7shifts Software

7Shifts saved my company!

I used to schedule my staff with an excel spreadsheet, screenshot and posted to a Facebook Forum. It was a madhouse trying to deal with shift swaps and reading the staff clockin/out cards to match their shifts. With a growing company this just wasn't gonna cut it anymore. 7shifts popped up in my personal Facebook feed and the rest is Kismet. The software has helped clean up so many of my payroll processes, allows my staff to switch shifts with only others of the same experience level or higher (so I ALWAYS have a manager on shift and not a hoard of brand new employees), helps my managers reach staff more easily, is so easy to understand that I haven't had to train the new staff on it and combined with the 7punches Clock-in/out software- I can relax knowing my staff can't clock in if they aren't on the schedule and my staff can breathe easily with the ability to calculate their paycheck in advance! The staff at 7shifts has always been extremely helpful and always welcoming for suggestions and updates. I can't imagine moving to any other system and am so glad I found it!

Pros

It is easy to understand, set up and the customer service is extraordinary!

Cons

I wish there were more manager capabilities in the mobile app, but the app has improved already since it was first launched, so I imagine it will only get better.

Lots of Bang for the Buck!

7Shifts has been a tremendous timesaver! We used to spend so much time transferring requests to our paper scheduling forms. Now we can just work directly in the app. Saves paper too! Our staff is incredibly happy we've made this technological leap. Takes some stress out of their already busy lives by being able to switch shifts online. It has also alleviated the issue of "misreading" their schedule. As managers, we love that we no longer have to hear that excuse. Ha ha! Managing overtime is incredibly easier on 7Shifts. Prior to the app, we relied on floor managers to make judgement calls regarding shift exchanges when senior managers weren't available. Labor considerations didn't get factored into decisions and we would run higher labor numbers. Now that fewer managers are part of the shift exchange decisions, we know that the appropriate factors are being implemented into the decision making. The floor managers appreciate not having the pressure of making a decision that could negatively impact a shift. Posting and editing schedules in real time also alleviates issues. We would have people switch shifts and then forget. Now it goes immediately into their schedule once approved. Confusion alleviated!!! We don't use the auto-fill option but find that manually scheduling is so much more efficient in the app than it was on paper. I also love that you accept requests for features/functions and compile them for consideration. The service has always been wonderfully friendly and fast. The tutorials are really helpful and well done. I can't say enough good things. Thank you for creating such a user friendly app. Makes our busy restaurant lives so much easier!

Pros

Easy to use
Great tutorials
Fast and friendly support staff
Efficiency for reviewing labor
Incredibly communication tool between staff and management
Consider suggestions for functions and features and notify you if they become implemented
Fair price for the power of the product

Excellent scheduling software!

I used to make schedules through Excel, and would have employees email time off requests and availability changes. This software makes everything so much easier. It is so easy to use - copy schedules from week to week, move around shifts, copy shifts, etc. This app made me like making the schedule! It's also employee-friendly - they can give up and pick up shifts, and manager can approve them. They can communicate with each other through chat. Phone numbers and emails are available, so employees can easily contact each other.

Pros

No glitches ever (previous app we used glitched and made errors to employees' schedules)
Budgeting tool
Ability to put in events
Color coding departments and jobs
Ability to print PDF schedule
Communication (chat and message options)
Employees can trade shifts
Availability and time off request features are perfect
Multiple locations allows you to use employees at different sites, but you can see in lighter color where they are already scheduled to work
Great value for the price
They keep making it better and will let you know when an update has been made

Cons

There's a minimal international fee charged monthly for 7Shifts. But that's all!

Excellent tool that goes far beyond scheduling.

7shifts ties together many organizational tools that has improved communication in our restaurant immensely. We make fewer scheduling errors, our staff can easily contact managers and coworkers through the messaging feature, amendments to the schedule keep everyone in the loop with notifications and the manager log book helps us stay on top of issues and address them quickly and effectively. I originally decided to try the software because I thought it would save time and keep our BOH and FOH schedules cohesive. It pays for the time it saves and adds much more value with all of the additional features. Don’t hesitate to give it a try!

