Online Employee Scheduling with Aladtec Inc

Tech Tip: Schedule Editor Shortcut From Work Schedules

2012-03-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

Did you know that the work schedules link directly to the schedule editor? Whether you are are on a weekly view or a monthly view, the day is a clickable link that will take you to that day on the schedule editor.

When you hover over the day, you will see a pop-up that says "Edit Schedule" and you can click (you can even right-click to open in a tab) to go straight to that day. In case you missed it, here's what they look like:

Monthly Calendar View: Edit Schedule Link

Weekly Shifts View: Edit Schedule

Tech Tip: What's Keeping You From Getting Organized?

2012-02-28T13:43:00.000-06:00

So you've abandoned your headache-riddled paper schedule and switched to managing your staff with an online employee scheduling system.

Great!

Someone once said, "Organization is the Key to Productivity".

So what's keeping you from taking the next steps in getting ORGANIZED?

The number one reason our users sign up for EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager is for our advanced scheduling system. With functions like schedule and position qualifications, time tracking, repeating and rotating shifts, availability submission, shift sign-up, etc., our users are having an easier time than ever scheduling their staff.

But why stop there?

Collect and manage your employee data in the member database like:

contact information
emergency contact (much more valuable than you'd initially think!)
licenses
certifications
skills
continuing education
uniform sizes
time off accrual
etc.

If you have company files, store them in the massive 200GB library. This gives you access to these files anywhere you have an Internet connection 24/7, just like your schedule. Why keep files spread out across different computers when you can them all in the EMS Manager, FIRE Manager, or Zanager?

The forum is another powerful tool. On the surface, the forum seems useful for company-wide communication, and it is. It's an organized place for discussion, sharing of ideas and in some cases, tracking of data...but the forum can be so much more than that. The forum includes access level control when creating categories which means you can create categories with access given only to certain members in your organization. This opens the forum up to be a database for all kinds of information for all or specific groups of people.

The events calendar is a handy place to let members of your organization know about things like upcoming meetings, guests in the office, even payday. The events schedule also includes an event block (give us a call if you want help in setting this up) which allows you to broadcast all or certain events to the public.

Lastly, each member's schedule and the events calendar are all subscription calendars. This means that if you already use Outlook, Google Calendar, iCloud, MobileMe, Yahoo! Calendars or the like for your own personal calendar management (and you should!), adding your work schedule and work's event calendar will make your or any of your members' life more organized.

So there you have it. Spring cleaning is around the corner. Use this time to not only take full advantage of your Aladtec online employee scheduling system but to get organized and more productive!

EMS Today...See You Next Week!

2012-02-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun last year meeting so many of our users, we're exhibiting again at this years EMS Today. Whether you're an EMS Manager pro, a new user or looking for a solution to your employee scheduling woes, come by our booth. We're just past the first section behind Physio-Control's booth. Here's what you need to know:

When: Thursday, March 1 through Saturday, March 3
Where: Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Where are we: Booth 3519, a couple of sections from the entrance and behind the American Heart Association Booth
Show Hours:

Thursday: 5:00PM - 7:30PM
Friday: 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Saturday: 9:30AM - 1:30PM

Press Release: Nashwauk Ambulance Service Enters Fifth Year Of Online Employee Scheduling With EMS Manager

2012-02-22T13:33:00.000-06:00

When Nashwauk Ambulance Service (NAS) decided to give EMS Manager a try in 2007, they didn't know that it would still play such a big role in their operations five years later. EMS Coordinator, Karen Calaguire, remembers needing "to find a way to make scheduling as easy and painless as possible for [her] employees." After a short demo of EMS Manager, Calaguire signed up the service and everyone was up and running within a month.

Nashwauk Ambulance Service is a paid volunteer service where members respond to calls from their home. Having their employee scheduling and workforce management online not only allows members to check the schedule and make requests from home or their smartphone, it eliminates the need to stop by the station or call Calaguire for schedule information. In addition to scheduling, NAS manages employee credentials, member communication and generate reports with their EMS Manager system.

