Systems integrations: A crucial factor in choosing a WFM platform

To make work easier — this is the main reason why companies look for workforce management systems, and they typically gravitate towards providers that claim to be automated, simple, and cloud-based.  

With different WFM platforms available in the market, it’s easy for organizations to get lost in all the sales and marketing talk, demo calls, and claims of why a particular product is better than the others. But if there’s one thing that organizations should focus on, that would be how the solutions they’re looking at will fare in terms of integrating with the current systems and software they use. 

“A workforce management system can only be truly efficient if it can integrate with systems or platforms in place in an organization. It is the only way to ensure accurate forecasts, break silos, and make workflows more efficient, especially for companies operating in different locations,” Travis Kohlmeyer, vice president of sales at Workforce.com said.

Beyond common software integrations

Software as a service, like WFM platforms, is expected to integrate with other relevant software. In WFM’s case, this includes software for payroll, PoS, and HR systems. While these integrations are helpful, there are cases when an organization’s needs go beyond that.

“Big companies typically use different software and systems, and some of these are built internally. A WFM platform can only be of value when it can integrate to custom systems and make sure that you have the right staff on for appointments, reservations, events, and sale volumes and much more,” Kohlmeyer explained.

The power of a fully integrated WFM system

Cost savings and higher productivity happen when WFM systems are fully integrated. A truly robust WFM system can do that despite the unique needs and processes of a business. 

When a WFM seamlessly syncs with other systems and software, it’s able to deliver the following:

• Accurate labor forecasts – An integrated WFM platform can predict labor demand which can aid managers to create more efficient and accurate schedules. When it’s synced with systems that involve appointments, reservations, room occupancies, and even historical sales information, it’s able to create an algorithm that will inform managers how many employees they need at a given time.
• Labor compliance – When a WFM platform is fully integrated, crucial information and data are accounted for, especially on the compliance side of things. For example, it ensures that labor rules apply to scheduling and payroll. It also keeps track of training and certifications that are required to perform certain tasks.

• Timely and actionable reports – Decision-makers and managers can easily spot trends and nip problems in the bud when data and reports are readily available to them. Integrated WFM platforms can generate reports gathered from various data points and do so in a few clicks. This is especially helpful for providing relevant and valuable reports for different roles in the company.
  

“A fully integrated WFM offers a high level of customizability. Businesses have varying needs, and a WFM platform that can seamlessly sync with other systems can deliver results.” Kohlmeyer explained.

Tips when searching for a WFM platform

Finding the WFM platform for your business requires due diligence. As you look through different options, here are factors that you need to consider:

• Integrations – While it’s essential to look at the features of a product, it’s equally crucial to see if a WFM can sync with the systems you currently have. Remember that ‘powerful’ features will be for nothing if it doesn’t integrate well with the current systems.“It’s also crucial to figure out how the integrations will be done. Organizations usually seek to make their work easier, so it’s best to go for a solution provider that will take care of the integrations for you.” Kohlmeyer said.

• Nature of business operations – A WFM platform may claim to be the best, but does it have any experience working with an organization similar to yours? It pays to ask if they have worked with companies in the same industry or at least with an organization that has a similar operational model as what you have. If not, determine if they have the capability to address your specific needs or business model.
  

• Reviews – Client feedback is another way to gauge whether a WFM vendor is worth your time and money. Checking reviews can give you an idea of the possible pros and cons of working with certain providers.
  

• Required functionality – Discuss with potential vendors your required functionality. See if they can offer it out of the box or if they need to build it for you. If they need to build it for you, ask about the timeline, requirements needed from your side, and possible roadblocks to implementation. 

“Aside from meeting your requirements, it is also vital to discern whether a WFM provider is willing to really help you out and not just close a deal. Normally, you’ll see it in how they steer the conversation when certain functionalities are not available in their product yet.” Kohlmeyer added. 

Workforce.com makes integration easy for companies worldwide

Workforce.com has an open API, which means that it can easily integrate with other software and systems, even internally-developed platforms. It is through this technology that algorithms out of different variables are built, which aids our customers to get accurate demand and forecasts, generate custom reports, optimize operations quickly, and automate processes such as employee scheduling.

Companies need something to simplify workforce management with, and it takes a genuinely robust system to do that. “Taking the complexities out of scheduling, time and attendance, compliance, and reporting has a lot to do with integrations,” Kohlmeyer explained. “Workforce.com is a highly customizable and easy-to-integrate system that helps companies around the world do exactly that.”

See Workforce.com in action. Book a call or try it for free.