ScheduleAnywhere

Pros

I used this awesome tool to schedule 12 hr shifts for an organization with over 30 employees. Never had an issue knowing who was on night shift or on call.

Cons

On the administrative side, it didn't alert users if their schedule was changed unknowingly. This resulted in more than one close call in someone missing a shift.

Pros

Using this product took minutes to complete an entire years worth of scheduling.

Cons

Only wish there were more colors to use.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to ScheduleAnywhere

Pros

We have several different shifts and units. Schedule Anywhere allows us to view yearly schedules for our essential employees.

Cons

It can be difficult to use at times. The mobile version needs to be improved. It is basically useless as it stands now.

Pros

How easy it was to view and edit shifts!

Cons

The colors scheme. If it was more color coordinated it would be even better

Pros

--We like the fact that it can be well displayed on the computer, but then also has an App so you can see the schedule on the run.
--Being able to use Highlighters and change colors of fonts for different shifts.
--Having a "Today" button on the drop down calendar. (That suggestion was from me and one of my co-workers!)
--Quick, friendly responses from my Account Rep [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN].
--Easy to use functionality and features.

Cons

--I know there are buttons, but it would be better if we could use keyboard functions to Copy and Paste.
--It would be nice if the current day Column was highlighted in some way so it makes the current shifts/day stand out from the rest of the week that's being viewed.
--I hate that in order to move from one schedule to the next I have to use a Drop Down. It would be better to have buttons across the top so it would be one easy click to go back and forth between schedules.
--Add an "Explanation" to a schedule should also add it to the Master schedule. It's annoying that if I mark scheduled PTO on a specific schedule, I also have to go into the Master to make it have the Explanation as well.
--I know its all about security, but the multiple clicks and screens to Log-In is annoying and time consuming.
--I've asked for this before: it would be REALLY nice to have a button that does a "SWAP". Quite often I move two staff members to optimize their assignments and if I could just click on two shifts & then click SWAP it would be amazing!!!!!
--It would be really nice to have an UNDO button. Once you erase a shift, that info is gone and it can be very time consuming to figure out what shift you accidently removed.

--The App could definitely be improved. Simply having a list of people and their shift/position is weak. It could be displayed so much better, but the content seems cheap and like old technology.

Pros

When I ran across this company from a magazine ad, I called them. I explained that I worked in law enforcement and we were searching for a scheduling solution, and they asked if we were working 8's or 12's (hour shifts), and what our cycle was. At that point, I knew I had finally found a company that understands the varied law enforcement schedules, which can be complicated. When I have had questions, I simply email the company and receive a quick response or phone call with the solution. Employees can use the app to request leave and their supervisor receives an immediate push notification on their phone. They can quickly ensure proper coverage There are also training video's that are short and to the point for both users and managers that can be accessed at any time.

Cons

I have not found many things that I don't like about this software. If anything, maybe the phone app could use a little work to make it more visually appealing.

Pros

admins can add information well into the future, no paper trail to keep track of like in past scheduling options at our facility, automatic opening of the timers, add and delete staff easily

easy for new staff to learn how to use, love being able to see the schedule on phone or work on from home

Cons

recently our facility blocked staff from viewing future information on the schedule...this has been a huge dissatifyer for staff because they can't view future trades, holiday/weekend assignments, details on who they can trade with or not. They can only view a finalized schedule or during the timer for BID sheet they can view that 6 weeks.

I would love to be able to alphabetize the staff names in the messages area because sometimes I need to look up past messages sent to staff. right now it is set up to organize by submission date and time...which is great most of the time. maybe look at adding a box to choose alphabetize if we need to find a specific person.

would like to see an option to copy the same explanation for the entire row for the 6 week view.

is there a way to count specific shifts a person has scheduled for a 6 week period? example Sally works 6 nights and 12 day shifts.

Pros

Schedule Anywhere as really changed my scheduling job. I have been scheduling in an Emergency Department for 10 years, the last 3 yrs with Schedule Anywhere. I had been awesome to be able to see staff schedules across the system, if they work in other departments, and that staff have access to schedule from home! They can submit swaps, schedule request, and vacation request on their days off. I also love the ease of the coverage watches to assure my unit is properly staffed for each shift. The filter option is also very useful when staffing a large department.

Cons

I wish that staff could see explanations beyond the self scheduling dates. We use explanation to mark their assigned weekend/holidays and future trades. It is a nice visual for staff to be able to see and plan for the future. I also wish, as a manager, that I could edit Shifts/ requests from the Messages Inbox.

Pros

The availability to review or modify the schedule at anytime is worth the cost. Schedule change notifications to the affected officers keeps them informed without having to post multiple versions of a schedule. The messaging function is an effective way to communicate with a single employee, a specific department, or the entire agency.