We'd like to thank Karen Calaguire and everyone at Nashwauk Ambulance Service for choosing Aladtec for the online employee scheduling and workforce management needs...and for letting us serve you for so many years!

Read the entire press release here.

Tech Tip: Trade Your Shift With Me!

2012-02-21T20:42:00.000-06:00

I've recently started getting spam messages to my cell phone and it is making me livid! This on top of what has become a daily routing of de-spamming my email inbox (and due to my personality, I go through all emails in "junk" just in case something good went there by mistake...it happens...), I find myself feeling inundated with electronic communication! I'm spending more time than I should figuring out what is important and what isn't.

We wouldn't want you to feel that way about your Aladtec online employee scheduling system.

I'm going to focus on one particular item that seems very popular among users of EMS Manager, FIRE Manager and Zanager: Trade Requests. While I'm sure many of you practice this already, others may not be aware of its presence. When submitting a trade request, you have the option to select who you specifically send trade requests to:

Swap Details: Trade Recipients

You can even hold the CTRL key (Command on a Mac) to select multiple recipients. By default, trade requests are sent to all eligible recipients. This means any member who isn't already scheduled during the shift time to be traded and who is qualified for the schedule and position will receive a trade notification.

But let's say that you've already talked to someone ahead of time about the shift and you simply need to document the trade in your system. Send the request JUST to the person you plan on trading with! This way, other members will not receive a notification of your request. Of course, if you want to open your shift up to all eligible members, proceed as usual.

Why Is Training So Important?

2012-02-13T22:25:00.001-06:00

We live in the Internet-age which means any responsible purchase should be carefully thought out, researched and bought for the right value. After all, you'd be pretty upset at yourself if you bought a new fancy home entertainment component that turned out to be incompatible with your television, blu-ray player, etc. And I would hope with such an investment, you've taken the time to learn how to use the stuff!

I'm kind of a tech geek myself and there's a part of me that shivers when a friend tells me it's been two years and it's time for a new computer - that his "old" computer is slow and "broken." I'd like to think if only he had taken the time to learn how to use his computer, both the included hardware and software, he could get much more use out of it than a measly two years!

Which brings me to the importance of learning how to use your technology. At Aladtec, we pride ourselves in providing 24/7 support through phone, email and online tutorial videos. But we believe support can only go so far. Support is the reactive component to your needs. EMS Manager, FIRE Manager and Zanager, while simple to use, are complex systems for managing a large portion of your workforce data…we wouldn't want you to be burning the midnight oil trying to figure out how to do something in your system.

Training is the proactive component to your needs. We have dedicated staff on-hand to help with your system rollout and training. We believe that spending time with our training specialists when you first start your system is so valuable, we stand by it and include it with your subscription. Training your administrators to become "pros" at using your online scheduling system creates a new level of accountability and provides employees with a point person for questions.

Training provides preparedness and a working knowledge to any situation. I see a similarity in musicians. Many great talented musicians are self-taught and have received pointers throughout their career to better their craft. You could argue, however, that proper training and methodology is a more efficient way of learning. It would set a universal language that helps you communicate with others effectively.

Our hope is to help you get as much out of your system as possible. If you've recently signed up for an Aladtec online employee scheduling system, contact us to set up a training plan. If you've been using a system for a while and have new leadership coming in, give us a call - we're happy to help you get even more out of your system.

We will always provide support for our customers and believe it is an important part of our product but we see and offer training as an entirely different component. So take us up on our offer...be proactive in learning how to use your EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager system; we're dedicated to making it the best possible experience.

Press Release: Camden First Aid Association Chooses EMS Manager For Online Employee Scheduling

2012-02-07T15:37:00.000-06:00

Camden First Aid Association's (CFAA) Brian Wright, EMT-I, was kind enough to tell us a bit about his department's EMS Manager experience. Wright, who is a system administrator, shared how things have changed for the better since switching to online employee scheduling.

