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Staffing Levels in the Hourly Editor

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As you may know, Staffing Counts on the Daily and Weekly Blocks pages are available to quickly see the number of employees working on a schedule. Aladtec recently added this feature to the Hourly Editor as well. The counts display at the bottom of each schedule as shown here.


Administrators can enable this feature by going to the Schedules area under Settings, and clicking the gear icon.


If you have questions, or need assistance configuring Staffing Levels, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for using Aladtec.

Mobile App and Smartphones

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Aladtec is accessible from any mobile device with a connection to the internet. When visiting the system on a smartphone, the mobile browser will automatically be detected and load the mobile version. Here are steps to create a shortcut to the system.

iPhone

1. Launch Safari.
2. Touch the address bar and enter in your system URL (e.g. aladtec.com/yourservicename).
3. Log in as usual; you can optionally click on “Remember Me” to have your login information stored.
4. To save a shortcut to your system on your iPhone, you can bookmark it by tapping the square/arrow icon and tapping Bookmark
5. To save an icon to your Home Screen, select “Add to Home Screen.” An icon will now appear on your Home Screen giving you one-click access to your Aladtec system.



Android

1. Launch Browser.
2. Touch the address bar and enter in your system URL (e.g. aladtec.com/yourservicename).
3. Login as usual; you can optionally click on “Remember Me” to have your login information stored.
4. To bookmark the site, click on the Bookmark Icon and then click on “Add” for the icon of your system.
5. To save an icon to your Home Screen, long-press the bookmark you’ve already saved for your system.
6. Select “Add shortcut to Home.
Note: These steps may very depending on your Android device.

Sync iPhone or iPad Calendar to My Schedule

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Adding your Aladtec system work schedule on your iOS device is a great way to keep track of scheduled shifts and time off. In this post, we'll cover the steps for subscribing to the work schedule from an iPhone or iPad.

Finding the Subscription Link

First, login to the system and navigate to My Schedule. On the left side of the screen, click on the Configure link. Next, select the items you would like to appear on your mobile device. Finally, click Subscribe.


  1. Select Apple iCal.
  2. Copy the subscription link.
  3. This link needs to be available on the mobile device. The simplest way is to email this link to an email address that's available on the device.
  4. Copy the link on your phone by pressing and holding on the link.

Adding the Subscribed Calendar

On the mobile device, navigate to Settings. Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then click on Add Account. From the list of options, choose Other at the bottom.



Next, select "Add Subscribed Calendar". Paste the link into the Server field and tap Next. Finally, tap Save.



Wrapping Up

The subscribed calendar now appears on the Calendar application on the device. Any updates to the schedule in the Aladtec system will automatically be synced with the device, keeping the schedule up to date.

If you have any questions on this, please give us a call at 888-749-5550. Thanks, and have a great day!

Enhanced Filtering on Form Reports

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We are excited to announce a powerful enhancement to Forms reporting. In Form Reports, you can now use the Edit link to filter submissions based on form field values to see exactly what you need to see, when you need it. Here are a few examples of how this can be useful:

  • With Daily Rig Checks, easily display submissions where supplies are missing.
  • When processing payroll, quickly filter for submissions related to a particular Pay Period.
  • When looking at maintenance requests or incident reports, display only the submissions that still need attention.





If you have questions, or need assistance configuring view options, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for using Aladtec.

Tutorial Video: How to Add a Graphic to Your Aladtec System Home Page

Easily Identify who has Not Completed a Form Submission

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Form Reports have been enhanced to identify missing form submissions. This can be helpful in circumstances where each employee is required to submit a form within a certain time frame. For example, weekly timesheet submissions; with this new feature, it’s easy to quickly identify who hasn’t submitted their timesheet for the week.


For questions or assistance utilizing Form in Aladtec, please contact the Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for using Aladtec!

Consolidation of Schedule Configurations

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Schedules are easier to see at a glance, rearrange and manage their settings with the consolidation of the features into one place. Access all the schedule settings via the new Schedules area in Settings. Options for configuring the View Settings and Publishing are now located under the gear icon next to the Schedules heading.




If you have questions, or need assistance configuring schedules, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for using Aladtec.

