How to Set Up Your System
Welcome to Scheduling! You've been looking for a system that's easy to use and maintain. And while it seems overwhelming at first, we've created this guide to help you know where to start. We always recommend that you set up the system yourself, so that way you know how to change it when things go wrong. Being able to troubleshoot the system starts with knowing it, and that is done by going through the setup process yourself. So often, we get asked 'I've signed up for my trial-- now what?'.
Here's your 'now what' guide!
First, go into the modules under the Admin system settings and turn on what you think you'll use.
Things are automatically turned on and with your free trial, you get access to the system in its entirety as a Pro customer. Your 30 days is all about figuring out what you'll use and what you don't need to see which subscription package is right for you. Use as much as you think you will. We really urge you to use the system to its fullest and to try everything so that you know what you want to pay for. Remember that our pricing is all-inclusive. If you have pricing questions, please reach out to your Target Solutions Representative or one of our Customer Service Representatives within the platform chat feature.
Next, build your assignments. Think of these as the places you need to fill in your employees. Most customers do it by physical work site, whether that is a location, apparatus, line or vehicle. Where ever you would have employees working, that's what you would consider your 'assignments'. Set up your minimum staffing levels for the assignments, which will auto-populate the slots that need to be filled for the day. You can always add more slots as you need them. And you can have as many assignments as you need-- not all assignments require the positions to be filled. Remember, you can choose whether or not you wish to show vacant spots.
The idea is to create a view that works best for your department. It's the beauty of the system. Create labels as needed. Play with your daily view setup. What is great about the scheduling platform is how visually appealing the product is. We created it because most users are visual-- they want to see where the staffing deficiencies are from the moment they open up the program.
Next, go in and build your work types and time off classes. Sub-classes are all about tracking and pulling reports or detailed payroll exports, but your work types will be how your hours are calculated. Many errors with hours are due to incorrect work types.
From there, add your employees. The easiest way to do this is the template we provide. You can then upload the template and it will add in every user you have. You can then see all their information on the add/edit page. You'll want to assign roles and permissions. Users will be able to pick how they are contacted by the system, and if you need a second method of contact, that is something that can be paid for. When you add employees using the bulk uploader, their email address will be their login information and their password is first initial last name all in lower case. Create labels as you see fit. Group your employees together, as those groups can be used across the platform for reports and notifications.
Next, start scheduling your employees. Fill them into slots, build their rotation. The system is designed with shift work in mind, so we understand the meaning of repetitive scheduling. If you can't find your pattern in the system, please contact us and we will help you out. You want to make sure you do this on what we like to call 'the perfect day'. Do it on the first day of their rotation, and put everyone on the schedule, regardless of whether or not they are working. If they are actually off that day, you can always move them after the fact. But, for now, set your days up as if everyone is on their assignments. Remember that if the employee is working a 48-hour shift, you'll want to start their rotation on day one-- the majority of the issues we see are due to people not setting up rotations properly.
Now that you've built all your employees into their shifts, start building your CallBack settings. Manage those Callback lists-- you can make as many lists as you need. Your CallBack lists can also be used notifications. If your system uses an hour based platform, you'll need to contact us to switch your account to such. All lists have rules and ranking that you can edit to match your current list. You can view the logs on all CallBacks that are done here. We even have a candidate method, if that is what your system uses!
Once all the time-off types have been built, you can place employees off from the CrewScheduler. It's as simple as dragging the employee into the Time Off section of the CrewScheduler and selecting the time off.
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