Your call center is suffering without a scheduler that can keep up with its ever changing shifts. With these 7 best call center scheduling software solutions, you’ll be able to automatically update and populate shifts, that will in turn, bring staff you know you can depend on.
By now the consistent employee turnover that’s leaving you understaffed and with employees that lack proper training must be the norm for you. Bad news: this ongoing reality means it’s been going on for too long and it’s risky to keep on waiting. Good news: there’s an easy solution to fix it all.
As you may have noticed, keeping up with the dynamics of alternating shift hours is difficult and nearly impossible with manualized efforts such as pen and paper and/or excel spreadsheets. However, with call center scheduling software solutions, your business has the proper tools to immediately respond to scheduling changes, coordinate shifts automatically, and provide the company stability.
Proper scheduling is the beating heart of all successful businesses, so here are the 7 best call center scheduling software solutions that can keep you and your employees happy and healthy.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one call center scheduler with advanced capabilities, easy to use!
Learn more -
Most liked for its employee attendance monitoring capability.
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best known for using e-mail as the gateway to notify both you and your employees.
What to Look For in a Call Center Scheduling Software Solution
The purpose of a call center staffing software is to make life easier, not more complicated. The ease of use of how to create a call center scheduler is one important factor to mention, but there are many more:
- Mobile-Friendly: easily accessible from anywhere, to keep employees up to date.
- Tax & Labor Compliant: software that automatically adheres to state & local labor laws.
- Smart shifts: add shift information with notes, attachments, etc. to fully inform staff.
- Transparency: a full calendar view to see every employee’s shift status at one glance.
- Chat feature: the key to a healthy work environment is communication; keep this afloat.
Including these, to your list of priorities as you find the perfect call center staffing software for you, can substantially change your experience as you implement it into your business. This doesn’t need to cost additional money either; in fact, please keep in mind that on top of all this, what you pick, should be cost-friendly and affordable as you grow as a company.
The 7 Best Call Center Scheduling Software Solutions of 2022
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Best for: all-in-one call center scheduler with advanced capabilities, easy to use
- web
- ios
- android
Connecteam’s call center scheduling software makes it easy to schedule shifts and dispatch jobs. Create single, multiple, or team shifts, or upload bulk files with an Excel sheet. Save time with calendar view, drag & drop options, and copying last week’s shifts.
Manual scheduling takes too much time and effort for call center managers. – This is why so many call centers rely on Connecteam to streamline daily scheduling operations, reduce turnover, and boost engagement to create the best customer experience.
Key Features
- Check positions are filled with view or view by jobs function
- Create shift templates for different positions & shifts (morning, evening, etc.)
- Quickly view how many shifts & hours each employee is scheduled for
- Get automatic alerts on schedule conflicts to avoid any mistakes
- Set up schedule limitations to ensure compliance & avoid overtime
- Receive employee acknowledgment that they have seen & approved their shifts
- Employees can clock-in directly to a shift for better timesheet management & payroll
Pros
- A variety of shift options are available
- Schedule quickly by dragging and dropping
- Schedule the same weeks as before
- View which employees are available
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for up to 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
Best for: employee attendance monitoring capability
- web
- ios
- android
With Humanity’s help desk scheduling software, you can monitor employee attendance, export reports with real-time data, create future forecasts, employees can set preferred working hours, shift swapping, and create schedules that align with customer demand and employee availability.
Humanity is available on devices and can instantly alert managers of overlapping shifts, overtime, and other scheduling conflicts.
Learn more about HumanityKey Features
- Custom templates & rules, like breaks
- Forecasting and automation capabilities
- Real-time communication
- Intuitive budgeting tool
Pros
- Staff can leave comments on shifts
- Robust insight forecasting tools
Cons
- Reviews: PTO is reported incorrectly frequently
- Outdated interface that is unpleasant to use
Pricing
Starts at $2/month/user and requires an $80/month minimum Free 30-day trial
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Best for: its use of e-mail as the gateway to notify both you and your employees
- web
- ios
- android
TixTime’s help desk scheduling software is workable whether you’re on desktop or mobile. All your employees have access to their schedules so you can reduce absenteeism and late arrivals. Enjoy features like no more Excel files, automatic reminders, time and attendance included, forecasting, one-click payroll exports, employee self-service, and Enterprise compliance.
