Two key factors helped him make a decision...
Ace Hardware Manager Bill Conner tested five different shift scheduling softwares before he found the right fit. As someone with a background in IT, Bill spent months evaluating his options in search of a platform that worked with his company’s specific needs.
Then, in October, 2015, Bill was introduced to Orbital Shift. Two key things sold him on Orbital Shift workforce management software: its flexibility and the people behind it.
“I had a good, comforting feeling of the support capability that Orbital Shift has,” Bill said. “They listen to their customers and are very adaptive, and work hard to accommodate whatever changes are necessary. I’ve made some suggestions that the Orbital Shift team started working on.”
The variety of features Orbital Shift provides was another big selling point.
“On an average day, compared to pen and paper, I’d say we save at least two hours. Compared to other software programs, it probably saves me an hour to 90 minutes because I can do more with Orbital Shift than I can with any of the other systems.”
Many of Bill’s employees work more than one job, making the task of employee scheduling increasingly complicated. But with Orbital Shift’s easy color-coded system, Bill and the other Ace managers can quickly identify who’s on vacation, who’s out sick and if any shifts need to be covered on any given day.
The workforce management software also helps managers monitor when employees take their lunch breaks, ensuring there’s always enough staff on the floor to help customers.
The data provided by the software’s labor cost management features plays into decisions on the corporate level. Bill meets with the owners on a regular basis, and relies on the recorded time and attendance info to assess staffing needs.
“Our POS system tells us what sales have been per hour, so that gives us an idea of what kind of customer count we have, which consequently leads to staffing levels required,” Bill said. “We can match that up against the Orbital Shift numbers to see if we’re in the ballpark.”
Bill employs people of all ages and said a dichotomy exists in the workforce between the employees who’ve grown up using technology and those who haven’t. But the onboarding and training process has gone smoothly for everyone.
“We’ve had employees that are 80 years old that rarely use a computer and they’ve had no problem using the system.”
Bill admires Orbital Shift not only for the quality of the product, but also for the values driving the team behind it.
“It’s one thing to find an app you can use. It’s another to find a team that supports it that has a strong vision that aligns with your organization,” Bill said. “I look at Orbital Shift as an extension of our organization, not a business partner or business entity that stands aside. It’s something that’s integrated with us, and it’s lived up to that expectation.”
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