Pros

Our supervisors use the manager logbook and it has been extremely helpful in keeping everyone up to speed on daily operations, issues and ideas. We act much quicker when addressing problems with staff and maintenance, and reduce the distortion of facts when compared to transferring information along a chain of conversations. This is a valuable feature not to be overlooked.

Cons

Some of our staff members have been experiencing freezing and glitching in the app. Some staff are resistant to change and there was a lengthy transition time to get everyone on board. Now that it’s in place almost every new employee loves the interface and is eager to sign up.

Beamer’s Coffee Bar

Watching our sales correspond with the labour reports from 7Shifts has been a game changer. The mobile app makes it so easy to see as an owner where you need your staffing levels to be each day, but it also records history so you can go back and see what your sales and labour with even a weather report from a year ago that day. Also the 7Punch system has made it real easy for our staff to clock in and out. Keeps it simple and easy to use.

Pros

The integration of 7Shifts labour reports to our POS TouchBistro sales reports has been the perfect marriage.

The interface of 7Shifts software has been easy to understand and use with admin, managers and staff levels.

Cons

Not much to say here because when moving over from another employee staffing company you quickly see the difference and benefits that 7Shifts has to offer you.

Our old way was an Excel spreadsheet......

I can't imagine going back to the old way of doing things! When I've had questions or suggestions the 7shifts team has been prompt to respond and follow up.

Pros

Saves so much time over our old way of using an excel spreadsheet and having to keep track of paper time-off requests. Very easy to start using right away and great advanced features to use once you get into using the software! It was always a headache keeping track of vacation requests and changing availabilities - but now the computer flags them immediately. Employees feel more in control being able to electronically submit days-off requests and availability. Employees are easily able to see who's working or not in order to get their shifts covered/switched. Setting up shift templates and having the computer fill out the schedule according to employee availability is awesome. Employees being able to instantly see schedule and changes when they are made is great!

Cons

I'll never go back to excel for scheduling if that counts as a con?

If they don't have what you're looking for, they will help you find it.

Before, we were using one service for our schedule-making, one for clocking employees in and out, one for payroll, etc., etc., etc. It's great to be able to simplify!

Pros

The number of features under the 7shifts umbrella is quite impressive when compared to their competitors. As a busy manager, it's very helpful to have one resource to do my scheduling, clock-ins and -outs, employee messaging, etc. Furthermore, if they don't have a feature I am looking for, their customer service chat is very helpful. I can be talking to a 7shifts representative in seconds about my ideas for easier use. I have even noticed that they have added a couple of these features.

Cons

We are a unique business, in that we are open 24/7. This service certainly functions well for us, with a few work arounds. However, it would be nice if they expanded their features to cater to different types of restaurants.

FINALLY one that works!

We jumped into online scheduling three years ago with Hotschedules. Good concept but it didn't function as promised and no one could help you. NOT THE CASE with 7shifts!! This system does exactly what it says it will & they are consisting upgrading and making it better. They are on the other end of the phone when you have questions. They are open to your suggestions. They are helpful and nice!! Customer service means everything to me because it is what I do. My expectations are high and these guys deliver!! The functionality is fantastic. It is not too complicated, the reports aren't overkill, great organization of features and the staff loves it. It is easy for them to operate as well. The ap for their phone is free. Just awesome all around. It is definitely worth every penny!!!! Our restaurant is part of a group of four. They are all their own entity with different concepts, employees and managers. But we need to be able to work together still and 7shifts worked directly with us to make it work for us.

Pros

Ease of use by staff. They have no troubles giving away a shift or picking one up. Putting in their availability is a breeze. It's just not complicated or time consuming so my staff is actually using it!

Cons

Odd to me that I can respond to some things directly by responding to a notification email or text but other things I cannot. For instance, availability vs. a shift pick up.

It works.

Working with the app has been awesome. Never had a problem. When something works well you should rarely need support. But there's been a few times I've asked a question on how to do something and they were super responsive and cool.

Pros

Its turn key. When opening a restaurant nothing is turn key. Once you set it up..It works 100% like it's supposed to. Communication/announcements. When there s a problem from the day before I can segment that based on position. No need to hit the FOH with a lesson that's only applicable to the BOH. This allows that.

Cons

Its really hard to find something I don't like. I really have no complaints. But I think a good feature to add: historic sales inputs- for the labor %- to continue the next week automatically.

