How to Make Scheduling Easy
Posted by aonenetworks On June 14, 2012
Scheduling is part of the business life, and sometimes it can be a real pain. Everyone has to schedule, and everyone has encountered frustration with doing so. The truth is that tons of things go into scheduling: illness, family matters, other appointments, and even last minute problems and situations enter into play. However, involving all of these factors doesn’t mean it has to take up a ton of time out of your day. Here are a few easy tips that will make scheduling much easier.
Don’t Hesitate in Asking for Assistance
There has been many a time when an employee has called into work sick at the last minute and expected the company to find a replacement. In emergency cases, this is excusable. However, it’s not an emergency in most cases, and still the responsibility to find someone to work is left to you. It doesn’t have to be that way. Ask the employee to find someone to fill in for them on the schedule. That way you don’t need to run around frantically or search through your employee base to find someone to help. Most of the time, schedule changes will happen less often, and things will be a bit simpler.
Use Technology to Your Benefit
The old pencil and paper method of scheduling is definitely tried and true, but there are better ways to manage your appointments. Since scheduling can get complicated quickly, it’s important to have a system that works for you. The good news is that there’s an app for that.
There are multiple online services – that are free – that can help you with scheduling. You can even tie in your scheduling with other business related items, such as employee schedules and opening and closing hours. If you need your schedule on the go, there are also tons of smartphone apps available. Google Calendar is a great example. It can be updated from any computer or smartphone at any time; you can even text the calendar to have it schedule something for you.
Unlike your paper scheduler, you can set up reminders to yourself and your clients in calendar programs. You’ll spend less time scheduling and more time bringing in the cash.
Prioritize
Working harder and not smarter is easy when it comes to scheduling. Are you scheduling things that actually matter to you, or can someone else do it? How important is it is that you get something done right away, or at all? Make sure you only schedule priority things when you schedule them at all. Schedule your priorities, don’t prioritize your schedule.
