Twelve Things to Consider When Evaluating Scheduling and Time Keeping Software

One of the most common questions we hear is “Which scheduling software is the best?”  Scheduling is an important part of your daily business tasks, but what we found is that no two scheduling software are identical, and each has benefits and pitfalls depending on your individual needs. 

To help you evaluate scheduling and time keeping systems, we’ve created a list of twelve questions you should ask yourself and the potential vendor supplying your systems. 

1. What is the set-up and implementation cost? – You need to evaluate all the costs involved with starting a new scheduling system.  Will you need newer or additional computers?  What is the cost of the software?  Is this a recurring license or a one-time charge?  How much training time is needed for my schedulers?  Is training needed for my caregivers? 
    
2. Are there on-going expenses?  -- Is the expense proportional to the number of employees?  Is the expense proportional to the number of service hours delivered?  Do we pay additional fees monthly? Annually?  Are there additional expenses for training, technical support, or upgrades?
    
3. What methods of time keeping are supported? – Does the system support telephony time keeping?  How does it handle errors or corrections?  Can the system be done manually, then upgraded later?  Does the time keeping function incur additional expense? 
    
4. Does the system support billing? - Can the system generate invoices automatically?  Can the system generate invoices to third party payors?  Can the system monitor accounts receivable?  Can the billing support be customized for government and insurance payor requirements?  Is there additional cost involved with billing support? 
    
5. Does the system support payroll?  -- Can the system cut paychecks automatically?  Can the system print tax records and tax filings?  Does the system include customization for our state and local tax requirements?  Does the system integrate into your current payroll system or payroll service easily?  Are there any additional expenses incurred with payroll support? 
    
6. Does the system support other bookkeeping software? - Does the software integrate with your current bookkeeping system?  What specialty reports are available?  Are reports customizable? 
    
7. Is the system scaleable?  -- As your company grows, does the system become more efficient?  Are more purchases required when adding additional administrative employees or additional locations?  Are there limits on the number of employees or the number of clients the software serves? 
    
8. Can your business grow without adding new employees?  -- Will you be able to improve service using your current employees?  Will you be able to take on additional clients and caregivers without adding additional support staff?  What level of education will future support staff require to be able to use your new system? 
    
9. What is the structure of initial training?  -- Is initial training and installation included?  How much training is required?  How much on-going training is available?  How is training implemented; in person, by telephone, online, etc.?  What training is available for future support staff? 
    
10. What customer relationship features and data can be stored?  -- Can reminders be generated for birthdays?  Can referral sources be tracked by client?  Can clients be tracked by referral source?  Is caregiver matching available?  Is mapping or geographic matching service integrated? 
     
11. What technical support is available?  -- How do we reach technical support?  How is technical support supplied; by phone, by email, over the web or in person?  Are there additional expenses in terms of a technical support license or per issue charge? 
     
12. What is the reputation of the vendor/developer?  -- Does the vendor specialize in home care? How long has the developer been in business? Do they have customers that you may contact as references? How many private duty companies are using their software? Is your sales person honest with you about the benefits and disadvantages of using their product over others?  

As you can see there are lots of questions involved in evaluating the right scheduling software for your business. We encourage you to evaluate several, if not all of the scheduling solutions available. Today more than a dozen companies provide scheduling technology solutions. Several of them can be found on our Directory of Business Services for Private Duty Home Care.