CFAA traded-in countless phone calls and desk calendars covered in white-out for a scheduling system where members sign up for shifts at their convenience. In fact, "the schedule pretty much fills itself," says Wright who also shared that,

“With online scheduling, membership now looks at the schedule at their convenience. It gives everyone the chanceto look at the schedule at any time of day from a computer or smartphone and by doing that, members actuallytake the time to sign up for shifts."

Before switching, what used to take 40 hours now takes 10 hours giving Wright and CFAA time back to focus on providing pre-hospital care for the Maine towns of Camden, Rockport, Hope and Lincolnville.

We'd like to thank Brian Wright and everyone at Camden First Aid Association for choosing EMS Manager and for sharing their story with us.

Click here for the complete press release.

Tech Tip: 6 Computer Tips for Getting More Out of Your Online Employee Scheduling System

2012-02-03T22:18:00.000-06:00

A while back, I wrote a blog entry on using your work schedule as a wall calendar with a TV and one on using tabbed browsing with your Aladtec online employee scheduling system. Both tips featured modern computing technology to get you more out of your system. Because EMS Manager, FIRE Manager and Zanager are web-based applications, they take full use of current and developing technologies.

Here are six tips to make your online employee scheduling better!

Display Resolution - Are you getting the most out of your display? Whether you are on Windows or Mac OS X, check your computer's system settings to set your display at the highest resolution you are comfortable with. The higher the resolution, the more you can fit on your screen.

Hide Unnecessary Toolbars - I always encourage friends to learn and use keyboard shortcuts instead of relying on a pointing device like a mouse or trackpad - you'd be surprised how much faster it is! Think about it, everyone knows Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V for copy and paste...how much slower would it be to always go up to the Edit menu? For this example, I like to hide bookmark bars, search bars and even the address bar. Hiding these can reclaim A LOT of vertical space:

Zoom Text - While each web browser may use something different, usually Ctrl + and Ctrl - will increase or decrease the size of the font on the page you're on; on a Mac, it's Cmd + and Cmd -. If you have a trackpad or a scrolling mouse, usually scrolling up and down while holding down the appropriate key will do the same thing.

Refresh - Just in case you didn't know this, F5 on Windows will typically refresh the page you're on; on a Mac, it's Cmd-R.

Horizontal Scrolling - This is commonly found on laptops with trackpads where you can scroll left and right by two-finger swiping left and right. Some mice with scroll wheels will allow you to assign a key to scroll left and right. This is incredibly useful on large member database views. It's much easier than moving your mouse cursor to the corners of the web browser.

Find - This is a classic. Here's a useful shortcut that is especially useful for a large member database view. On Windows, Ctrl-F, on Mac, Cmd-F. Let's say you have a lot of information on one screen. Instead of eye-scanning for a particular member or piece of information, simply conduct a "find" and the browser will highlight all instances of your search. This is great if you're looking for how many times a word or term shows up on a view or report.

With how quickly web technologies evolve, there are better and faster ways to do things you routinely do. If you rely on a cloud service like EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager, do yourself a favor and see if there are shortcuts to do the things you do all the time. Saving a few seconds a few dozen times an hour can save you a whole lot more in the end.

Is My Company Too Small For Online Employee Scheduling?

2012-01-30T23:25:00.000-06:00

A month ago, I wrote a blog entry called "But Why ONLINE Employee Scheduling" which explored the many benefits cloud computing brought to your employee scheduling and workforce management. From dynamically updated data and virtually unlimited space, cloud computing provides convenient access to all of your information anywhere and anytime.

For users of EMS Manager, FIRE Manager and Zanager, having their employee schedule and member database online means members can:

submit availability
trade or giveaway shifts
submit time off requests
sign up for open shifts
and even hold conversations over their own system-hosted forum

whenever it is convenient for them and on nearly any Internet-enabled device.

