PlanIt Police Blog

You're a captain, a lieutenant, a sergeant. You have so many tasks already assigned to you. You manage training, staffing, financial matters, reports, investigations, and other administrative duties. The Chief comes to you and says, "Find scheduling software for our department."

Eh, how hard could it be? But when you go online and search "police scheduling software," you get over 15 pages filled with results. 

Simple ways to save time:

• Ask other departments around you what they are using and how they like it
• Determine main features/functions your department needs in scheduling software
• Take advantage of free live demonstrations

Finding a scheduling solution may take more time than you think. To make your process more efficient, we have listed a few suggestions below. 

Ask Others

Who better to ask than someone who is actually using the online scheduling software? It is easy for a software company to recommend their product to you. But the real test is when the product is in use. This will allow you to understand how it works and if it is a reliable software that could work for your agency.

If you don't know anyone who uses the system, ask the company themselves for a few references.

Essential Features

Do you need your agency scheduling software to handle time off? shift trades? court appearances? payroll? There are scheduling software options out there that involve extra features to handle more than scheduling. Make a list of all the features you absolutely need, and a secondary list of features you want but do not necessarily need. This will simplify the process as you're evaluating the different options.

Live Demonstrations

Some companies will offer free access to get into their system. This is great but also means that you have to learn how to use it on your own. While this may seem intriguing, it is definitely time-consuming. If you can get a free live demonstration of the scheduling software, that is the way to go. You will learn the basics of the system and be able to understand what it does, in a short amount of time.

Ultimately, the faster you get a solution implemented, the faster you start saving time and money. But it's important to pick the right one. If you follow these suggestions your research process will be effective. 

Below you will find a button to access our comparison worksheet to help as you continue your research process. It has some pre-filled features listed on it and will allow you to compare different scheduling products.

Read more:

• Best Law Enforcement Scheduling Software Companies: 5 to Review
• 5 Differences Between Police Officer Scheduling Systems
• 5 New Features You Need to Know About in the PlanIt Schedule Update