Cons

Tracking changes may be helpful for an administrator. Once the change has been posted to the schedule there is a note that states who made the change, if you know it was a change and place your cursor over it. The officer whose schedule was changed will be notified, but if a supervisor makes a change and fails to post it and I post the modified schedule, unless it was my schedule that changed and I received the notification, I have no idea what changes were made or by whom.

Pros

Schedule Anywhere has been an assest to our programs and agency in whole. From an administrative perspective, extremely helpful and efficient.

Cons

From my perspective I do not have cons. I need results/reports and they are retrieved and produced in a snap.

Pros

To be able to visually see our entire staffs schedules for a 6-week period with just a glance.

Cons

Initial set up was a little too complicated for me to understand. For example, setting up Shifts and Coverage Watches, understanding when to use an Explanation, and understanding all of the features. Once set up, it was a breeze!

I’d like to be able to view more days spans instead of just 1, 7, 14 etc. for example I’d like to be able to view 2, 3, 4 .... etc.

I wish the app was more detailed and I could view the entire schedule instead of just one day at a time.

I’d like to be able to print all people on a shift daily as opposed to just the ones working.

Alternatives Considered

Pros

ScheduleAnywhere is different in that it is intuitive for 90% of our staff! As the lead person learning about the product, if and how it would fit our 24/7 facility with 9 different departments and over a dozen different shift schedules. Quickly I learned this would be a perfect fit.
As with any new data base, it was a bit time consuming on the front end entering in information and making it truly fit our needs, once the data is there, there is an ease about manipulating, changing, copying information. ScheduleAnywhere does have an option of sending them data- we thought entering the data ourselves would allow us to better learn how to utilize the product.
The ease our staff have found the product.
We held off using the Requests for time off, yet our staff were sending requests right at the start.
Accessing it from any computer, phone or tablet with ease. From a manager perspective, accessing accurate and up to date info for our staff is crucial in healthcare.

Cons

Alphabetizing would be great for reports.
I have not used the manager reports as much as I thought as they are a bit cumbersome in extra data that I then need to delete from the excel spreadsheet.

Pros

We switched to Schedule Anywhere after using an Xcel Spreadsheet platform. We are now enjoying every aspect of the 24/7 Internet accessibility. Also, the scheduling features allowing ease of schedule creations is a must have.

Cons

Learning Schedule Anywhere Software was a little daunting a first, but well worth the time and effort. Our representative/sales associate is amazingly helpful, available, and patient.

Pros

I like the audit feature and tracking where you can move your mouse over. This is critical for our union contract and ensures people aren't changing the schedule last minute and blaming the employee. I like the mobile app version as well.

Cons

I still can't really figure out how to use the feature to let me know when there is not sufficient coverage, or if too many people may be scheduled, etc.

Pros

ability for staff to see their schedule from home electronically

Cons

complicated set up - not enough tools/education about how to set up employees new and leaving employees. need more help learning how to do maintenance on the department level of SA

Pros

I like the accessibility of being able to access the schedule from anywhere and submit changes/requests with just the use of my phone!

Cons

As a supervisor, I wish we could "hide" the schedule from staff when we are working/creating a schedule and then "post" it and make it visible to staff when we are done with it.

Pros

I like the ability to have all requests submit electronically rather than piles of paper

Cons

I am not a fan of the mobile app. It is too limited in views. Would like it to look and function more like the desktop application. Would be much easier to submit request if it functioned like the desktop

Pros

Ability to customize the schedule to fit our agencies needs.

Cons

The mobile is far below where it should be. This is the #1 complaint I get regarding the software and would be the only reason we would consider a competitor.

Pros

Always works. Never any down time. All staff were easily trained and love it

Cons

Would like to see the mobile version have the ability to create messages to employees for shift work.

Pros

Easy to navigate and train the users. There are still so many things we have not discovered yet I am sure. The other nice thing is there are multiple ways to do things.

Cons

There is no "back" or "undo" button, I would be interested in knowing if there is something like this I still haven't found yet?

Pros

Trading shifts amongst each other- automatically with supervisor approval was convenient.

Cons

We have a large department of approximately 200 employees, and when balancing a schedule it would have been nice to see the coverage watch in every section of the schedule, so if that could always be at the bottom part of the screen even if you are at the top of the schedule, or middle or bottom.

Pros

This software is easy to individualize to each specific unit, is intuitive, and has been easy for even the least technologically savvy staff to adapt.

Cons

I would love to see a mass message feature available to staff without making them managers of the actual schedule
OR
the ability to limit access of managers to a certain date range of the schedule

Pros

Easy to use and organize the schedule. I love being able to get into the schedule anywhere I am at.

Cons

I wish there was an easier way to put on extra shifts for employees to be able to see and pick up. Also, having the capability of picking when start time for a day is. App could use some revamping as well to be more friendly.