Over 750 unique businesses and public safety agencies across the United States and Canada use an Aladtec system, ranging anywhere from 12 users to over 400 users, in one office or over 15 stations. I'm often asked what the typical size of our customer is and it's actually quite difficult to say. We have a diverse range of customers from volunteer services to large multi-location health providers who use our products in their own unique ways.

As you're reading this, you may be saying to yourself, "it all sounds nice and it makes sense for large companies," but I'm here to say that you may be selling you and your business short. If your business has a flexible schedule and employees who work varied shift times, managing your employee scheduling online may make things as easy as they should be. If you find yourself spending more time than you can afford working on schedules, trying to get in contact with employees or juggling notes, emails and voicemails just to start putting together a schedule, consider managing all of that in one place.

The obvious benefit of employee scheduling online is that you have access 24/7 and from anywhere. This means that even after you've left the office, you can work on the schedule from home without worrying about syncing files or any of that ancient nonsense. Or maybe you work multiple jobs. You'll now have the convenience of working on your other job's schedule from home - or during your lunch break ;-)

But here's the more likely situation...you work at a small business where you're forced to wear many hats, one of which is putting the schedule together. By the time the work bell rings to go home, you haven't even begun to look at all the requests and notes to start working out the next schedule. So what do you do? Work late? Come in early? Bring everything with you and work on it at home? The question here you need to ask yourself is...

How much is your time worth to you?

Giving you and your employees a tool where everyone can help make this necessary evil easier is a better idea than you think. Imagine a system where your employees aren't emailing you, leaving you voicemail or random notes on your desk but rather submitting electronic requests in an easy to manage system. How much time is spent gathering information before you actually start working on the schedule? Having a system where all data is centralized and scheduling your staff can be as simple as clicking "approve" or "deny," not only saves time for you, it gets your staff involved. It makes for a better and more equitable work ecosystem complete with a digital paper trail.

Why not give a try? See how the time savings translates into cost savings. With Aladtec online employee scheduling systems, you get a satisfaction guarantee allowing you to cancel at any time during the first year. Don't keep telling yourself you can't afford it without really knowing how much a difference it will actually make in your operations.

New Features: Time Off Views, System Log Views & Unified Tools

2012-01-25T15:30:00.000-06:00

Users of EMS Manager, FIRE Manager and Zanager know they can contact us anytime for support, suggestions and requests. Today, we are rolling out a system upgrade containing some ideas from our valuable users. And when we say "valuable," we mean it. Ideas on how to make our systems even easier to use are always welcome...and here's what we have for you this round!

Time Off Views
On our last major system upgrade, we introduced consolidated work views that included more data than ever before on daily, weekly and monthly calendar views. We expanded on that idea and now have robust new ways to view time off requests.

Time Off: Monthly View - All Members

The first is a monthly calendar-like view of all approved and pending time off requests. You can now reach the details directly for each pending and approved request right from this view. Clicking on any entry will open a lightbox for you to approve pending requests or edit details for approved requests.

Time Off: Approve Pending Requests

The next view is an individual member time off request view. This view provides a summary along with itemized requests for an entire year for every employee in your system.

Time Off: Annual View - Individuals

We've even made submitting a time off request for members even easier with this updated view:

Request Time Off

These new views give users a clearer picture of how time off requests are being managed system-wide. Building off our consolidated views concept, these time off views provide users with more data in one place and one-click access to processing.

System Log Views
We've learned that saved views not only allow users to create their own "personalized" view or report, but they make using EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager much faster! We added filters to the system log last year and we're very happy to rollout an updated system log that now supports saved views.

System Log Views: Create Saved Views

And to make this easy to use right out of the gate, we've made presets for all the system views:

System Log Views: System Views Presets

Unified Tools
We are always looking for ways to make the system less cluttered and easier to navigate. With this update, users will enjoy a unified look for saved views on every part of the system. The date selector, views pull-down menu, edit view and the new page & view selector tools are similar across all pages for an easier and more streamlined experience.

