5 Mistakes Companies Make When Choosing Workforce Management Software

Choosing a workforce management software for your organization is a challenging process. While the right workforce management tool can provide a multitude of solutions (such as lower operational costs and improved risk management), it’s important to find the right software. There are hundreds of workforce management software solutions out there, so how do you know which one is right for your organization? These products are investments and switching would cost a lot of resources if you’re unsatisfied with your initial choice.

In this blog post, we walk you through the top five mistakes companies make when choosing a software provider so you can learn from their grave errors.

Cheaper Isn’t Better

We won’t lie to you – workforce management shouldn’t be a cost-savings item. Instead, you should see this as an investment in your organization. The right software will improve how your company runs, highlight areas for improvement, and provide accountability. Some of the easy wins with a workforce management tool are:

  • A reduction in operational costs, including overtime costs
  • Risk management: the ability to input and follow union, organizational, or city rules
  • An increase in employee satisfaction as employees have more structure to internal systems and processes

It’s hard to put a price on reducing risk or improving employee satisfaction. Ultimately, you need to decide the appropriate budget for your software investment but remember that this is not the time to cut corners. While there are cheap software products available on the market, we encourage you to look at the reviews of these products. You will quickly find that people are disappointed and frustrated with the lackluster tool they receive.

To get the right kind of tool that will implement positive change in your organization, be prepared to spend some money.

Not Choosing an Industry-Specific Provider

There are two types of workforce management solutions: those that are industry-specific and those that are general. For example, InTime provides a product for the Public Safety sector. We have been selling to this industry for over 20 years and that knowledge helps make a better product for our customers. InTime understands the unique challenges of our customers and creates a solution that addresses those issues. We even go as far as hiring retired public safety individuals to work on our teams and continue to provide valuable insights so we can improve our software.

When you go with a general software provider, you are receiving a general product. They may not understand the everyday challenges your organization faces. It’s like when you have a serious heart condition, you’re going to want to talk to the cardiologist, not the GP.

 

Not Considering Customer Service Support

It’s an undeniable fact that when an organization adopts new technology, there is a learning curve. Luckily, in an increasingly tech-savvy workforce, this process runs much more smoothly than it did 20 years ago.

Still, your staff will need help with getting a handle of the new system. Look for a software provider that has a dedicated customer support system to support you through the change. Some questions you should ask include:

  • What are the hours for the customer support line?
  • Is support by email only?
  • What are the hours of customer support? What if there’s an emergency during offline hours?
  • Is there assistance during the implementation process?

At InTime, an implementation team spends hours onsite or online (your preference) walking you through our product’s entire setup. Afterward, your entire workforce has access to our customer support team available during working hours by call or email. The team is also on standby during non-working hours for emergency cases.

Not Testing the Product

Unfortunately, there are a lot of products out there that promise more than what they can deliver. And, when you’re spending large sums of money, you may feel locked into your decision. This shouldn’t be the case with workforce management systems. When you consider a reputable company, they should be open to letting you take a closer look at the software to see how it would work for you. Companies that don’t do this know their product won’t stand up to the scrutiny.

InTime is willing to offer a demo tailored to your needs or a free trial. Contact one of our sales experts for more information.

Integrations

>It’s more than likely you already have some software choices in place that work well for you. For example, your Payroll system may be one that your Accounting department is perfectly content with and has no plans to change. An excellent workforce management product will integrate with your existing systems, so you don’t have to make any unnecessary changes.

At InTime, we take pride in integrating with every type of Payroll system out there. If it’s not on our list of vendors we’ve integrated with in the past, we will add your system in.

Now that you understand the downfalls many organizations fall for; we encourage you to make sure your workforce management solution meets all your needs. If you would like to see a demo of the InTime product, you can schedule a personalized session by reaching out to sales@intimesoft.com or 1-877-603-2830. 

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