HotSchedules Reviews

Pros
Having a restaurant job means cheotic schedule. It's never the same. Impossible to keep up with and memorize. My last job had hot schedules but my new job doesn't:/ it's a nightmare without it. I miss it so much. It is so convenient to pick up and realise shifts whenever I please. No need to call or txt my co workers. Everything is done thru the app. App is not free but cheap and worth every single penny. I love that I can request days off and my ability. Super convenient. You have to wait for manager to approve or not of your request. I can see who my co workers will be for the shift. I can see all phone numbers and emails of my co workers. Every restaurant should have this app. It's very easy as well so even my 70 year old co worker knows how to use it. Very well done .

Cons
Sometimes I get loged out and have trouble logging back in. It froze few times. Could use more color and some fun options like emoji me lol make work schedule more fun

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I'm doing schedules for my employees weekly and this app has few great features. Coping, modifying and automatically feeling schedules are only few of them.

Cons
Constantly changing the format. Right after I'm used to one they changing it again.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
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.

Cons
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

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
Requests off, availability, blackout dates, staff communication sections. The app works great for everyone.

Cons
No ease of use when making the schedule - autocorrecting number entries constantly, schedule templates aren't what I need, schedule report is difficult to read.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 5/10

Pros
I like the functionality of the software

Cons
I am so disappointed in the customer care. hotschedules continues to charge me after I request to suspend services. I have contacted them 8 times over this and my account was drafted numerous times after cancelation. Everyone I speak to says they do not have the authority or ability to refund me or suspend or cancel my account.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 2/10

Pros
What I liked most about HotSchedules is how user-friendly it was to use. It also made the process of posting schedules to staff and accessing so much easier!

Cons
The only con that I have is that the employee has to pay to download the application. Other than that, no complaints!

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I’ve had to use this product because of work and in the last two years, 90 percent of my employers use it.

Cons
Something I didn’t like about this product I it’s that it is a little complicated to use, an DV it takes sometime to get used to it.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
As a restaurant manager, this allowed my team to view their schedules and others' in an organized manner, and provided an easy to navigate space for employees.

Cons
We had several issues with employees clocking in. The app did not allow us to clock in without consistent manager approval, and we never were able to fix this problem. Ultimately, it made it harder to clock in than just using a piece of paper.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 6/10

Pros
HotSchedules is a convenient way to give out weekly or monthly schedules. It works great for larger companies but would even be beneficial for smaller companies. It allows you to see who else is working and what times.

Cons
No complaints so far. It works great and as intended. It is nice to carry my schedule with me and pull it up whenever I need it.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
This app is so easy to use. My staff just has to look at their phone to know when they work , who they work with, and are able to cover a shift or swap hours if they run in to a problem.

Cons
I didnt like that the employees had to pay for the app. I feel that one payment from the employer. should cover the whole program.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The logbook feature, the advanced floor maps (which are an additional cost..), and the messaging feature.

Cons
Again the scheduling software is not very user friendly. Clearly there were some adjustments made that helped with writing a schedule, but not being able to view it as easily is frustrating.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
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 good and bad on employees, so when an evaluation comes around you have all that information at your fingertips. It makes a great reservation scheduler. The roster report is the first thing I print out in the mornings to make sure everyone is here and where they are supposed to be and if they are not I have all the phone numbers on that sheet. The fact that it gives you the number of hours for everyone helps with creating budgets for the week.

Cons
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.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
It’s easy to use, built for high volume restaurants. I took a restaurant that was still relying on paper, emailed schedules, and converted them to Bot Schedules. This eliminated issues of shift coverage changes, where we expected one employee, but another showed up, and all the associated communication issues.

Cons
It was much more difficult to order and install that I previously remember. Customer service in the sales department was definitely lacking just a touch. Once we got the ball rolling it was fine, but the initial sale was a bit rocky to start.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
Hotschedules won our business by having the best Aloha POS integration of all the companies we spoke with. Employees that are added to our system are automatically synced with Hotschedules so you can quickly begin adding them to the schedule. The integration also allows us to restrict employees from clocking in too early or late with saves labor and allows you to quickly identify the less punctual employees. Finally, the integration also pulls historical sales data from our POS and uses it to establish a good sales forecast that you can use to budget your labor accurately.

Cons
The app and website are just not as intuitive and streamline as I would like. Previously we had used PeopleMatter schedule, which had a much less cluttered and more user friendly interface. Hotschedules also starts to think it knows how to schedule better than the manager and will start adding "House Shifts" to your schedule that employees can pick up, which frustrates me when I really don't need that shift covered.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
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.

Cons
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.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
I love that this software is more comman than it use to be. Most employees hired have heard or used hotschedules which makes the transition alot easier. Communication threw hotschedules makes this program a must for any business that has a decent sized staff

Cons
Software is great however it is a little pricey for what it does. Dont get me wrong its great but just a hair high

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
This software is extremely user friendly. I love that my staff is able to put all of their availability changes, requests for time off and switch shifts through the software. It makes it extremely easy to create the schedule each week. Tracking of overtime is a huge help as a manager as well. This is a must have tool for anyone in the hospitality industry. It will save your scheduling sanity!

Cons
The only downside to this software is the cost for the app. While it is minimal and you can still log in for free through any web browser, a free app would be ideal for the hourly employees. I honestly have no other bad things to say about this software. I highly recommend it!

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Reporting and ease to swap shift

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

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
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

Cons
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.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
IOS Compatibilty, cloud based.

Cons
Reporting can be cumbersome at times. Not all functions work well on Safari Browser.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
HotSchedules allows employees to trade shifts, pick up shifts, and see their schedules very easily. It makes managing personnel and schedules so much easier for managers, and it's great for the team to have added flexibility. Without HotSchedules, trading shifts can be a nightmare for both employee and manager alike.

Cons
The only con we've seen is that HotSchedules has built-in rejections for some requests. In theory, this is a great tool - if you don't meet the criteria to make the request, then it's automatically rejected. However, there are some manual workarounds, which means employees still make requests to the manager rather than via HotSchedules since they know there can be adjustments made. This really isn't a complaint of HotSchedules since it works as it's supposed to, but just a head's up that there will still be manual adjustments.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
easy to use, keeps your organized, accessible from anywhere

Cons
the new scheduler takes longer to enter, and they took away the option to hover over a request off and see the reason and date requested. please bring back!

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
Lots of stuff is automated, no need to keep a book for requests off or shift switched. Love being able to tell our employees 'just put your request in HotSchedules'!

Cons
The website is very slow, especially the scheduling page. We have one computer in our entire business that will run it somewhat smoothly. Also, it doesn't remember that you are logged in for any amount of time. If I want to open up HS on a second tab, I have to log in there as well. Mildly infuriating but nothing huge.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
Makes schedule making quick.

Cons
The website goes down or kicks you off for extended periods of time. I will say this happens less frequently than it used to. I have used hotschedules for almost six years.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I like that you can see your schedule for the week laid out in one spreadsheet. I also like that it gives you the option to do group messages with all of your coworkers and swap shifts if needed. This software offers a lot for your work scheduling and helps you stay organized and be flexible when you need to be.

Cons
I do not like that you have to pay for the app. I also do not like how hard it is to find someone's contact on the app and then be able to copy something like an email address or phone number. I wish HotSchedules also had a better notifications system in place.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10