Less time scheduling, more time where I'm needed!

Like I mentioned above in my title and in the 'pros', so much less time dealing with my old Excel spreadsheet ....... schedules are done in a matter of minutes, and less mistakes with availabilities and time off requests.

Pros

I love how easy it is to make weekly schedules. From just copying them week to week, to easily changing a shift when an employees availability is not there, to keeping track of days off needed....... less to worry about! Also, NO MORE EXCEL SHEETS!! No more creating the following week, fixing a cell calculation that got changed, no more adding up all employee hours individually! Just add in 7punches, and all that is taken care of for you! Just close a payroll period, download the excel file and print. Simple. OH, and I forgot to mention the app!! Wonderful, and great updates happening!

Cons

Honestly, it works great. I can't complain. Money well spent!

Better than its competitors. The most user friendly scheduling software you will find. Saves TIME!

We used to use a MS Excel spreadsheet that calculated labor and flagged overtime. The problem was the ability to "Break" it by accidentally hitting the wrong key. Any schedule maker who wasn't a MS Excel wiz would then have trouble "Fixing" the schedule. This led to me vetting various scheduling software to find something more user friendly than MS Excel. We tried plenty of them, but 7Shifts stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Pros

It takes the excuse-making out of the scheduling process by keeping the schedule makers organized, informed, and on top of everything. Employee involvement makes the schedule maker's job much easier as well. The user friendliness is far superior to any other software. The iPhone/Android app is seamless and takes only a few minutes to grasp in its entirety. Lastly, if/when we have an issue to resolve, the customer service reps do an outstanding job of being available, friendly, and knowledgeable.

Cons

Occasional bugs...but customer service embraces the reporting of any issues because they want the software to be as good as possible.

Simple, Clean, But Enough Features To Get The Job Done Efficiently

We are a fast-casual restaurant group with a dozen locations. We came across 7Shifts after failing to successfully work with a handful of other scheduling systems. researching scheduling software for our scheduling needs. Selecting the proper scheduling software for us is very crucial, as we rely heavily on such systems to efficiently utilize labor and to keep good records. On top of that, it is also very costly to switch systems if one fails to work out, so we wanted to be sure it works for us. We tested out 7Shifts with its trial offer, and gave it a run, and everything worked very intuitively. Jordan (CEO) was also very helpful to address our questions and needs, and works hard to make sure our concerns are addressed. The software has a clean, focused take on scheduling, especially for restaurant businesses, and works well for groups like ours with multiple locations. User interface for scheduling is very intuitive and easy to work with, and reports are readily available. 7Shifts knows how to focus on the essentials that matter instead of frills that the industry just don't need.

Pros

Ease of use; ease of set-up; straight-forward sales and support; affordable pricing; willingness to innovate and grow in features; good report generations

Easy to use

We're happy with the main functions of 7shifts and overall it has simplified our scheduling process!

Pros

The best part about 7shifts is that any time I have a question, I write a quick message in the pop-up chat located in the bottom right corner, and someone gets back to me within a few minutes. This program easily tracks employees availability and vacations. It has some great key features, and is easy to use.

Cons

It would be great if when scheduling, you can view the day and have a simple button to view the next day. Instead, you have to close the pop-up window, and select the next day separately. Additionally, it would be better if there was a way to input start and end time by clicking and dragging instead of manually entering each start and end time.

A great value

My overall experience has been very positive. 7 Shifts has allowed me to save several hours a week and be a more effective personnel manager.

Pros

7 Shifts allows me to take a much more strategic approach to scheduling. Before 7 shifts, I managed my schedule manually and most of my mental energy was spent creating the scheduling template and organizing my employee's scheduling requests. With 7 shifts, the template is already created and the employees are in charge of managing their own requests. The end result, I can spend my time scheduling my employees strategically to best meet my anticipated demand at the greatest value.

Cons

The software is such an improvement as compared to what I was dong that I really can't find any faults.

Save managers time; Saves on Labor cost; Increase employee satisfaction.

