Adopting technology can be intimidating for small businesses, but it doesn’t have to be. While there are complex digital solutions out there, starting with a small step could be the beginning of your digital transformation. The best employee scheduling apps for small businesses will include additional features that provide you with powerful tools to stay profitable and competitive.
In a study conducted by Deloitte found that 80% of U.S. small businesses are not taking full advantage of digital tools technology and are missing out on the financial benefits of using them (including almost four times as much revenue growth). One reason for this is small business owners and leaders believe it’s “not relevant for [their] business.”
But every small business has employees, and employee scheduling is an important part of running your business. If you have employees in the field or at different job sites, it’s even more challenging to stay on top of your scheduling. That’s where employee scheduling software will help you.
Why Should You Implement An Employee Scheduling Software?
Scheduling software saves time and money, but a survey by Software Advice found that:
33% of SMB use online calendars
28% of small businesses use employee scheduling software
17% use paper calendar
11% use HR software
12% don't use any type of scheduling
The majority were using online calendars such as Google Calendar. They work better than paper calendar but lack essential functions for smal businesses, such as automated scheduling and employee notifications.
When choosing an employee scheduling solution, there are certain things you should look for.
What To Look For In An Employee Scheduling Software
Using a pen and paper or online calendars is a thing of the past. Each business is unique, with unique challenges but small businesses can save time with employee scheduling and increased productivity and transparency. Here are some features to look for in an employee scheduling solution.
Automatic Employee Notification
Creating schedules for your employees is only one part of scheduling; The employees need to be able to access their schedules to stay productive and on time. If you have employees in the field, it’s even more important for them to be able to access their schedules or be notified of shift changes. A good employee scheduling software allows you to send notifications either via email or mobile push notifications so your employees are made aware of any changes to their scheduled shifts.
Ease Of Use
User Experience (UX) for an employee scheduling app should be smooth and easy. Employees should be able to simply pull up their schedules and view them. Administrators should be able to quickly and easily create, manage, and change schedules without clunky, cumbersome software that eats away at their time.
User Interface
The purpose of adopting technology is to save time and money, and improve performance company-side. Your software should be easy to understand and use. Drag-and-drop technology makes it super fast and easy to create and edit schedules from the office without extensive training or complicated processes.
Job Reporting
Tracking timesheets is crucial to having full visibility of how your business is running. This is especially true if your employees are providing services to your customers. It allows you to understand how long a certain job or task took, so you have a reference for future jobs.
Real-Time Data
Real-time data is increasingly important in today’s workforce and being able to access schedules in real-time improves customer service, increases productivity, and reduces the risks of errors. You can use an employee scheduling app to review existing schedules and stay on top of unexpected overtime.
Integrations
As the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 continue to grow, digital business solutions will need to be able to connect. An employee scheduling app that can also integrate with, for example, your accounting or time clock software, will enhance the value of the scheduling software.
Communication
When you have employees in the field or at different work locations, communication might be challenging. However, a robust employee scheduling app will allow you to provide job details right in the schedule, so they can pull up their schedules and find out key information about the job they’re scheduled to do.
Reduce Errors and Mistakes
As with any manual process, mistakes and errors happen. However, using a scheduling software, everyone knows where they’re supposed to be and when. They can pull up their schedules on their mobile devices and know where to go, in real-time.
Improve Staff/Shift Decisions
When you have multiple job sites or clients, it helps to be able to send the right employee to the right job, plus you can use a scheduling app to reduce unwanted overtime. With a scheduling app, pull up your schedule, filter by job or employee, and send the best employee(s) to a particular job.
Help Manage Employee Attendance
Unexpected absences, late arrivals, early departures and sick employees are all more easily managed with a scheduling app. If an employee doesn’t show up, you can quickly make changes to ensure your jobs get done.
Improve Productivity
When employees know where to go and when, they are more likely to be on time and do the job right. When shifts (or employees) change, there is no need for employees to wait on their schedule because you can change the schedule and notify them of changes, immediately.
