Following the introduction of remote work at the start of the global pandemic in 2020, the number of employees and teams working from home is looking to double within the next five years. According to data released at the end of 2020, around 12.3% of departments, and large teams were working remotely, according to surveyed hiring managers. This number is set to increase to 22.9% by 2027.
Yet, while remote work has shown us how easy it is to work from basically anywhere in the world without needing to be in an office, a study found that around 52% of remote employees or interns still feel they lack the proper training and support to manage their workload effectively.
With more than half of employees struggling to manage and cope with sometimes larger workloads and balancing their personal life simultaneously, proper training and software initiation has been at the forefront of tech companies trying to solve a growing issue for organizations.
For most team managers and company executives who’ve allowed their employees to work remotely, productivity remains critical in the transitioning process. A study conducted by Stanford University found that those who work remotely have improved their performance by 13%.
To help keep performance rates rising and teams as productive as possible, scheduling software has become a whole new industry taking the world of remote work forward. With a plethora of different digital platforms currently available, ensuring you use the right one, regardless of personal preferences — we’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular scheduling software platforms for 2023.
Calendar.com
The calendar.com platform brings together teamwork in a simplified and modern way. The platform focuses on assisting enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses, and individuals with their online scheduling needs. It looks to boost productivity and agility and keep a sense of professionalism.
Overall, calendar.com is one of the easiest and most effective scheduling tools, including time tracking, project management, invoicing, billing, and payment features in all one simple program.
While similar platforms may need you to upgrade your subscription as your team grows and expands, Calendar software was specifically designed to assist teams working in different time zones while having pre-programmed transcription software and analytical features.
One of the best benefits of using Calendar.com is its ability to grow with your team and give more flexibility to both managers and remote workers. In addition, the platform was designed to enhance user-friendliness and promote more collaborative efforts regardless of what projects are currently being completed or when a new assignment has been added.
While you step away from your computer, you can easily install the Calendar.com app to have your schedule with you as you move.
SimplyBook
While some scheduling software platforms are mainly in-house between employees and their teams, some have been designed to assist both employees and their customers. For example, SimplyBook has been designed for businesses in the service industry.
With automated delivery, booking confirmations, and quick access to QR Codes, employees can easily design and schedule events, meetings, and other proceedings on the platform itself. In addition, as customers have better access to information and payment services such as Dwolla and Paypal, there’s no need for additional software integration or manual administration.
Additionally, employees can also use the Google Analytics tool to track customer engagement. Finally, when a company decides to upgrade its paid subscription plan, it can access different settings and include third-party add-ons.
SimplyBook is directed toward large-scale companies and organizations, but overall, its structures feature various tools that make scheduling a lot easier.
Snap Schedule
When looking for a spreadsheet-based scheduling software platform, Snap Schedule has become a powerful tool that boasts some exciting features, regardless of team size. Although claimed as being more on the expensive side, Snap Schedule can be customized to suit the needs of your business and the team.
Third-party integrations such as Microsoft Word and Excel can be synced with Snap Schedule, and employee data or information can be imported from other platforms to help simplify the transition process.
Overall, the Snap software was designed to assist large-scale organizations and corporations, especially those who have recently moved to work from anywhere. Snap Schedule mainly works as an onboarding tool with better customizability and reporting features where remote teams can easily collaborate and communicate ideas.
Bookafy
When it comes to small teams and businesses with minimal resources, Bookafy makes it easy to create and schedule team meetings simply and robustly. In addition, a lot of the platform’s features can be used for free, such as branding, marketing, and two-way sync with systems such as iCloud, Outlook, and Google Calendar, to name a few.
Bookafy has become a popular scheduling software platform, offering better features for remote teams with 34 different languages, and is currently operational in more than 180 countries.
Although most of the backend features were designed to simplify employee scheduling and collaboration efforts, another part of it focuses on customer-integrated aspects. For example, with once-off appointments, Adhoc scheduling, and one-on-one appointment bookings, it’s easy for customers to contact the right employee.
While the platform is relatively widespread and highly affordable, it doesn’t offer any mobile app of compatibility, which makes it a bit harder to take your work with you.
Paycor Scheduling
One of the newest contenders for scheduling software is Paycor, a platform designed for team scheduling and a digital office tool. There are, of course, some significant advantages to using a new software such as Paycor, one of them being it offers both desktop and mobile compatibility.
It’s a bit of a middle-man platform, designed for both small teams and large organizations, but this means that regardless of your team size, you’ll still be paying the same for the Paycor Scheduling program as it’s designed on a Paycor HCM subscription. So it’s not an individual platform if you were looking for.
Some features include team scheduling, group messaging, and a budgeting feature that can easily be shared with multiple members. In addition, the interface was designed to be user-friendly, with a better user experience such as drag and drop features and an active user interface.
Although new to the world of remote scheduling and collaboration software, it’s still considered a more reliable platform for small businesses.
Some Key Takeaways
Scheduling software is set for a record decade, as more and more companies opt to have their employees work from anywhere, regardless of their remote working experience.
These platforms have been specifically designed to cater to remote workers and team managers to make workflow easier, streamlined and improve employee productivity.
Using these tools is becoming increasingly important as the working environment changes and employees look to adapt to a digital working ecosystem, which will allow them better collaboration and assignment efficacy, and improve their capacity.
Image Credit: Tim Douglas; Pexels; Thank you!
Carma Khatib
Carma Khatib is a passionate innovator and product manager with significant experience driving digital products from conception to launch. My mission is to find and create solutions to real-world problems that ultimately impact a company's triple bottom line: People, Planet, and Profit.