Add Timesheet Functionality to Forms

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We are excited to announce a powerful new feature in Forms - the ability to create a timesheet. In the Form Configurator under Smart Layout, there is now an option to add Pay Period Time Records. When members submit a form, this smart layout section will automatically display the details for each shift they worked during the pay period.

Although endlessly configurable, we want to help you quickly get started - use the sample timesheet in your system or watch this video for more details.



If you have questions, need help customizing a timesheet, or exporting a report for your payroll vendor, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550.


Announcing Minimum Staffing Requirements

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We recently rolled out a “Minimum Staffing” feature to Aladtec’s online employee scheduling and workforce management system. This flexible, easy-to-use feature allows defining minimum staffing requirements for each schedule. Warnings will display on schedules that do not comply with your pre-set requirements. For example, use this feature to display a warning when staffing levels fall below five during the day and three at night or when there isn’t anyone on the schedule with a required qualification such as CPR certification or HazMat.

Staffing Requirements can be set up:

  • per schedule, down to the hours within each day of the week. 
  • for the minimum number of staff.
  • for multiple qualifications using member database fields, including any combination of select lists, multi-options, and expiration dates. 

In the following example, on the Hamilton Station schedule, “Minimum Staffing” is set up for the schedule hours from 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m., each day of the week. Saturday and Sunday require a minimum of three members between 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. while the rest of the days and times require four members.



Continuing with the Hamilton Station schedule example, a “Fire Apparatus” requirement requires a minimum of one member on the schedule with either a “Water Tender” or “WTD Super Tender” qualification from 8-11:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.



When a violation occurs, a warning displays in the Work Schedule views and the Hourly Editor on each day, per schedule. Details of the violations are visible to all members for consideration when requesting time off or signing up for shifts.

In the following example, the monthly Work Schedule View warns that the Hamilton Station schedule on the 26th violates the “Fire Apparatus” minimum staffing requirement. As defined above, a minimum of one member with the “Fire Apparatus” qualification is needed on the schedule, between the hours of 8-11:00 a.m. on Sundays.



Filter the work schedule view to only include violating schedules and focus on resolving the violations.



The Hourly Editor displays each staffing count followed by the required number of staff (i.e. current/required). Any violations are shown in red.

In this Hourly Editor example, the "Fire Apparatus" staffing requirement displays as 0/1 indicating the need for one member to fulfill this staffing requirement.



Details of the violations are available for each warning in the Hourly Editor.


Mobile shows the violation warnings, as shown in Hamilton Station example below.



For additional detail on how to set up minimum staffing requirements and identify violations, please watch the video here.



If you have questions, or need help navigating the minimum staffing requirements feature, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for choosing Aladtec.



"How To" Video - Add Aladtec to Your iOS or Android Device's Home Screen

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Your Aladtec system is accessible via the Internet from any smartphone or other mobile device. When using the system on a smartphone, the mobile browser will automatically be detected and load the mobile version. Here is a step-by-step video showing you how to create a shortcut to the system on your device's home screen - choose from the iOS or Android video below.

Aladtec on iOS:

Aladtec on Android:


As always, if you have questions about this blog, or need any other help, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. And, thank you for choosing Aladtec.

Trade Shifts Quickly on Desktop or Mobile

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In Aladtec, trades make it easy for members to manage their own schedule changes and are a great way to reduce administrative workload. Simply set up trades in your system to allow members to giveaway or swap their scheduled shifts. Additional options can be configured for trades, such as requiring approval, sending notifications, and limiting the time, duration, and shift schedules that members are allowed to trade. Once set up, trades can be processed in a few quick steps!

Configuring Trades

Trades can be configured based on the needs of your service. For example, only allow trade requests within the current month; require shift swaps to be repaid within the same pay period or for the same schedule; or only allow shifts to be given away rather than swapped. To configure the trades in Aladtec, go to Setup, then edit each Work Group to modify the trade types, swap rules, approvals, and notifications, as shown below.


Initiating a Trade

Members or administrators can initiate trades both in the desktop or mobile versions. On the desktop, trades can be initiated from My Schedule or the Trades page. On mobile, trades can be initiated from Upcoming Shifts or the Trades screen. Requesting a trade from the Upcoming Shifts screen in mobile is shown below.