Pros

All the features the best on the market

Cons

Drop and drag shifts
right click for cut and paste
An UNDO Button.

Pros

staff can see schedule on their phone and can enter their schedule/trades from home

Cons

Difficult for staff to trade shifts that overlap., example dayshift to a night shift. They still have to hand in a paper request.

Pros

Real-time schedule, anytime, anywhere
Communicating schedule changes
Copy patterns and rotations
Accessibility

Cons

The phone app. It would be ideal if we could pull up the complete schedule on the app, not just the individual officer.

Pros

I like that everything is located in one place. It is relatively easy to add and delete employees from the schedule. I like that I am able to pull up my screen and see an entire 6 week schedule at a glance. It's great to be able to add in all the different types of shifts.

Cons

I wish I didn't have to go through so many clicks to change a shift in an employees schedule. I wish if when I clicked on a box in there schedule I could just click select shift and be able to select a new shift without having to first clear the shift.

Pros

product is easy to use. Staff love the ability to have it available to them at all times through the cell phone applications

Cons

*unable to print a copy of the schedule without having to copy/paste into a Microsoft Word document.

Pros

Employees can view personal schedule in several length variations; ability to see availability of open vacation slots.

Cons

Schedule Anywhere needs an accrual (vacation, compensation time, sick etc.) self-audit capacity; because Schedule Anywhere lacks this capacity, our facility has DOWNGRADED to a 1990's scheduling software program that really lacks clarity and efficiency.

Pros

Easy to use. Excellent customer support when needed. Helpful videos to reference for help.

Cons

The only feature I would suggest would be an available magnification for easier reading and entering on the lines when needed.

Pros

You can use Schedule Anywhere at work, home or on your phone. Easy to make changes and for staff to put in schedule requests.

Cons

On your phone it is a little more difficult to utilize all the functions. If you ar scheduled on multiple units it is hard to check that.

Pros

It's very customizable to your needs. If the scheduling format needs to be changed, it's very easy to do. Also, customer service is great.

Cons

I wouldn't say I like least about the overall software, but the features did take some getting used to. However, once I learned how to do everything and was walked through it by your staff, it's very easy to do now.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to ScheduleAnywhere

Pros

I truly enjoy the ease of use. Our department works a schedule made of up varying days on and off. I can easily build out a schedule and repeat it for years.

Cons

I would love to be able to adjust the requested days off and accept the request if it was accidentally denied.

Pros

I feel that the software is very easy to use.

Cons

I wish that the boxes of the shifts could be bigger and that I could put two shifts in one box. Also, that I would be able to make the schedule itself bigger when I print it out. Also, that the boxes of the shifts could be more freeform to put a text in.

Pros

We like the ability to create labeled shifts with set time tables. It makes assigning staff much easier.

Cons

The schedule views are not great. We would really like to see a month view compilation of who is working each day and their assigned shift.

Pros

I like the ease of creating and navigating a schedule. It has boosted the efficiency of my job immensely! With the upgrade the weeks are separated so its easy to input schedules for the entire month and multiple personnel!

Cons

The only thing I like least about this software is that the app does not allow you to view schedules by department and employee per day.

Pros

I love the mobile app version of Schedule Anywhere. It allows me to look at my schedule and my coworkers' schedules at the touch of a finger. It's extremely easy to use.

Cons

I wish this app would have an option to sync with Google Calendars. I use Google Calendar for all my personal events, and I wish I could upload my work events into my calendar - I currently enter them manually every month.

Pros

Schedule Anywhere makes scheduling easy! We have full-time, part-time and equipment scheduling on SA and we love it. It is quick to access online and easy to use and read.

Cons

On the mobile app, you have to click through a few pages to find what you are looking for based on who you are. And on the web based site, you can't click off of the page and then click page to it without being automatically logged out. Other than silly little things like that, it's great!

Pros

Very easy to use from home, conventient.

Cons

Cant think of anything. It works really well and is nice to use from anywhere.

Pros

The produce was easy to sell to my City Manager due to the cost.

Cons

Nothing really, just getting used to the product.

Pros

Has what is used more frequently easily accessible to the user. Staff find it very easy to understand and use. There was little to no problem with transition to this software for management or staff.

Cons

I would like a 2 month or so follow up to review things that are used less frequently such as reports.

Pros

I work for a rural hospital and have been scheduling nurses for shift work for over 10-years. This is by far the easiest and most user friendly scheduling application I've ever used. I makes scheduling for my Emergency Department, Med/Surg Department, Surgical Service Department, and Physicians Clinic scheduling a breeze and allows me to communicate scheduling needs with my staff very easy.

Cons

The initial setup or building a schedule for the first time can be a little time consuming but once your schedules are built they are easy to maintain.

Pros

Availability, being able to access it from any computer and the ease of functuality.