HotSchedules Reviews

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

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.

The best thing about this product is the ease of use. It's easy for managers and also for our employees. They give you step by step instructions on how to first create your account and utilization from there moving forward.

The worst thing about this product is customer service. It can be very hard to get ahold of someone and it takes days if not weeks for service tickets to be received.

I have found that HotSchedules solves the ever-present problem in any workplace: "I didn't know I was scheduled!" Even when employees swap shifts or take another employee's shift, the software shows them that they maintain ownership of their originally assigned shifts until manager approval.

The fact that users have to pay to download the app on their smartphones is challenging. Although the workplace pays for the software, employees have to pay to get the software on their cellphones. This problem is compounded by the fact that the website doesn't have a very interactive design, much unlike the app, so employees often have to get the app to have a decent experience using HotSchedules.

Thank you for the review Alainna, really appreciate you taking the time. Please don't hesitate to reach out to Customer Care with any questions or issues you may have down the road.

I loved this ease of hot schedules compared to other software. Much better ease-of-use and staff LOVES IT. Swapping shifts, requesting off, and keeping track of shifts is streamlined!

I LOVE hotschedules. It is the preferred software for restaurant scheduling! No drawbacks!

I come from working in restaurants in late 90s & 2000s, so this app is a dream come true! It’s so awesome to be able to view schedule, swap shifts, & send messages to staff all in one place!

I dislike not being able to request off past a certain point (less than 3wks before the shift, I think?). But that’s likely a restaurant decision vs the app.

HotSchedules is user friendly and the easiest way to keep your schedule in the palm of your hand. Being busy with two jobs is hard and this software helps me keep my availability up to date and to make necessary changes when needed. Being able to pick up shifts without any phone calls is great. I would highly recommend for any type of company that requires scheduling many employees.

I think that there are some visual issues such as way things look on the mobile app that could be updated.

This program was super easy to use and I enjoyed the level of communication

The only thing that was no fun was when I would be half way though a schedule and something would go wrong and I would loose my work

Easy use for employees, the web page navigation on a cell phone works well. The app is definitely a plus.

Negation is hard to understand for upper management. Would like to be able to add daily notes on the schedule for events happening that day for the employees.

Integration with our POS (sales and labor reporting), ease of use for managers and employees, wide variety of reporting, writing schedules takes no time at all

Messaging function (email notifications don't include what the actual message is), no longer have the ability to manually sync new employees from POS

It’s very helpful in the food service industry. When I previously worked as a server, the restaurant used this. It made trading shifts or picking up shifts much easier. The schedules were sent out weekly and it allowed trading shifts. It’s easy to read and use.

The most annoying thing about is the notifications. I think everyone gets all the notifications. So it’s notification overload.

The communication side of it is great. I have less meetings now that I can send out mass messages. The scheduler itself is top notch. I can move shifts around quickly using the quick keys and copying schedules is a snap. Having the freedom to do my schedule anywhere and being able to approve or deny schedule changes from my phone makes those decisions more informed. We use it to document all incidents...

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My biggest complaint is that part of the expense for the is put on the employee. I know it's very little but some employees don't have a bank account or credit card and have trouble making the purchase. It seems to me that the revenue generated by that could be built into the cost of the software on the employer side.

As a user, I love how easy this product is. You can view your schedule, see who else is working, and swap and release shifts without an issue. It has an easy to use web browser, and mobile ap (although you do pay for it) so you can use hotschedules whichever way you prefer. It also has a great messaging system which allows you to message entire groups of people at once (management, kitchen, servers). It also tells you how many people are ahead of you on a wait list for a shift you picked up. The autopick up function is excellent as well for when you need to get a shift and non are available.

I am not a fan of the most recent update. Prior, you would be able to "see all schedule" and see the entire week, alphabetically, where everyone was working etc. Now however, you can't see the weekly schedule at once and you need to click day by day. This can be challenging when trying to swap shifts with other staff, or see others schedules.

Reporting and ease to swap shift

No way to set request off parameters by the day. Schedule writing is harder with the new version

Joseph, Thank you for taking time out of your day to provide us with feedback, we really appreciate it! We apologize for the less than exceptional ease of use with our new interface. We value any and all feedback to better improve our products-we have a community request page where you can submit your thoughts and insights directly to our Customer Support team. Thanks for being a part of our community! https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/200388757-Feature-Requests

Hotschedules changed the restaurant industry when it came out. I have worked in the industry for over 10 years, so when this software came out. It really changed the industry. Before we would have to wait for a photo of our schedules and sometimes we would miss our shifts or getting our shifts covered was so difficult. When hotschedules came out , you never wondered when your shift was. You are reminded when you have a shift and if you need a shift covered you simply post it up. It is a secure way to have everyone feel accountable and be accountable for work.

