Investing in a workforce management solution

Deciding to invest in a workforce management solution is a big decision for any business to make.

Introducing new systems, or even changing existing ones, will require effective change management, employee ‘buy-in’, and an initial investment of time and resources. That’s why it’s imperative to find the right provider for your business before you invest in a workforce management solution.

Before making the decision to invest, ask yourself, and potential vendors, these questions:

• How easy is it to implement the solution?
• Are new features developed with improved usability in mind and do they add value?
• Is the solution truly cloud-based so it can be deployed and scaled rapidly?
• How important is research and development to the provider?
• How well does the app perform and what is the feedback from the end-users?
• Can you access the solution from multiple devices, allowing you to manage your workforce from anywhere at any time?

The answers to these questions will provide you with a great starting point for deciding whether a solution is a right fit for your business. You need to find a provider you can trust, who understands your business and who understands the specific problems you’re looking to solve by improving your workforce management.

As a rule of thumb, our advice is to avoid investing in legacy solutions that require you to invest further in infrastructure to make the solution work. If the software is marketed as web-based, find out whether it is truly a 100% SaaS service.

This means when you’re looking for a supplier, you need to choose a next-generation workforce management supplier who has set a product strategy based on your industry’s future needs. You also should find a supplier who puts usability at the top of their roadmap.

Historically, one of the biggest drawbacks to companies taking on a workforce management solution has been the time it takes to implement the software. Many solutions remain too complex to set up and then to use effectively, leading to many businesses abandoning them or not using them to their potential.

That’s why any solution you choose should be simple to set up and simple to use. If you’re looking to optimize your business by saving time and improving productivity then you have to find a solution that empowers you and enables you to do it.

Finally, don’t forget about the end-users; your employees. One of the biggest ‘perks’ a good workforce management solution can bring to an organization is its ability to engage employees, especially with the scheduling process.

Look at reviews of the software and seek feedback to see how easy it is for staff to use. How effectively they use the system is often one of the biggest influencers to the long-term success of better workforce management.

We have a team of workforce management experts happy to help and advise on what our solution can do today.