After requesting a trade, the type of trade (i.e. giveaway or swap), the times, and the recipients can be modified, if needed. Additionally, notes can be added for the administrator and the recipients. To be an eligible recipient, a member must be both permitted to work in the position on the schedule and be available to work (i.e. not already scheduled and not on Time Off). See below for an example of a Trade Request via mobile.

Accepting a Trade

On a giveaway, a recipient can take the shift via their My Schedule page. For a swap, a recipient needs to offer a shift back to the member who initiated the trade, and then, the initiating member can accept the offered shift. After the members have completed the giveaway or the swap, the schedule will automatically update to reflect the trade, unless administrative approval is required.

The member initiating the trade must confirm the swap by choosing an offered shift, as shown below.


Approving a Trade

For trades requiring administrator approval, administrators can approve or deny from multiple locations in the desktop view, including the Dashboard, Schedule Views, My Schedule, and Change Requests. In mobile, administrators can approve or deny from the Admin Tasks - Pending Trades displayed in the Dashboard.

An example of processing the trade request from the desktop Dashboard is included below.

For more information on processing trades, watch our help video below.




If you have any questions or need additional assistance with trades, please contact the Support Team at 888.749.5550 or support@aladtec.com. As always, thank you for using Aladtec!

~Your Aladtec Team

Aladtec reps attending NYSAFC & Fire Expo near Verona

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Northeast's premier Fire & EMS assembly expected to draw 13,000 over three-day run


VERONA, NY -- The 112th annual FIRE 2018 -- the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs
Conference --  will be held June 13-16 at Turning Stone Resort outside of Verona. The event is
billed as the Northeast's premier emergency services conference, expo, and training event.


Representatives from Aladtec.com will be among the 300 exhibitors, displaying the latest services,
tools, equipment, and apparatus for emergency services. Organizers expect up to 13,000 fire
personnel to attend some or all of the conference.


Aladtec, a Sustaining Member of the NYSAFC, provides cloud-based scheduling and workforce
management software to 65 New York public safety agencies. The firm will be among exhibitors at
the four-day conference. Two agencies who use Aladtec’s platform -- the Manlius Fire Dept. and
Fayetteville Fire & EMS -- are just a few miles from Verona.


The NYSAFC conference features 13 diverse and intensive Hands-On Training programs conducted
by some of the country’s most seasoned fire service instructors, more than 35 fire and EMS classroom
educational programs. Program topics range from fighting the "Dreaded Commercial Building Fire"
and whether to integrate Twitter into firehouse communications, to using drones and live video and
"Top Ten Things that get Firefighters in Trouble."


Aladtec was explicitly created for Public Safety agencies. It’s accessible anytime via computer,
smartphone or other mobile devices with internet connectivity. The easy-to-use platform handles
complex scheduling and unique rotation requirements used by many fire departments. It allows
members to submit availability, request time off, and makeshift trades from anywhere. The system
was initially used for crew scheduling but has evolved into an all-in-one workforce management tool.


“The ability for our 70 members to be able to use their smartphones was also a selling point for us.
Personnel can check the schedule and make time-off requests on their personal phone or home
computer," said Timothy Smith, Deputy Fire Chief with Falmouth Fire Rescue, Falmouth, MA.


Watch this short video to see how the Maplewood (MN) Fire Dept. uses Aladtec to schedule multiple
crews at several stations. https://www.aladtec.com/customer_reports/maplewood_fire.php


“Finding a workforce management system that's easy to use was our main focus. Aladtec is ideal
because it's user-friendly for all levels of computer capabilities,” said Susan Cabot, secretary with
Austintown Fire Department, Youngstown, OH.


More than 2,070 organizations subscribe to Aladtec’s online platform with more than 127,000 people
using the system daily across America and Canada.


Attendees can look for River Falls, Wisconsin-based Aladtec at Booth 2119. Account Executive
Joe Ellis and Systems Specialist Eric Hahn will answer questions and demonstrate the software.
Any visitor can arrange for a free 14-day, customized trial.

