One of the essential components of any business is a schedule, it’s critical to productivity and time management. When you get your employees into a solid routine that follows a well-planned schedule, good things happen in terms of productivity and growth (they will get more work done in less time).

Setting up a schedule isn’t a colossal task these days but as you imagine depending on the complexities of the business for most its beginning to make use of scheduling software to help set up and manage schedules quickly/ efficiently.

There are hundreds of these scheduling tools out there. However, most of them aren’t up to the mark. Only a few get it right, and even fewer will suit you perfectly. Therefore, if you aren’t careful while choosing your scheduling software, you will most likely end up with one of the bad ones. So, to help you choose the right one, here are four critical pieces of advice you should keep in mind when picking the right scheduling software for your business.

1. Audit your company’s productivity needs

If you want to choose the right scheduling software for your business, you need first to know what is it that your company requires scheduling wise. To make sure the software you choose is fit for purpose and built to last, you need to go about this very analytically. To do this start by looking at details like the number of employees your company has, how big you would like it to grow, what are all the features you would like your tool to have, does it need to integrate with any other software you use and more.

So, set up a meeting with all the managers and some of the employees at your company and come up with questions and answers that will help you get a clearer picture on what features your scheduling software needs to have. Make sure you take your budget into consideration too. You don’t want to end up spending too much / versus the efficiency that can be gained.

2. Spend time researching tools extensively

There are plenty of comparison sites that can help you come up with many software solutions that match your needs (particularly regarding scheduling). Once you’ve created a shortlist of your contenders make sure you spend plenty of time researching each of these companies. Visit their website and read testimonials and case studies displayed there to see what their customers say about them (make sure that the reviews are from real people).

Next, search for reviews of the tool on social media, search engines and blogs to see what people say about them. You are more likely to find honest reviews through this method than the one mentioned above. If you like what people are saying about that tool on third-party sites, add them to your list of tools to trial or just straight up purchase.

3. Try out several tools

After that, you can begin trying out the tools. Deputy for example, like many others, offer a trial period when you get started using their scheduling software. Most companies will also offer you a trial or even take you through the features of their software online and how it can fit into your business online. You can then try out the tools yourself to see how they work. Get the managers and some of your employees to check out the tools too as they will be using them more. This way, try out as many tools as you can. Don’t be afraid to take your time here.

4. Pick the right scheduling software

After you finish trialling the tools, you finally need to pick one. Make sure the tool you select has all the features you you, your managers and all employees need.

They need to be comfortable with using the tool, especially if you want it to increase their productivity and happiness. The above steps might seem very time consuming, but they are worth it as they will ensure that you pick the right software in your first attempt. You won’t suffer any buyers regret.