Learn more about TixTimeKey Features
- Employee availability
- Email notifications
- Visual schedule for budgeting
- One-Click Payroll Exports
Pros
- Good customer service
- You can view scheduling alongside timesheets
Cons
- Large teams find it difficult to use
- Reporting capabilities are limited
Pricing
Pricing starts at $179/month for up to five teams Free 15-day trial
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Best for: forecasting labor demands in advance
- web
- ios
- android
When you have a large call center staff that’s scattered across multiple locations, Shiftboard can help cover your scheduling needs with its help desk scheduling software. With real-time reports, alerts for overtime or cost issues, auto-scheduling, shift swapping, vacation requests, push notifications, and more.
Shiftboard can integrate with many software solutions including Oracle, Dropbox, ADP, Paycor, and more.
Learn more about ShiftboardKey Features
- Forecast labor demand
- Automated shift assignment rules
- Overtime status alerts
- Employee availability
- Automated reminders and shift notifications
Pros
- Easily navigable
- Cost-friendly
Cons
- Limited integrations with payroll systems
- Last-minute changes are hard to make
Pricing
Plans start at $3/user/month
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Best for: its compatibility with multiple scheduling centers
- web
- ios
- android
When I Work is not limited to a single company location. However, the call center scheduling software won’t allow you to schedule weeks in advance. Easily create a template you can replicate week by week, navigate simply with drag & drop options, and see who from your staff is available and qualified for a shift. Quickly send notifications on shift changes right from the dashboard to all employees and manage everything from mobile or desktop.
Learn more about When I WorkKey Features
- Control labor costs & labor budgeting
- Import timesheets for payroll
- Overtime alerts
- Calculate employee breaks
Pros
- Useful pre-made templates
- Saves time by replicating past schedules
Cons
- Better on desktop, not mobile-friendly
- Reviews: Overloaded schedules cause bugs
Pricing
Pricing starts at $2.25/user/month
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Best for: ready-to-use schedule templates
- web
- ios
- android
With Sling, you save time creating employee schedules, managing time off, knowing all employees’ availability and with convenient shift swapping, you can plan for overtime, reduce absenteeism, and late arrivals. Using its help desk scheduling software, you can instantly get alerted when you have overlapping shifts or double-booking. Simply save scheduling templates so you save even more time when creating a new one. Plus, employees can clock in and out straight from their mobile phones so timesheets are automatically maintained.
Learn more about SlingKey Features
- Manage time off, availability and shift trade requests
- Private or group communication
- Templates for scheduling
Pros
- Ability to drag and drop
- Scheduling across time zones
Cons
- Confusing set-up process
- Challenging to invite new users
Pricing
Choose from either $2/month/user or $4/month/user A free plan for scheduling and communication
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Best for: finding last-minute shift replacements
- web
- ios
- android
Deputy is a well-known help desk scheduling software solution that offers scheduling services to call centers. Apart from scheduling, it also offers time tracking, wellness alerts, communication capabilities, and more. For scheduling, Deputy makes it easy to send schedules in advance, ensures your team can shift swap, flags unavailability, and more.
Learn more about DeputyKey Features
- Schedule based on different roles, departments, or locations
- Add an employee stress profile
- Quickly find shift replacements
Pros
- Easily send scheduling updates
- Simple interface
Cons
- It only shows one week in advance for planning
- Doesn’t sync with google calendar
Pricing
Starts at $4.50/month per user Free 31-day trial
Compare the Best Call Center Scheduling Software Solutions
| Topic |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for up to 30 users
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Starts at $2/month/user and requires an $80/month minimum
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Pricing starts at $179/month for up to five teams
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Plans start at $3/user/month
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Pricing starts at $2.25/user/month
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Choose from either $2/month/user or $4/month/user
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Starts at $4.50/month per user
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| Free Trial |
yes
14 days
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yes
30-day trial
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yes
15-day trial
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no
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yes
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yes
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yes
31-day trial
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| Free Plan |
yes
Yes, up to 30 users
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no
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no
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no
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no
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yes
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no
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What is a call center staffing software system?
