When evaluating pricing and costs of planning and scheduling software, consider the net gain from enhanced organization and productivity. Better organization and improved efficiency will increase company output and profits, so the ongoing benefits will offset initial costs. Different planning and scheduling software programs offer more options than might be needed, so don't buy anything that doesn't suit your business requirements. Providers offer planning and scheduling software for small businesses of all kinds: manufacturing, distribution/warehouse, service, retail, one-person companies and companies with many employees.

1. Determine the ROI you expect to gain and whether you can achieve that within six to nine months when justifying the cost of work planning software.

2. Expect to achieve your cost savings with scheduling programs through reduced time for managers/supervisors responding to employees' scheduling questions and filling short-notice shifts, reduced overtime payments and reduced turnover rates (less training).

3. Unless you know exactly what you're buying, don't order schedule planning software without trying it first.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Develop criteria for purchasing a planning and/or scheduling program

First, set a price you're willing to pay for the software itself. Expect to pay anywhere from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Either pay a lump sum for software, or plan on monthly fees for web-based services. The price you pay also depends on the number/complexity of features included and the number of users.

I recommend: Service professionals should check out features of the reasonably priced AyaNova Service Management & Work Order Software; click on the Pricing tab at left to find relevant information about license fees. As a manufacturer, learn more about benefits gained from purchasing Resource Manager-DB from User Solutions. Written in Visual Basic, it provides a flexible tool to ease planning, scheduling and tracking challenges. Features include routings/priority scheduling, finite capacity planning/scheduling, forecasting, concurrent/intuitive scheduling of material/work centers/labor requirements and more. Read about Office Tracker software for scheduling and customer management, software to help your small business reduce scheduling errors, speed up employee scheduling and give you more control over the scheduling process.

Anticipate possible consulting/training fees for planning and scheduling software

The more complex your software needs, the more you might need consulting and training to implement your new planning and scheduling tool or job planning software.

I recommend: Learn more about Celayix Software small business solutions for employee planning scheduling software and then click on the Services tab at the top of the page to find out more about recommended consulting, integration and training fees. Consider KickStart Pro 5, starting at around $500 for your next project management software.

Price technical support plans for work planning programs offering features you need

Some software providers roll the cost of tech support into the base product price, so you don't see additional fees. Others offer different levels of support services, letting you choose your package. Generally, higher-priced plans offer a quicker response time and may include unlimited support requests. Plans vary in duration, too; some offer a per-incident phone rate, while others price out in monthly, quarterly or annual packages.

I recommend: BlueService, a hosted service team scheduling/tracking solution from BlueFolder, provides free e-mail or telephone technical support during standard Mountain Time business hours. With its web-based service, you'll pay monthly with no long-term commitment. Check out support services and technical support available when ordering Kronos employee scheduling software. Support and service depend on whether you purchase the Gold, Gold Plus, Platinum or Platinum Plus plan.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ensure you understand how many licenses you require when comparing different staff planning and scheduling software. Some manufacturers don't require separate licenses for individuals requiring view-only access, while others do.

As businesses grow, they also outgrow desktop calendars and dry-erase boards. This is particularly true if you or your staff frequently work off site. Whether you need to touch base occasionally or frequently, good planning and scheduling software centralizes the "where" and "when" components of doing business.

Good planning and scheduling software enables you to:

1. Plan and forecast business developments and growth
2. Schedule appointments for yourself and staff
3. Set calendar reminders of important appointments and events
4. Coordinate multiple schedules among employees

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

For entrepreneurs with or without employees

A few simple programs can run almost your entire business.

I recommend: ACT! Contact management software (available for single users or corporate workgroups) and e-mail and calendar tool Microsoft Outlook remain the juggernauts of small business planning and scheduling. Check out SJR Productions' ACT! Add-on Store, featuring an advanced scheduling system add-on to the software. The GroupReady Web site offers a free trial of its office-wide time management and scheduling software.

Industry-specific software

Get your particular needs met with software designed for your niche.

I recommend: Landscaping businesses use Gopher billing and scheduling software. Construction companies use VirtualBoss. Businesses that frequently schedule customer appointments will value Web-based AppointmentQuest scheduling software. Or search through software by industry on the DMOZ site.

Read reviews and decide where to shop

There's ample help finding reputable, user-friendly products through unbiased product reviews. Once you've settled upon the best product for your company, do a price comparison and choose a retailer with fast shipping and a solid return policy.

I recommend: See reviews from PC Magazine. When you're ready to buy, search Yahoo! Shopping for either planning or scheduling software and find price comparisons and reviews of retailers. Major retailers such as CompUSA, OfficeMax, and Best Buy sell software both online and brick-and-mortar style.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Talk to colleagues and competitors to learn what software works for them and ask for recommended retailers.
• •  Many retailers offer sales tied to specific events like 'back to school,' Father's Day, or holiday giving; check fliers for deals around these times.
• •  If the software you like best lacks a key feature, such as the ability to download to your PDA, call the manufacturer and ask if any software 'plug-ins' or downloads exist.
• •  Check manufacturers' Web sites for coupons and special discounts.
• •  Sign up for email updates from your software company to keep abreast of upgrades and special offers sent only to existing customers.
• •  Ask retailers if they'll match or beat competitors' pricing or honor their coupons.

