Workforce management can be a challenge for many security teams. And this can have dire consequences for overtime costs and security guard turnover. But a flexible, customizable security guard scheduling software can solve these issues and bring many benefits for your security team.

How Security Guard Scheduling Software Improves Workforce Management

“Security workforce management has been an ongoing challenge for security teams,” says Tony Unfried, CEO of CSA360 Software. “But guard management software is changing the way security teams approach these challenges. Streamlining processes is key. And digital systems, like guard scheduling software, offer affordable solutions that can be adapted across security teams of all sizes.” 

Ready to change the way you schedule and manage your security team? Here are 5 ways scheduling software can help to improve your security workforce management.

1. Reduce Guard Scheduling Conflicts

Scheduling issues are a major factor in security guard turnover and burnout. But security guard scheduling software allows your team to become more proactive. Each guard can digitally input their availability to ensure your guard scheduling efforts are accurate and effective. All changes are made in real-time, which mitigates guard tour conflicts and makes scheduling a breeze. 

2. Fill Security Staffing Gaps 

Security guard staffing gaps are a serious issue for security companies. Not only do short-staffed teams cause scheduling issues and increased burnout, but they can also raise safety risks. However, security guard scheduling software allows managers to anticipate any staffing problems before they happen. 

Scheduling software tracks guard assignments, requested time-off, potential overtime risks, and other potential issues all in one dashboard. This comprehensive view enables security managers to see any staffing gaps ahead of time, giving them a chance to properly fill those gaps before the shift begins. 

3. Automate Scheduling Capabilities  

Automation tools can do all the tedious scheduling work for you. These time-saving features take the guesswork out of scheduling, allowing security managers to spend less time behind the calendar and more time on the floor. 

Security guard scheduling software also saves on overhead costs by allowing remote access to schedules and other workforce management platforms. Security guard software automates scheduling capabilities in the following ways: 

• Easy access to employee requests. The approval function in workforce management software allows a supervisor or manager to quickly see, approve, or deny any changes in scheduled shifts.
• Employees can easily acknowledge their shifts via desktop or mobile devices. 
• Copy schedules and staff assignments for repetitive shifts or venues. 
• Edit or swap employees shifts with ease.
   

4. Implement Time-saving Security Alerts 

Managing several security guard schedules can be daunting, especially if you don’t have a workforce management system to keep everything organized. But security guard scheduling software eliminates all those headaches through convenient alerts. 

If you are trying to schedule a guard that is already scheduled for that time, the user will receive an alert. The user can then override and schedule or dismiss the current option to schedule. You can also set weekly limit and percentage notifications rules in the software: 

• Set a color-coded percentage in the module. Example 0-50% of time allowed status is green, 51 to 74% status is yellow and 76-99% status is red to visually see hours worked.
• When you are assigning staff, you can view the percentage threshold in the screen where you choose staff placement. 
  
  

5. Utilize Mobile App Capabilities

Security software with mobile app capabilities is an incredibly convenient way to manage incidents and guard tours. But it is also an ideal way to manage security guard schedules. Guards can clock in and out from their mobile devices regardless of location, saving considerable time and hassle. A workforce management mobile app can also display any upcoming time off, with real-time statuses of each request. 

6. Schedule teams by skill, branch, or department. 

The beauty of security guard scheduling software is that it eliminates any ambiguity in scheduling. Digital tools provide a comprehensive view of your team’s skills and departments all in one place, making it easy to quickly send teams where they are needed most. Other workforce management software perks include: 

• Associate skills to users to manage staff
• Search available security staff and toggle from “All” to “Unscheduled” guards
• Set Events and Schedules to recurring
• Assign Positions to create Placement sheets