Call center scheduling software is built to bring you and any additional managers at your company, the ability to monitor and control schedules. Software of sorts will be flexible and customizable so that it can be made to your own unique shift qualifications and as shifts change, the software is also designed to reorient itself as changes come at even the most unanticipated times.
How does a call center staffing software work?
Knowing how to create a call center schedule and knowing how a call center software works, are closely aligned, and equally important to be familiar with.
Although each software system will operate somewhat differently, there are steps that most won’t skip. So, after you’ve downloaded your chosen call center staffing software, you’ll first enter a series of limits such as overtime laws and other requirements such as absence rules (PTO, vacation days, sick leave, etc.) for your new scheduler system to stand by.
Once your new scheduling software has gathered this baseline, you can then choose from a ready-made schedule template or make a new one (eventually you should be allowed to automatically copy that onto the following weeks), to input your employees and shift fragments according to your liking. Employees will be notified of arrangements. If you would like to open a shift without assigning a specific staff member, you will also have the option to let employees claim open slots as they see fit on their own.
If someone is in need of a last minute change, you will have a visual of which other employees are readily available based on their personal schedule, and who needs more shifts or who is close to going overtime.
As weeks go by, you can copy and paste past scheduling that were a a success, and feel at ease knowing you’ll be alerted when anything goes off course.
Why should I use call center staffing software?
One of the biggest challenges call centers face with scheduling, is ensuring enough employees have been scheduled for shifts. All too often, unprepared scheduling results in too many employees scheduled during down hours and then too few scheduled during high call volumes.
Going down this route will have you bleed cash and ultimately fail to cater to your customers.
You need a call center scheduling app that issues detailed real-time reports to create optimal and efficient schedules week after week.
Benefits also include:
- Task-based scheduling
- Trained top agents, qualified for the job.
- Open visibility of employee availability
- Equally rotated shifts
- Flexible scheduling, that responds quickly.
Call center scheduling software is essentially a workforce management software. It provides you with the necessary tool sets to communicate effectively with employees, train them, and ensures a schedule that suits everyone’s needs– everything workforce management demands.
How much does call center staffing software cost?
Call center staffing software is often priced at a per-employee price. This hefty ask is usually what deters business owners like you who are looking for an affordable fix.
As your company grows or hopes to in the future, you should look for a call center staffing software that offers a bundle that is based at a fixed rate. Connecteam comes in first for providing a software service that not only provides a quality all-in-one solution people usually pay per feature for, but also for providing a truly scalable solution in its pricing. With a fixed cost of $29 per month for the first 30 users, Connecteam is a platform that you can be sure to utilize forever without damaging your wallet.
FAQs
Is Call Center Scheduling Software Affordable?
No call center scheduling software is the same, therefore, pricing does vary. Pricing can be determined by various factors like how many locations you have, how many users you need, advanced features to add on, and so on.
Try to look for an all-in-one center scheduling app so that you’re covered for all your scheduling needs!
Do Most Call Center Scheduling Apps Charge Per User?
No. Not all of the call center scheduling software solutions charge per user. Although some may charge per location. Be sure to check the pricing options and contract (if there is one) to ensure there are no hidden fees.
The Bottom Line On Call Center Scheduling Software
Out of the seven call center scheduling apps we have listed above, the right fit for your company and your employees can be found. With one of these software solutions, you can create a fair and balanced schedule that works for everyone, provides appropriate workforce management, and ensures the best contact center customer experience.
On top of it all, with an accurate work schedule, your employees will be a lot happier and their increased productivity will lead to much happier clients. All in all, it’s a win-win!