Understanding the Staff Planner

IMPORTANT:  New versions of the Staff and Group Planners are out now, both with additional functionality 

To start using and configure the new Staff and Group Planners, please read Understanding The Group Planner and Understanding the Staff Planner. For existing users of the Staff Planner, Transitioning over from the existing Staff Planner to the Group Planner. 

The Staff and Group Planners can be set up to display the following:
Color Coding to easily identify when Staff/Sitters have reached,  or are over capacity.
Check-in and Check-out directly from the Planner
Direct access to Client accounts from the Planner
Vaccination flags

The Group Planner can also display the following:
Company Level Capacity for Service Item Groups
Staff Level Capacity for Service Item Groups

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About the Planner
• Setting up your Staff Planner
• Viewing your Staff Planner following Configuration
  • Step 1 - Service Item Resource Cost
  • Step 2 - General Planner Settings
  • Step 3 - Set Staff/Sitter Total Capacity

About the Planner

Setting up your Staff Planner

Tip: Click the pin to lock dates, filters and jump to buttons to the top of your device to enable scrolling, without losing access to key navigation tools. Click the pin again to unlock and view all of your screen.

Tip: Click the cog to jump to Staff and General Planner Settings.

Viewing your Staff Planner following Configuration

Step 1 - Service Item Resource Cost

To ensure your services are counted and visible in your Staff Planner, you must first set up the Service Items you wish to count in your Planner and assign a "Resource Cost" in Admin > Services > Service Item > Advanced. Setting a service item resource cost to a number greater than zero means the service will be tracked in the planner, entering zero means it won't be. 

Navigation: Admin > Services > Service Item > Advanced

Set the Resource Cost to a number greater than zero to have the service counted in the Planner. To not have a service counted, set number to Zero.

Tip: When applying a Resource Cost:
A number greater than zero means the service will be tracked in the planner. (Entering zero means it won't be.)
Resource Cost of 1 means each time the service is scheduled, the planner total for the day will increase by 1. For example, if "home boarding for 1 dog" has a Resource Cost of 1, then each time this service is scheduled, the total number in the planner for the day for the pet sitter assigned the work will be 1.
Likewise, a resource cost of 2 (for a service item of "home boarding for 2 dogs"), means each time this service is scheduled, the total number in the planner for the day for the pet sitter assigned the work will be 2.
For a more detailed explanation of this feature, please refer to What is a Resource Cost?.

• Enter the Resource Cost number
• Click "Update."

Step 2 - General Planner Settings

Next, set up your General Planner Settings to enable additional features in both the Staff and Group Planners.

Navigation: Admin > Settings > Planner Settings > General

Note: Settings in "General Planner Settings" apply to both the Staff Planner and the Group Planner.

• Use Check in / Check Out Feature: Toggle ON to to enable Staff to Check in and Out of their services directly from the planner.
• Show Vaccination Status: Toggle ON to show vaccination flags directly from the planner.
• Use Max Capacity Color Coding: Toggle ON to enable color coding indicators to easily identify which Service Item Groups or Staff are at capacity or over capacity.
• Use Add to Staff Total: When “Use Staff Add to Total” is toggled ON, “Add to group total” in Group Planner Settings is hidden and Staff Group Totals (If toggled ON in Staff Configurations) are added to the Company Planner Totals. When toggled OFF, Staff Totals can be excluded from the Company Planner Totals, but can be viewed for Staff Level Planners. Company and Staff Planner totals can be configured in Group Planners Settings.
• Display Zeros as Blank: Toggle ON to not show 0's and display the daily count as a blank space if no services are scheduled. Toggle OFF to have 0's displayed in the planners.
• Default Initial Display. Set the default view for your Planners by selecting Weekly or Monthly from the drop down list.

When you have finished setting up the General Planner Settings, click "Update" and move onto Step 3.

Step 3 - Set Staff/Sitter Total Capacity

Staff Settings allows you to set up your staff/sitter total service capacity on a daily basis. 

Navigation: Scheduler > Schedule > Admin Schedules > Staff Planner

Click on the Staff Cog to jump to the Staff Planner Settings 

• Enter the total Staff Capacity for each Staff/Sitter to appear in your Staff Planner
• Click "Update."

Once your Staff Planner has been set up, you can view your Staff/Sitters Daily, Weekly or Monthly capacity at a glance to see their availability for differing services.

Info: Further reading....
Group Planner Settings
Staff Planner Settings
Understanding The Group Planner
How do I set Capacity limits for Individual Staff?
Check-in and Check-out directly from the planner
View Vaccination Flags in the Planner