The only thing I had a trouble with when I first started using hotschedules was understanding how to update my availability for work but once someone showed me its a no brainer.

Hot schedules makes scheduling different departments and coordinating everybody extremely easy. The platforms are easy to understand and can be accessed by anyone given authority to use the system.

The system allows for people to request for time off and to make comments. One of the only downsides of this product was that employees talked last to management about scheduling and tried to do literally all of it through hot schedules which sometimes lead to some conflict Over all hot schedules is a solid platform that is definitely beneficial to a smooth running operation as far as scheduling and management communication goes

I love hotschedules. I'd be lost without it. I use it daily. It's easy to see my schedule. I have an organized and easy way to find my coworkers contact info and can easily message them all at once. I can email my managers and change my availability. I can get my shift covered quickly and easily with proof in email that it was covered. I love it. I wouldn't know what to do if i worked somewhere that didn't use it.

I wish when changing your availability you could copy what you already have set and make a change instead of having to redo the whole thing.

First let me start off by saying I have used hotschedules now for years I first started off using it when I worked in restaurants as a server. It was the only way you could know when you work and request time off. Now that I have my own buisness I still use Hotschedules because of how much I like it. It’s super easy to log on from anywhere and check the schedule adjust the schedule look at upcoming shifts as well as pull up who wants when off for when your making the schedule

The thing I liked least about Hotschedules is the fact that most the time to download the app on your phone there is a fee and you can’t download the app without paying it.

A couple things that I really enjoy about HotSchedules is the reporting and future forecasting functions. You can also teach HotSchedules how to auto-schedule based off of those patterns from previously scheduled weeks. It is pretty user-friendly and when you launch for the first time - you have plenty of help. They give you a contact to assist you and provide plenty of step-by-step tutorials for all of the included functions of the software. They also give you styling options for how you would like to view and edit the schedules. The reporting data is quickly accessible and can be pulled from a large range of dates (this helps with payroll verification).

HotSchedules, at times, can be a little buggy. There have been instances where I have completed a full schedule and upon saving my data, it would revert to the previous schedule before the changes had been added. This can be a tad frustrating when trying to crank out schedules quickly.

HotSchedules is very convenient to use for the business and employees. I love that I can message everyone as a group, a specific job title, or individuals. I love that the employees can view their schedule in real time from anywhere.

HotSchedules is time consuming to use. The functionality of the scheduling area could be improved to save time. When it comes to syncing employees with our Micros system it takes too much time and has gotten “hung up” multiple times. Customer service gives great direction but takes too long to get an answer. The layout of the roster is hard to read and offering different layout options would be a huge improvement.

No pros were added to this review

No cons were added to this review

Lisa, Thank you so much for the great review! We love to serve those who serve and are happy to help your business run more efficiently. Thank you for being a part of our community. Happy Scheduling!

HotSchedules is a user friendly interface that makes scheduling, adjusting schedules, swapping shifts, or viewing staff rosters, sending messages with coworkers incredibly accessible and easy to use.

No cons, this app is a dream for people with a dynamic and hectic schedule and good management running the app for their staff.

Thank you for the great review - we really appreciate it.

-It's available in a smart phone app -employees are able submit days off for approval -forecasting

Adding event to schedule calendar

Yolanda, Thank you so much for your feedback! We love any bright and innovative ideas our customers come up with to help improve our product. Check out our community page to talk directly with a customer care specialist! https://help.hotschedules.com/hc/en-us/community/topics

What I like most about this software is that you can send your employees messages and post schedules that will go directly to their e-mail and/or text.

What I like least about this software is that it sometimes will glitch when I'm in the middle of a schedule and then I will have to go back and redo the entire thing.

I can access my work schedule whenever I want because it is both a website and an app. It not only tells you what your schedule is, but allows you to see who else you are working with. This is beneficial if you are trying to adjust your schedule for time off so you know exactly who is available and who is not, which saves a lot of time.

If you have marked yourself as unavailable it should flag someone from being able to add you to the schedule in that slot so that the person creating the schedule realizes they have made an error.

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.

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.