Scalability
Your scheduling software should be able to scale with your business as it grows. Whether you have 10 or 1,000 employees, you should be able to manage their schedules easily.
What Is Best Employee Scheduling Software For Small Business?
There are multiple options available for an employee scheduling software and which one you choose, will depend on your business’s needs and size.
1. ClockShark
Best for: construction and field service companies
Built with the construction and field service industries in mind, ClockShark provides an easy-to-use employee scheduling solution with a drag-and-drop schedule creator that even beginners can use. Creating and managing schedules can be done in minutes, and you can use filters to view single employees, particular jobs, certain customers, or a range of other filters to make viewing certain things easier and faster.
No more time wasted with manual entry. Improve accountability by letting everyone know where they’re supposed to be, and when.
ClockShark allows you to create and edit schedules from any PC, tablet, or mobile device, and you can send instant notifications to employees - either via mobile push notification, email, or both - to alert them to schedule changes.
Employees can access job details from their mobile devices through their schedules, so they know who the customer is, what the job is, and any other important details about the jobs they’re scheduled to do.
Key Features
Easy drag & drop
Automated scheduling
Employee notifications and reminders
Available via mobile or desktop
Detailed job description
Attach photos and files
Pros
Easy to use, no training needed
Mobile app in English and Spanish
Automated system with real-time data
Create work shifts in minutes
Easy drag-and-drop editor
Instantly notify your crew of any shift updates
Let employees clock in and out right from their schedule
Give employees access to job details inside their shift
Know how much time is spent on each job
Assign a location or department an employees shift
Cons
May not be the best option for companies outside the construction trades and field service industries
Pricing
Starts at just $8/month per user+ $7/month base fee.
Free 14-day trial.
Save Time and Money with ClockShark
2. Zoho Shifts
Best for: desk employees
Zoho Shifts is an HR solution that includes an employee scheduling software. It allows you to track team attendance, schedule shifts, manage time stamps, from one place. Field or remote workers can access their schedules from their mobile devices, and you can set up special permissions for different employees to access.
Key Features
Employee notifications
Time-off requests
Shift swap option
Pros
Less expensive
Customizable
Good tool for measuring performance
Cons
Not user-friendly
Limited customer support
Limited integrations
Pricing
Starts at $10 per 10 users/month. Billed annually.
3. Sling
Best for: notifications of overlapping shifts
Sling provides an employee scheduling solution that allows you to create schedules and manage time off. You can get notifications of overlapping shifts and late arrivals.
Key Features
Time Off
Shift trade requests
Shift alarms
Pros
Get notified of overlapping shifts or double-booking
Let employees sign up for shifts
Load shift templates
Enable shift exchange
Cons
Issues loading the app
Unreliable shift notification
Pricing
Starting at $2/month per user.
4. Buddy Punch
Best for: shift templates
Buddy Punch is a time-tracking software with an employee scheduling solution built in. You can create and edit schedules from any PC or mobile device using drag-and-drop, and notify employees of changes to their schedules. Buddy Punch also allows you to incorporate time limits to avoid weekly overtime or automatically clock employees out when their shift has ended.
Key Features
Time off management
Shift templates
Shift notifications
Pros
Track time-off requests
Drag & drop shifts
Assign a location, department or position to an employees shift
Employees can access schedule from their phones or desktop
Cons
Difficulty editing timesheets
Not user-friendly
No option to see timesheet reports of all employees at once
Pricing
Starting at $2.99/month per user + $19 base fee. Billed annually.
5. When I Work
Best for: copy and paste previous shifts
When I Work lets you quickly create schedules and manage your teams. From their mobile devices, employees can access their schedules, view their tasks for the day, request time off, or ask to change shifts. Administrators can approve or deny these requests, and manage time off for employees.
