It might seem like Excel spreadsheets are the answer to simply scheduling employees. However, for those who have truly attempted to schedule their workforce with only the help of Excel, they know that Excel can barely get the job done. With scheduling already being a hassle, who has the time to increase frustration on an undesirable task. Excel spreadsheets will not better a business. This article dives into why considering workforce management is a crucial building block to any successful business.  

Time Consumption 

To start, if eliminating time consumption is a large concern, Excel spreadsheets cannot help improve it. The initial process of entering in the names of employees into the spreadsheet is uncomplicated. The problem lies when trying to access different components of the workbook. Trying to sift through the availability, requests for shifts off and overtime could take all day to find what is needed. Calling out sick wreaks havoc on an organization as it is nearly impossible to find the correctly qualified person to substitute in a timely manner.  

Workforce management trumps Excel spreadsheets because without having the necessary contact information all in one place, the opportunity to adequately organize a workforce is lost. With workforce management an employee’s availability, qualifications and hours worked are kept all in one place. This gets the job done fast and with efficiency. Otherwise, focusing time to fix a schedule will take away from important customer service opportunities that can help your business grow. 

Security Concerns 

When bearing the information of multiple employees, security should be a top priority. With Excel, options for security measures are little to none. Yet, with workforce management technology, levels of security are a necessity as they help guide information into the correct hands for an efficient approach. With this feature, hand-select who is permitted access to employee information, pay rates and company reports. Workforce management also allows a company to define who oversees these tasks. Maintaining an audit trail with automation also ensures accuracy and fairness with schedule changes and overtime assignments. A spreadsheet cannot provide those levels of security and accuracy. 

Updates 

Workforce management systems have several moving parts that constantly need to be updated or changed. Thanks to cloud technology, this task is possible to undertake, as all information can be updated and reported to others in real-time. An Excel sheet, on the other hand, is either printed or sent out through email. With these options only, changes cannot be updated again unless managers have the time to resend the schedule every time it needs to be changed. This again, becomes time-consuming and leaves room for miscommunication and mistakes.  

Zero Customization 

Excel spreadsheets cannot handle the skill sets of workers, payroll integration, labor laws and requirements, assigning overtime fairly, or a host of other scheduling-related needs. Fortunately, workforce management software offers tools that allow users to customize desktops, data fields, reports and more to tailor to any business. 

VCS Intelligent Workforce Management 

So, it is pretty much a no-brainer as to which implementation will bring increasing results and success. An organization’s workforce is the most expensive part of its operating budget, investing in convenience and efficiency will save an organization money and keep its employees content and up to date. VCS Intelligent Workforce Management provides its users with several platforms that will tailor to their needs specifically, making it a great fit for small to large organizations. 

For more information on VCS Intelligent Workforce Management’s platforms and products, please visit https://www.vcssoftware.com/.