Why Use a Team Scheduling App

Traditional scheduling methods, such as Excel, are notoriously inefficient — from planning all the way to distribution. To solve this problem, businesses often turn to a team scheduling app.

Why Use a Team Scheduling App?

A team scheduling app simplifies the process and lets you handle all your scheduling needs in one place. Here are some key benefits of using a scheduling app:

1. Create and publish shifts: With a scheduling app, you can easily create and publish shifts using simple drag and drop functionality.

2. Automated notifications: The app can automatically notify employees when their shift is live or when a change has been made to it, saving you the time and effort of manually coordinating with each employee.

3. Employee availability: Employees can set their scheduling availability within the app, allowing you to easily reference their availability when creating the schedule.

4. Shift trade and cover requests: The app can handle shift trade or cover requests, streamlining the process and eliminating the need for you to act as a middleman.

Buddy Punch: A Great Team Scheduling App

Buddy Punch is a team scheduling app that offers a range of features to simplify the scheduling process. Here are some of its core scheduling features:

Easy Shift Creation

Using Buddy Punch’s employee scheduling tool is a simple and intuitive process. You can click on an empty area, input the shift details (such as dates, start and end times, location, and department code), and use the drag and drop functionality to rearrange shifts as needed. Once you’re done, you can click on “Publish” to make the schedule go live.

Automated Notifications

As soon as the schedule is live or a change is made to it, employees can automatically receive push notifications via email and/or mobile notification. This ensures that teammates are always aware of the schedule without the need for manual coordination.

Repeating Shifts

Buddy Punch allows you to configure shifts to repeat at regular intervals. This feature saves you time by eliminating the need to manually repeat tasks. You can set up shifts to repeat on specific weekdays, certain days of the week, or even on a monthly basis.

Employee Availability

Buddy Punch makes it easy for employees to log into the app and set their available and unavailable hours. This information is then easily accessible for managers when creating the schedule. Additionally, Buddy Punch serves as a PTO (paid time off) tracker, allowing you to see when employees are on leave and adjust the schedule accordingly.

Shift Trades and Covers

Buddy Punch streamlines the process of handling shift trade or cover requests. Employees can manage their shift trades with each other within the app, eliminating the need for you to act as an intermediary. This feature saves time and ensures that scheduling conflicts are resolved efficiently.

Scheduling Notifications

Buddy Punch offers several scheduling notification features, such as shift start reminders. If an employee doesn’t punch in within a specified time of their shift start, a mobile and/or email reminder can be sent to them. This helps improve employee accountability and ensures that shifts are not missed.

Streamlined Payroll Process

In addition to its scheduling features, Buddy Punch also offers ways to streamline the payroll process. You can run payroll directly from Buddy Punch, integrate it with your current payroll provider, or export payroll reports as a .CSV file. This eliminates the need for long and tedious manual processes, as mentioned by one of Buddy Punch’s customers.

Employee Accountability

Buddy Punch serves as an online time clock that employees can use to punch in and out for their shifts. Advanced features like geofencing and IP address lock can be set up to ensure accurate and honest clock-ins. This helps address the issue of employee dishonesty and loss of revenue for the business.

Other Team Scheduling Apps

While Buddy Punch is a great team scheduling app, there are also other solutions available. Here are four other scheduling apps that you may consider:

1. Connecteam: Connecteam offers features such as shift scheduling, time off requests, task management, and updates. It has received positive reviews for its support and ease of use.

2. Sling: Sling provides features like real-time scheduling, time off requests, shift notifications, and more. It offers a free plan with valuable features and has been praised for its convenience and ease of use.

3. When I Work: When I Work offers features like shift scheduling, time off requests, reminders, and communication tools. It has received positive reviews for its seamless scheduling process and communication features.

4. Hubstaff: Hubstaff provides features like time tracking, employee scheduling, and project management. It has been praised for its simplicity and ease of use.

Conclusion

In-depth software reviews like Buddy Punch can help businesses streamline their scheduling processes and improve efficiency. Buddy Punch offers a range of features to simplify scheduling, automate notifications, and streamline payroll. While Buddy Punch is a great team scheduling app, there are also other options available to suit different business needs. Consider exploring other scheduling apps like Connecteam, Sling, When I Work, and Hubstaff to find the best fit for your business.