Nurse & Staff Scheduling 2018
Cost-Reducing Convenience & Mobility

ShiftWizard, used most often by smaller organizations, is intuitive, easy to use, flexible, and, most important, inexpensive. Kronos is deployed more often by larger organizations, whose users praise the tight integration with Kronos’ Time and Attendance solution; the Kronos scheduling solution has a learning curve and is perceived as one of the more expensive solutions available. OnShift and Schedule360 are perceived as highly cost-effective solutions for reducing unnecessary labor costs. Despite claims of advanced workforce-optimization capabilities, Avantas and Cerner do not have the same impact as other vendors due to incomplete training, delayed innovation, and unresponsive support.

Neither Schedule360 nor ShiftWizard offers a mobile app (users log in to their servers via mobile websites instead), but this in no way dampens customer enthusiasm for the simplicity and convenience of their mobile functionality. Managers can send out bulk messages about open shifts or learning opportunities. In contrast, OnShift and Kronos users describe apps designed primarily for employees; their apps are less useful for managers, who often need to manage shifts at home or on the go. Many GE Healthcare Staffing and Scheduling customers have chosen not to purchase add-on mobile functionality because they perceive it as still incomplete. Avantas users are still waiting for an app and say the web-interface functionality is limited.

Kronos, Avantas, & Change Healthcare Most Competent at Meeting Needs of Larger Organizations

GE Healthcare ShiftSelect customers are disappointed by the solution’s low product quality, lacking functionality, and inferior service. There is a significant difference between the service GE Healthcare provides for ShiftSelect customers and the service they provide for Staffing and Scheduling customers. Larger Staffing and Scheduling customers describe the vendor’s support as responsive and proactive. They are sometimes provided personal support liaisons, and they can participate in advisory boards to request enhancements. OnShift’s long-term care solution has demonstrated an ability to meet the needs of both small and large long-term care organizations.

GE Healthcare Staffing and Scheduling and Kronos customers describe a very manual process for creating schedules, and respondents often point out that the predictive scheduling is only as good as the data it consumes and the users who manage it. While predictive scheduling might not seem as useful for long-term care, OnShift’s custom dashboards allow customers to visualize gaps and overtime use and adjust accordingly. Cerner’s acuity mapping improves some customers’ experience with an otherwise challenging solution. Predictive scheduling is one of Avantas’ main selling points, but users are, on average, slightly less satisfied with Avantas’ predictive scheduling than users of other solutions.