HotSchedules Reviews

Pros

I really enjoy the convenience of being able to view your work schedule remotely and anywhere for that matter! Set up an email or a Gmail account and it's delivered right to your inbox! Gone are the days of having to call your employer or having to drive to your place of employment to view it on paper. "Your" time is valuable and let's be honest, none of us want to go to work on our days off for any reason!

Cons

I really and truthfully speaking have nothing negative to include with Hot Schedules. It's been a great software addition to our store and team! If someone did tell me that I had to pick out one feature that I don't care for, I guess it'd be the "How was your shift?" feature that pops up when logging on. That said, it's such a minor dislike and isn't really worth mentioning.

Pros

Hotschedules won our business by having the best Aloha POS integration of all the companies we spoke with. Employees that are added to our system are automatically synced with Hotschedules so you can quickly begin adding them to the schedule. The integration also allows us to restrict employees from clocking in too early or late with saves labor and allows you to quickly identify the less punctual employees. Finally, the integration also pulls historical sales data from our POS and uses it to establish a good sales forecast that you can use to budget your labor accurately.

Cons

The app and website are just not as intuitive and streamline as I would like. Previously we had used PeopleMatter schedule, which had a much less cluttered and more user friendly interface. Hotschedules also starts to think it knows how to schedule better than the manager and will start adding "House Shifts" to your schedule that employees can pick up, which frustrates me when I really don't need that shift covered.

Pros

I love that this software is more comman than it use to be. Most employees hired have heard or used hotschedules which makes the transition alot easier. Communication threw hotschedules makes this program a must for any business that has a decent sized staff

Cons

Software is great however it is a little pricey for what it does. Dont get me wrong its great but just a hair high

Pros

Intuitive User interface
Easy to add new users
Great scheduling utility
incredible for contacting staff on a large scale
Has a mobile app that users can use

Cons

The mobile app costs money so most of my staff refuses to download this app which sends them push notifications in the event I need to contact them all. I believe that since we are already paying to use the software this app should be free to download. Without a login the application is useless so the fact you need to pay to download the app is very ridiculous.

Pros

HotSchedules allows employees to trade shifts, pick up shifts, and see their schedules very easily. It makes managing personnel and schedules so much easier for managers, and it's great for the team to have added flexibility. Without HotSchedules, trading shifts can be a nightmare for both employee and manager alike.

Cons

The only con we've seen is that HotSchedules has built-in rejections for some requests. In theory, this is a great tool - if you don't meet the criteria to make the request, then it's automatically rejected. However, there are some manual workarounds, which means employees still make requests to the manager rather than via HotSchedules since they know there can be adjustments made. This really isn't a complaint of HotSchedules since it works as it's supposed to, but just a head's up that there will still be manual adjustments.

Pros

I enjoy using HotSchedules from both an employee and a management perspective. As an employee, the app makes it super easy to double-check my schedule or swap a shift with a coworker. As a manager, logging in from my computer and using "scheduling" truly makes the world of a difference when it comes to writing schedules. It helps me keep track of employee availability, requests off, and labor costs. I also enjoy the "logbook", as communication is key for my team!

Cons

I wish there was a way to use one username and be able to view multiple restaurants under one user. I sometimes have more than one job at a time and they typically all use HotSchedules. It would just be convenient to log in under me and be able to view all of my schedules, messages, etc. without having to remember multiple usernames/passwords and log in and out repeatedly.

Pros

Ease of use, accessibility -- the facebook of scheduling!

Cons

Honestly, would love to see them work on the ease of the scheduler. I feel like that whole page could be done differently. It just seems that something could be done to streamline it. The shortcuts are nice but not easily remembered. Additionally, I would love if there was a cost effective version for small independently owned restaurants.

Pros

Ties in with inventory and POS software to establish patterns in business and gives you Forecasting on volume of business to help with your scheduling needs.

Cons

Its expensive. Especially if you want all the major features. But you get what you pay for. If you can afford it, its worth the leap.

Pros

I love the fact that I can almost take charge of my own schedule with this software. I have the app, and it seriously makes my life so much easier. ? I'm a waitress, and a single mom of 2, so the fact that I can do everything from my phone is super convenient!!! I rarely have to go in to talk to a manager now. I can just pop in on the app to release/pick up shifts, change my availability, or send a message to a manger or coworker!

Cons

It took me a minute to figure out how to use it, however, I am not at all a tech person. Once I figured out how to use it, it was super easy!

Pros

Easy to schedule based on availability and staffing needs. It's nice to have a consolidated roster report for every position. I also like that you can sync it with the POS system to control labor.

Cons

New scheduling module makes it difficult to see how many people are on a certain schedule for each specific day. Also, having two request off options is confusing and sometimes makes it difficult for the MOD to control when people can and cannot request off

Pros

I like the ability to have everything in one place for all employees. I have used this as a server and as a manager and as a manager, being able to see what everyone needs and organize the schedules all in one place is the highlight here. And it allows you to separate different schedules, like server and manager schedules, etc.

Cons

There are some glitches sometimes, it's slow and doesn't always load on my phone. And other people have complained about this as well. I suppose some of the functions could be easier and a little more user-friendly.

Pros

Easy to interact with staff. Keep accountability in the hands of staff. Easy to use. Easy to train staff on.

Cons

Sometimes the updates make scheduling difficult. Also, we are trying to switch the day that our work week starts and they make it difficult because you have to have two weeks of schedules out before they'll do it for you.

Pros

The fact I can access my schedule for work whenever I need to. And I don't have to remember all the shifts I am scheduled.

Cons

How messages sent or recieved don't recieve notifications for it. WIsh I would get a alert when someone sends me a message or notification on tab showing I have a message.

Pros

This scheduling system is so quick and easy to use. from logging in, to requests and switching shifts. It also has the great email and text features that ensure everyone gets the reminders needed. I loved this system!

Pros

What I liked most about HotSchedules is how user-friendly it was to use. It also made the process of posting schedules to staff and accessing so much easier!

Cons

The only con that I have is that the employee has to pay to download the application. Other than that, no complaints!

Pros

It makes schedule switches very easy

Cons

The interface is complicated and it is difficult to see when I have messages.

Pros

I like the way it is intergraded with our daily pos system which makes it possible for me to track things like labor.

Cons

Scheduling is a bit troublesome sometimes do to the icons on the lower right of the boxes. Forecasting could be made a bit easier to use.

Pros

My favorite thing about this program is the ability to release and pick up shifts. You can even message co-workers on the software.

Cons

Sometimes the app will glitch or freeze. However overall, Hotschedules is user friendly and their customer support is great.

Pros

I’ve had to use this product because of work and in the last two years, 90 percent of my employers use it.

Cons

Something I didn’t like about this product I it’s that it is a little complicated to use, an DV it takes sometime to get used to it.

Pros

online access, clock-in monitoring

Cons

Inability to update the template, having to resave a schedule instead of just adjusting the template. Having to put in the password all the time on my office computer. Need an option for a "keep me signed in on this computer and only ask for passwords when making a change

Pros

Customiable roles per employee.
That the software does not delete terminated employees from the system.

Cons

It can be glitchy and does not always update in real time when multiple administrators are using.

Pros

I like that you can use this to not only schedule but also approve vacation time. Multi-purpose/multi-use tool. Like that you can personalize tasks.

Cons

No cons. Would recommend hot schedules over other programs (ex: Appointment Plus)

Pros

Being able to schedule and message staff. However, you have to go to the app to respond or read messages.

Cons

Notifications are hit or miss. Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't. You have to go to app to read messages. You can not respond to texts or emails.