Key Features
Time off management
Trade shifts
Shift templates
Pros
Easy to use
Ability to copy and paste shifts
Cons
Issues loading the app
Auto scheduling feature is not reliable
Hard to see entire schedule
The app interface is not as good as the desktop
Pricing
Starting at $2.50/month per user.
Note: Extra charges apply to each plan, depending on use.
6. Sage HR
Best for: employees can advice availability
Sage HR is a human resource tool that includes an employee scheduling option. You can create, change, and manage schedules from any PC or mobile device and employees can access their calendars from anywhere, with their mobile phones or tablets. They can also add the preferred times they want to work and make a note of the times they’re unavailable, from their smartphones.
Key Features
Time-off management
Pre-defined shift template
Self-service access for employees
Pros
User friendly
Group shifts into areas
Drag & drop shift management
Employees can advice availability
Cons
Lack of accurate reports
No flexibility
Limited functionality
Pricing
Starting at $5.50/month per user.
7. Skedulo
Best for: healthcare industry and HIPAA compliance
With Skedulo, you can create and edit schedules for remote workers and filter jobs based on their status. You can reduce travel time and make sure the right employees are given the right jobs, to improve customer service and reduce travel expenses. Skedulo allows you to set specific priorities so you can automate your scheduling and communicate with workers through their mobile app. Details about each job, including pictures and notes, can be added to the schedule, too.
Key Features
Automated Scheduling
Drag & drop
HIPAA compliant
Pros
Good for the heathcare industry
Easy to use
Cons
Can be complicated when scheduling dynamic schedules
Pricing
Starting at $59/month per user.
8. homebase
Best for: overtime alerts
Homebase is a scheduling tool that makes scheduling shift work for employees easy. Employees can see when to work and track their scheduled shifts, submit their availability, see who’s free to cover shifts, and request trades.
Key Features
Drag & drop
Overtime alerts
Automated scheduling
Shift trade requests
Pros
Easy to use
Employees can log their availability or preferred shifts
Supports time-off requests
Cons
Small glitches and bugs with the app
Lack of constant app updates
Pricing
Starting at $20/month per location.
9. Monday.com
Best for: remote workers
Monday.com provides a scheduling feature that allows you to streamline your workflows and prioritize jobs and tasks each week. Using their time-tracking feature, you can also review where you spent most of your time, improving your productivity.
Key Features
Shift notification
Available on desktop and mobile devices
Pros
Offers a free version
Syncs with Google Calendar
Easy to use
Cons
Complicated to set up
Frequent pricing increases
Not as ideal for firms with field crews
Pricing
Free for up to 2 users.
Which Is The Best Employee Scheduling App For Your Small Business?
Every business is unique but if you have employees, you need to be able to manage their schedules in a way that saves you time and money. A good employee scheduling app will make scheduling quick and easy so you can spend more time focusing on growing your business.
Compare the Best Employee Scheduling Apps For Small Businesses
| Pricing | Free Trial | |
 | Starts at just $8/month per user + $7/month base fee. | |
 | Starts at $10 per 10 users/month. Billed annually. | |
 | Starting at $2/month per user. | |
 | Starting at $2.99/month per user + $19 base fee. Billed annually. | |
 | Starting at $2.50/month per user. | |
 | Starting at $5.50/month per user. | |
 | Starting at $59/month per user. | |
 | Starting at $20/month per location. | |
 | Free for up to 2 users. | |
FAQ For Scheduling Apps
What is the best way to schedule employees?
As technology continues to evolve and grow, having a cloud-based, real-time software solution for scheduling is becoming more popular and necessary.
What is an employee scheduling app for small businesses?
An employee scheduling app for small businesses is a simple, efficient way to manage employee schedules from the desk, without any complicated processes.
What's the best employee scheduling app?
While there are plenty to choose from, we believe the versatility, ease-of-use, and customer support are just a few things that set ClockShark apart. Since it’s specially designed for the construction and field service industries, it solves a lot of problems for these organizations that other scheduling solutions don’t.