I run a 450 seat high volume seafood restaurant with up to 115 employees in the summer. Scheduling the various departments was a on average 4-5 hours of headache filled work as myself and my 3 assistant managers shared request from staff via text messages, Facebook posts, emails, & notes left on desk . It was an overwhelming headache. Schedules were built in excel, printed and posted in the restaurant. Staff members who were off that day would call the hostess or managers to find out there shifts during the dinner rush. I figured there had to be something better. After searching on line I found 7Shifts and gave it a try. The first week we ran 7shifts and the old excel system. Once the staff realized how easy it was to request off and switch shifts (With manager approval) we ditched the excel format completely. Management: I have been the GM for 10 years. I can honestly say that this app has been one of the single best tools I have ever used. Selfishly I love the fact it saves me time. I am no longer coming into the building and finding out an employee called out and scrambling to find someone to cover at prep time. My managers and I can track the requests, call outs, and swaps to ensure we have appropriate staff for the evening. I wish I found this 10 years ago. Save labor costs: We had been using Micros Labor Mgmt software but I personally feel that Micros needs to get their software out of the 90's and become more user friendly. Entering forecasting sales data is simple of 7shifts. Editing employee rates of pay and jobs is much faster than on Micros. We were able to avoid potential overtime by the 7shifts alerts when approving shifts being given away. Employee satisfaction: Our staff was happy to be able to get immediate feedback on requested time off. Instant approval on covered shifts and immediate d notification of schedules. I have staff who have worked at major corporate chains and other independent restaurant. They all have said this makes their life easier. I can not express how supportive I am of this App!

Time Saving and Efficient

With using 7 shifts I am able to save so much time and have more efficient schedules. Not only are we able to make better schedules that fit our business and employee needs, we also have improved communication tremendously. Our company has 4 different locations, so being able to share employees and see when they are scheduled at other location really helps the communication process. That is something that we have always struggled with. Now we can send out daily announcements to let our employees know of any events or specials going on. We also have put the responsibility of covering shifts on the employees to get them covered and pick up shifts when needed without involving management. Also they do not have the excuse to say they do not know their schedule when the app makes everything easily available.

Pros

I love that you can make a schedule template for each role, it is a huge time saver to plug in all of the shifts.

Cons

For the mast part 7 shifts covers all of the basic needs. I just wish their were more features.

Easy to Use & Functional

Overall, it's simple and easy to use and has great functions.

Pros

Simple and easy to use. You can message staff directly or by job description- so if there is something I specifically need the kitchen to know I can select that particular group. The app is helpful and I can respond to emails with "approved" or "denied" for even quicker responses to shift changes. I also like that there is an events calendar that the staff can see.

Cons

If you're doing the schedule on the app rather than the website, it doesn't show you who has requested time off or who is unavailable to work that day. I also cannot edit the preset shift times on the app.

Easy to use, Staff loves it. Happy Staff = Win Win

Saves me time from using excel documents to post the schedule

Pros

The concept of the scheduling software is fantastic. It's very user friendly. It saves so much time with managing the employees time off, shift changes etc. Anyone in the restaurant industry looking for a quick fix for making their schedules, this is it!

Cons

Have had some issues with the app. They keep updating it which is a plus! You should be able to not put in a time under events for all day events. It should not automatically default to 12am. Different Managers should be able to have their own default schedule that it automatically goes to.

Connecting our community

Pros

The software is untuitive and easy to use, thus easy to train new staff and managers. It helps all facets of our business remain on the same page and has become a "must read" every morning for all managers. Sharing weekend special information and procedural changes has never been easier and I couldn't imagine trying to run our two restarants without it! Thanks for all the support 7Shifts!

Cons

It's more so having to train our staff that it is still their responsibility to have their shift covered - just putting it up for grabs and hoping someone will pick it up is not enough! ;) I realize this isn't a software problem... it's more of a soft-staff problem.

Great Scheduling App!!

7 shifts is great to use! It was easy to learn, if I have questions all I need to do is email support and I get a response immediately 99% of the time! Our staff love the ease of use with this application, they are able to see their shifts, submit time off, and swap shifts with coworkers! 7shifts is constantly updating their app and actually using their customers suggestions! Highly recommended!!!!

Pros

I love the convince of the app, and the separation of roles and employee lists when creating schedules (love the new update where I can move employees around in scheduling view).

Cons

A better way to rotate shifts would be nice