program would keep track of who declined. Also, a red flag of some sort for a declined shift would be good.