7shifts Vs Hotschedules: Which Scheduling Software Is Right For Your Business?

1. Employee Scheduling

7shifts provides a scheduling solution that helps streamline shift planning for managers while enhancing flexibility for staff. It offers built-in labor forecasting to align staffing levels with anticipated demand.

Managers can quickly assign shifts using a drag-and-drop interface that leverages historical sales data. At the same time, employees can easily view their schedules and receive instant notifications when shifts are posted or changed. However, some users say that the platform would benefit from including the two days surrounding the workweek to improve scheduling accuracy.

HotSchedules features an intuitive interface with drag-and-drop functionality that makes it easy to assign shifts based on employee availability, skill sets, and preferences. The platform also streamlines communication between managers and staff, providing instant updates on schedule changes, shift swaps, and open shifts.

2. Labor Compliance

7shifts provides a powerful labor compliance tool specifically designed for navigating regional and national labor laws. Key features include automated alerts for overtime and customizable break management.

Additionally, the software safeguards against scheduling violations like 'clopening’ shifts—where an employee works a closing shift followed by an opening shift the next day. 7shifts helps identify underage employees on schedules to maintain compliance with youth labor regulations.

HotSchedules includes built-in compliance tools designed to help businesses stay aligned with labor laws and internal policies. This minimizes the risk of costly mistakes and ensures adherence to evolving regulations. The platform also offers proactive monitoring of compliance risks and related labor costs, enabling managers to identify and address potential issues before they escalate.

While these features are well-suited for smaller businesses or those with relatively simple compliance needs, they may fall short for larger organizations or industries that require more robust, highly specialized compliance capabilities.

3. Reporting

7shifts delivers a comprehensive set of real-time reporting tools tailored to the unique needs of the restaurant industry. Its robust reporting features cover cost analysis, sales forecasting, and restaurant performance tracking.

The app provides a real-time view of sales compared to labor, helping you adjust staffing to stay within budget. Managers can create reports like worked hours vs. wages or scheduled hours vs. wages to identify labor inefficiencies.

HotSchedules delivers a wide range of automated reports—such as forecast projections, optimal labor reports, and performance benchmarks—that empower businesses to make data-driven decisions. The platform also provides clear visibility into individual location performance, identifying top and underperforming sites to guide targeted improvements.

4. Mobile App

The 7shifts mobile app is built to support seamless workforce management for restaurants, offering robust tools for both managers and employees. Employees benefit from 7shift’s mobile app, which allows them to request time off, set availability, and swap shifts with ease. Real-time messaging capabilities promote smooth communication among team members, with group chats and announcements keeping everyone aligned.

HotSchedules mobile app enhances the platform's capabilities by bringing scheduling and communication tools to smartphones, giving both managers and employees easy access on the go. Employees can use the app to view their schedules, request time off, swap shifts, and receive real-time notifications. Managers, on the other hand, can manage schedules, approve requests, and communicate with their teams remotely. This ensures seamless operations even when they’re not at the workplace.

5. Integrations

7shifts is built with flexibility at its core, offering a wide range of integrations to support diverse operational requirements. It connects seamlessly with leading POS systems such as Toast and many more. Payroll and accounting processes are simplified through integrations with platforms like ADP and QuickBooks, helping to reduce administrative burden and minimize payroll errors.

HotSchedules offers integrations designed to support end-to-end hospitality operations. It integrates with popular POS systems such as Toast, Brink, SpotOn, and Oracle Micros, ensuring synchronized sales and labor data to support precise scheduling and labor forecasting. Other integration categories include consulting and hardware.