Visit www.aladtec.com to experience a free demonstration of the platform, or call 888-749-5550
for more information.

Aladtec team participating in National Sheriffs Association Conference, June 15-19 at New Orleans

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Seminars to cover topical issues like school policing, legalized marijuana and crowd-sourced crime fighting


NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Aladtec, the premier provider of online scheduling and workforce management software to law enforcement agencies across America, will be part of the trade exhibition during the National Sheriffs Association Conference, June 15-19 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans.


The NSA Annual Conference and Exhibition is one of the largest and displays products and equipment relevant to every facet of police work, jails, prisoner transport, and courtroom security. The conference also features over 60 seminars and workshops covering duties and responsibilities for sheriffs’ offices, including, law enforcement, jail operations, service of process, prisoner transport, and court security.


The Aladtec system easily handles the complex scheduling and unique rotation requirements common in law enforcement agencies.  Its features allow members to submit availability, request time off and initiate shift trades -- all from a smartphone, tablet or desktop. It will enable managers to monitor and meet minimum staffing requirements, helps control overtime, integrates with payroll, and allows agencies to track certifications and licensing. Aladtec e-forms speed up internal approvals and provide airtight documentation.


Customers report Aladtec improves their department’s efficiency, saves time, money, and improves morale through its transparency and ability to provide real-time schedule information to officers and their families.


“We switched to Aladtec because the functionality of the software we used to have just wasn’t consistent with our expectations. It didn’t meet any other goal besides being a simple schedule display," said Sgt. Matt Kennett with the River Falls (WI) Police Dept. "With Aladtec, we’re able to do much more than view the staff schedule online. We can now customize and automate our scheduling process. We can also create, submit, review, and store many department forms in the Aladtec system and we are now able to produce reports that are useful for analytics in our department.”


Attendees are encouraged to stop by Booth #916 and meet with account executive Rob Kueppers, and systems specialist Matt Zinnel. They can answer any question from existing customers and demonstrate Aladtec's features.


Founded in 1940, the NSA has been the advocacy organization for the nation's sheriffs in Washington, D.C. It develops policy positions and represents members before the United States Congress, the White House, and the various federal agencies. NSA represents over 3,000 elected sheriffs nationwide and has a membership of over 22,000.


Seminars at this year's conference will address topics like recruitment and retention, new practices to more safely and quickly clear traffic crashes, emerging ideas in strategic leadership, the impact of legalized marijuana on public safety hiring, handling media after an officer-involved shooting, drone use in law enforcement, crowdsourced crime fighting, school-based policing, and many more.

For more information about Aladtec and experience a free demonstration, visit www.aladtec.com or call 888-749-5550 and a representative can arrange for a customized demo, unique to your agency's specific needs.

Signature Boxes in Forms

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You can now build forms to include Signature Boxes.  By using the new Signature Box field type, employees can submit their signature using the mouse on a computer, or the touch screen on smartphones and tablets.  The Signature Box field can also be setup as a required field or alert administrators if a signature has been added or left blank.  Access this new feature by going to the Forms Configurator and dragging the Signature Box onto your form as show here.



If you have questions, or need assistance, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for using Aladtec.

System Log - Tracks Member Logins

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The System Log in Aladtec is a great accountability tool which tracks actions taken by all users in the system. In addition to the ability to see who make requests, approvals and changes, the System Log now displays when members log in into the system. This can be very useful when keeping members and approvers accountable. This image shows examples. 

System Log page highlighting member login entries

For questions or assistance utilizing the System Log in Aladte, please contact the Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. As always, thank you for using Aladtec!



New Find Coverage Alert Page

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The Find Coverage page has been updated with a new look and added functionality. The blue Find Coverage envelopes throughout the system help you fill open shifts by sending out text messages and emails to all eligible members.

Here is what’s new:
  • Members who have time off or are already working can now be selected to receive the alerts.
  • The Find Coverage page has been redesigned to make it easier to send an alert for the right open shifts to the right members.
  • See a sample of the text and email message that is being sent to members and add a note if needed.

