Archive for July, 2007

Our team has been hard at work developing the latest version of TimeForge.com. The latest version of TimeForge.com (version 1.7) will be loaded with a number of new features, many of which were requested by you! Some of these features include:

• Faster reporting. You can now run reports (and print schedules) for 1, 2, or as many schedules as you like. You can still run reports based on date ranges, if you would prefer.
• New Functionality: Time and Attendance. Employees will be able to clock-in / clock-out using TimeForge.com. Some of the features of our Time and Attendance functionality:
  • Employee clock-ins can be restricted based on the physical location (so that employees cannot clock in from home).
  • Employees can only clock-in / clock-out if they are on the schedule, and their shift is about to begin / end (unless a Manager approves it). No more clocking in early!
  • Managers can see all of the employees who are clocked in with one click. Instantly see how long they’ve been on the clock, and what it cost you.
  • Coming soon …. compare theoretical schedules / labor costs and actual schedules / labor costs.

We will be releasing version 1.7 at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo!

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

Last week, we received a great testimonial from Sherry, a manager at Music Man’s BBQ (their website is coming soon, I am told).

Sherry has been using TimeForge.com for her employee scheduling needs at her BBQ restaurant for about 6 weeks.

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

Complexities of Scheduling

Scheduling involves much more than filling up blank spots on a piece of paper with people’s names. The most effective schedules are no more than a starting point that outlines what hours people may be working during the coming week. “May be” is the key phrase here, because in order to be effective, a schedule should always be considered a work in progress that can change as rapidly as the needs of the restaurant change.

For all but the smallest restaurants, the days of scheduling with pencil to paper are long since departed. Manual scheduling systems do not provide the decision support tools that managers need to implement cost and demand-based scheduling scenarios. Restaurant scheduling software provides the best method of achieving a balance between financial and staffing needs without requiring managers to spend an extraordinary amount of time getting the job done. However, there are pros and cons to using many of these software solutions that should be evaluated carefully before making any decisions.

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

It is official! TimeForge.com will be exhibiting at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo in Los Angeles, CA on August 18 - 20, 2007. The trade show is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and looks to be a very exciting show with a great mix of first-time and “experienced” exhibiting companies.

If you are at the show Western Foodservice show, make sure you take a look at Halo, a revolutionary web-based Point-Of-Sale system from Canada. Barb, one of their business representatives, showed us a very neat POS system at the Southwest Food Expo in Dallas.

We will be setting up shop in booth #2827, and we would love to see you there! Our booth is next to the regional Digital Dining partner, Hospitality Technology Systems. Stop by and see the latest TimeForge features, including shift-swapping and time & attendance tracking!

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

We need your help … we are going to begin integration of TimeForge with Point of Sale systems in the next few months. We are hoping to start with the Point of Sale systems that you are using! If you have a few seconds, please send an email to info@timeforge.com to let us know which Point of Sale system you are using, the version of the software, and if you know who your reseller is, we’d love to be able to call them.

Thanks for your help!

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective employee scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.