By making the most of planning and scheduling software, expect a significant jump in your bottom line. The right planning and scheduling software systems improve your and your employees' efficiency, freeing up time for more core business, letting you sell/produce more and then resulting in a larger net profit for your company.

Scheduling software works for any company because it streamlines/organizes schedules for you and your employees, and if you perform services like doctor/dentist visits, spa and physical therapy appointments, you can actually use a scheduling program for rooms at your place of business. Scheduling programs also ensure you never double book your conference room, especially helpful to small businesses sharing an office building with one communal conference room.

1. Get the most from planning scheduling software by trying free demos before purchasing.

2. Take advantage of job planning software or scheduling software you can grow into or upgrade so you don't have to start over.

3. Make the most of planning software by ensuring compatibility with other software/hardware products you use.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Increase efficiency/output with scheduling and work planning software designed for your business

Schedule and plan for room use, processes and operations with the right software.

I recommend: Fine tune your search for job planning software created for construction companies by visiting Software Advice. This free service caters to contractors, building owners, architects and engineers looking for the best software programs. Through the website, you gain access to software like BuilderTREND. Designed for small to medium-sized builders, the easy-to-use project management software offers online scheduling, calendar and other features. Easily integrated with Microsoft Outlook, Meeting Room Manager software from NetSimplicity saves time and improves accuracy/efficiency in managing rooms and equipment. As a small manufacturer who understands the link between efficiency and profit, take advantage of Visiprise Manufacturing Planning software so you, your planners and your design engineers can better define your manufacturing/assembly/quality assurance processes. Work planning programs like this result in reduced scrap/rework/delayed orders and let your operation respond quicker to new products/changes in production.

Find scheduling software for small businesses with several employees

Look for good staff planning and scheduling software that will accurately let you plan and forecast schedules months in advance.

I recommend: Download the whitepaper at Celayix Software before searching for your first schedule planning software. The paper asks/answers nine to-the-point questions for software decision-making criteria. Then read about the company's Celayix.Net scheduling tool. Imagine how much time you'll save with web-based software that lets you automatically create employee schedules taking into account availability and requested time off. This software promotes collaboration through employee self-service features and automatically applies your business rules/rates to ensure quick billing and payroll processing. Evaluate the benefits of Visual Staff Scheduler Pro from Atlas Business Solutions (ABS) to see if this employee scheduling program works for you. The software factors in staff availability, shift rotations, scheduling conflicts, proper shift coverage, schedule changes and time off.

Improve your own performance with planning and scheduling software

Maximize capabilities of business planning calendar software to benefit your business and improve productivity.

I recommend: Simplify your own schedule by tracking personal/professional appointments and/or your staff's scheduling using Appointment-Plus Scheduling Software from Contemporary Web Plus. Whether you own/operate a service business by yourself or maintain a staff, allowing your clients to schedule appointments with you online will save personnel resources. Learn more about an all-in-one scheduling system integrating billing, payroll, accounting, mapping and more from Thoughtful System’s Scheduling Manager software. It also incorporates an integrated SMS system allowing you to text employees and clients.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't get stuck with software that doesn't meet functionality or ease-of-use expectations. Find providers that back their planning and scheduling software with at least 30-day or, even better, a 90-day unconditional money-back guarantees.

Planning and scheduling software can be very useful for businesses. If you plan meetings, promotions, advertising campaigns or any other work over a period of several weeks, months or even years, you'll want to use planning and scheduling software to keep track of your projects. Many of these programs allow you to plan these and other events step-by-step, keep track of your planning schedule, and keep in touch with everyone involved in the plan. Some of these software may use certain words or abbreviations that you will need to know in order to use them properly. Due to this, you'll want to make sure you learn planning and scheduling software key terms.

Action Steps
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ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is used to combine several hardware and software components into a signal system. It allows you to simplify hardware and software you use for your business into a single entity.

I recommend: TechFAQ provides a definition of what ERP is.

HCM

Human Capital Management (HCM) is managing people, specifically a company's employees, in order for that company to grow, gain the competitive advantage and become a future leader. HCM allows you to keep track of your employees and what they're doing in order to maintain your staff.

I recommend: Infor provides an explanation of what HCM is.

MRP II

Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) is combining employee's skills, computer resources and data base accuracy into a single unit for the purpose of planning. It allows you to use all of your resources to the best of their abilities, and in the best combination possible.

I recommend: The Free Dictionary provides a broad definition and explanation of MRP II.

GRC

Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) allows you to identify and view any risks that may be coming your way at a central location so you can comply with them and make informed decisions regarding risks, costs and action plans.

I recommend: CA-grc.com provides a brief definition of what GRC is.

Real-time communications

Real-time communications consist of voice over the Internet (VoIP), chat, Instant Messaging and other ways for two or more people to communicate with each other over the Internet live.

I recommend: Coyote Communications explains what real-time communications is, and what the various types are.

SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the technical name for text messaging. It's the technology that allows you to send and receive text messages over the Internet and mobile devices.

I recommend: TextMeFree.com provides a broad definition and explanation of SMS.