Online Scheduling Program

[usdemt]

One of my departments is seriously looking into the idea of switching to an online scheduling program, the problem is there is so much out there. Anyone have any experience with them and have any recommendations as to what options are good, what things are bad, or specific companies that you like or dont like.


Right now what we think we need is this.


-About 25 users


-the ability to swap shifts


-email or text message alerts would be awesome


-we run 24 hours a day with 2 people on from 0800-1800 and 1800-0800


-Easy to use (we still have a few chicken peck typers on the squad who arent the most computer savvy)


-One of our other issues was backup. We have a 2 person squad on 24/7 but if they go on a transfer we have 2 more call in for backup until they return. The question was posed could we keep track of backup on the site somehow by adding that shift in as it happened? I am not too concerned about this as we have never really kept track on paper of who was on back up before, dispatch knew who it was and that has always been good enough.


We do have money to pay but as with most things the cheaper the better. However after talking it over with everyone including the committee that controls our money it sounds as though we are willing to pay a decent amount as long as it fits our needs.

 

[RuralFireMedic]

Here's what we use at my EMS job. It's easy to use & will even send a text to your phone if a shift comes open & you're looking for overtime. It also will send you a text saying whether or not your vacation days are approved or not when you sign up on the site to take time off from work. It has a feature that allows for trading shifts if your employer chooses to enable it & can text you a reminder for example when it is near time to renew your EMT-P license, CPR card, EVOC, etc. It also has an online forum for just your specific agency to chat. It has email & lots more too. Check it out.


http://www.emsmanager.net/index.php

 

[dustymedic]

We use Telestaff. Don't get it, it sucks..

 

[rwo978]

We've been using one for about 4 years. Had it's issues at first, but works great now. Have no idea who makes it. Maybe you could call as an 'agency' and talk to the IT guy. It does everything you want, except text. There might be that option that just isn't enabled.

 

[spike91]

We use Iamresponding.com right now, no complaints.

 

[crescentstar69]

whentowork.com is pretty good. Has e-mail, messaging, text alerts for trades and changes, etc.

 

[Respondcode3]

We have telestaff for 70 users. Once the bugs were worked out, It has been fine. We check duty shifts, time off, vacation pick, call in sick, it does our overtime. It can be done from anywhere you can get the internet.

 

[usdemt]

Just to clarify as I missed an important part to tell you is that we are paid on call with no regular shifts for any 1 person. So I may take Monday night and Thursday day one week and something completely different another week. I do also love the idea of emails and a forum that would be a huge benefit I never thought of.

 

[Klein]

whentowork.com

 

[Fluffy126577]

whentowork.com

+1 on when to work. The flight network we are affliated with has this and it even sends notification of shifts if someone trades. It's a huge program and is very efficient. And more than just the flight program uses it. It's the whole network they are in if I remember correctly. And it's huge.

 

[dustymedic]

Just to clarify as I missed an important part to tell you is that we are paid on call with no regular shifts for any 1 person. So I may take Monday night and Thursday day one week and something completely different another week. I do also love the idea of emails and a forum that would be a huge benefit I never thought of.

Telestaff can't handle that. That's our problem, dispatch works a different schedule from emergency services and it couldn't figure out that after you work a 12 shift in radio, you can't work another 12 hour shift. Also when you have different certification requirements for a position; it wants to send one person who's a paramedic and another person who's a haz mat tech, rather than one person who's both, so you have to watch it and override it..

 

[NJEMT]

we use to use emsmanager which was great, it was only 100 a month, we only got rid of it because no one used it.

 

[shnerby]

+1 on whentowork