As shown in this image, there are 4 steps to sending an alert:
  1. Select the Schedules and Positions which need to be filled.
  2. Select who will receive the alert.
  3. Add a message with additional detail if required
  4. Click Send


If you need help, please contact Aladtec Support. support@aladtec.com or 888-749-5550

Major Improvements to the Availability Page

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As you may already know, the Availability page in Aladtec displays every member's availability in one place. We are happy to announce some major improvements to the flexibility of this page.

Here's what's new:

  • Date selectors have been added to allow viewing by day, week, month, or custom time frames.
  • Member Filters to display availability for specific groups or individuals.
  • Display fields from the member database next to each person’s name.
  • The header and name column are now frozen, making it easier to scroll and still keep your bearings.
  • Custom views can be saved and easily accessed.


Don’t forget, if you have questions, or need assistance, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550. 

Announcing External Links

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You can now create links in Aladtec for members to access other useful websites (like incident reporting software, training software, or anywhere else on the web). The links will display for all members in the top left corner by clicking the service name as shown in this image.



To enable, click on your service name in the top left corner to go into Setup -> External Links.

Don’t forget, if you have questions, or need assistance, please contact your Support Team at support@aladtec.com or 888.749.5550.

Resolving Conflicts with Repeats & Rotations

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Repeats and Rotations are quick and easy to use when scheduling complex rotations for members. Before applying a repeat and rotation, Aladtec will automatically check for conflicts. If any conflicts are found, a warning will be displayed. The warning will help identify whether:
  • the member is already scheduled for a different shift.
  • another member is already scheduled for the shift.
  • shifts are not open for the member to work.
  • the member already has scheduled Time Off. 

When applying a Repeat and Rotation, if any conflicts occur, a warning will be displayed. The date/time and type of each conflict will be included in the warning. As a helpful reminder, a key describing the conflict types is displayed at the bottom of the warning page.
In the example below, the warning shows the member will be successfully scheduled where blue squares are displayed. If the member is already scheduled, pink squares with the letter S are displayed. The option to either leave the member’s time as currently scheduled or change the member’s time to the new rotation is provided. To view additional information on where the member is already scheduled, use the Schedule Views or the Hourly Editor.


When time is already taken by another member or block time, a warning will display pink squares with the letter T, as shown in the example below. Confirming the rotation will not overwrite the time already taken. If the member needs to be scheduled into the time that’s already taken, use the Hourly Editor to remove the currently scheduled member and then reapply the repeat and rotation.


When a member has approved Time Off during the requested rotation, the warning will include orange squares with the letters TO, as shown in the example below. Confirming the changes will not overwrite the Time Off. If the member needs to be scheduled, use Schedule Views, or My Schedule, to cancel the approved Time Off.


To learn more about resolving conflicts in Repeats and Rotations, watch the video below.

If you have any questions or need additional assistance with Repeats and Rotations, please contact the Support Team at 888.749.5550 or support@aladtec.com. As always, thank you for using Aladtec! ~Your Aladtec Team








Removing Scheduled Time with Date Range Delete

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Date Range Delete can be used to quickly remove scheduled time for a specific period of time. Use Date Range Delete to:

  • remove block time on a special events schedule, e.g. open up shifts for EMT coverage of football games
  • remove a member’s scheduled shifts, in the middle of their rotation, for a temporary schedule change
  • remove all scheduled shifts for a single schedule after a specific date
  • remove multiple shifts that were scheduled manually, i.e. a rotation doesn’t exist to modify or delete

Date Range Delete can be used to remove block time, remove one or all employees, or remove both block time and employees for a schedule. The delete can be narrowed down further to specific positions, days, and time ranges all within a specific date range. Keep in mind that Date Range Delete is deleting scheduled shifts from the system, so it’s a good idea to confirm the entered information is correct prior to selecting continue.

The example below shows using Date Range Delete to remove block time from two positions on the Special Events schedule, specifically from 18:00 to 22:00 on Fridays between August 24, 2018 and October 26, 2018.



To learn more about using Date Range Delete, watch the video below.


If you have any questions or need additional assistance with Date Range Delete, please contact the Support Team at 888.749.5550 or support@aladtec.com. As always, thank you for using Aladtec!

~Your Aladtec Team
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