Page & View Selector on Required Messages

Three Weeks In...How Are Your New Year's Resolutions Coming Along?

2012-01-18T21:59:00.000-06:00

Admit it. You're less than three whole weeks into 2012 and you've struggled with (if not completely failed) your new year's resolutions. You promised yourself you'd workout more but since everyone else has made the same promise to themselves, the gym you signed up for is overcapacity all the time. Healthy eating is another ambitious one...but when you're running late, drive-thru is just too convenient to pass up. And I know you promised yourself you'd spend more time with family, if even just a phone call to mom or dad, but admit it, nothing's on the calendar.

I'm not writing this to make you feel guilty or embarrassed but rather to encourage you. Most people pick challenging resolutions requiring a complete change in habit. Life changes take time but if you put in the hours, it'll pay dividends.

Here's an idea...why not have team, group or department resolutions in the workplace?

I had a great conversation with a friend the other day and he shared with me that his department at work decided to curb foul language and implement a "swear jar," which amassed wealth would benefit a yet to be determined charity. I wish them well - though I found it peculiar that if they were successful, there wouldn't be much to donate!

I thought about this wonderful idea further and wondered why departments don't (that I know of) set new year's goals for work efficiency? Instead of setting resolutions for things not to do, set things to do as a team. Here are some ideas I came up with relating a bit to what we do (online employee scheduling):

Go for 100% online shift sign-ups, trades, time off requests, etc. No phone calls, no emails.
Spelling! Maybe even go through your scheduling system and fix old typos.
Keep employee data current.
Start tracking time off accrual online.
Take and upload employee photos for your employee database.
Have every upcoming open shift filled by a set date of the month.
Take two daily 15 minute breaks to do something team-building together.
Utilize your system's online forum to have logged work discussion and conversation.
Take advantage of the massive 200GB of online storage in your EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager system by putting all department files "in the cloud."
Log in every day into your system.

Whatever system you use for employee scheduling, even if it's not one of our systems, decide as a team on how to be more productive. Challenge each other to stay organized and focused on work tasks. Warren Buffet once said, "Bad habits are like chains that are too light to feel until they are too heavy to carry." An effective system is a committed system, and a working system is a used system.

Before cloud storage, I used to hear people say all the time that they lost their computer files and didn't have a backup. The idea of backing up your files has been around for a long time and some computer operating systems even have built-in software to back up your hard drive automatically. All you have to do is set it up. Point being, the system works - you just have to use it.

Say it with me, the system works, I just need to use it. Encourage each other to take advantage of the tools you already have and develop good habits - you'll be surprised how much you can get done together.

*Special thanks to Big Thoughts from a Small Mind for the great picture.

Press Release: Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps Goes With EMS Manager For Their Employee Scheduling Needs

2012-01-11T02:00:00.000-06:00

Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps (EVAC) Training Officer, Bruce Hoffman, shared a bit about how EVAC switched to EMS Manager from paper and spreadsheets for their employee scheduling. He felt it was a natural fit and said that:

“EMTs and paramedics lead dynamic lives and working around a static schedule just doesn’t work. We needed to make a switch from paper to electronic; as soon as we hit ‘print’ on a paper schedule, people started making changes and that schedule became obsolete. We needed one accessible schedule that remained up-to-date."

Only four months into using EMS Manager, EVAC, who started back in September 2011, is welcoming and embracing the switch. Hoffman said, "The initial setup [of EMS Manager] was easy and using it is a breeze. The program truly does what it is designed to do and we don’t know how we managed so long without it.”

Thanks to Bruce Hoffman and everyone at Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corps for choosing EMS Manager for their workforce management. To read the entire press release, click here.

Tech Tip: Create and Save Member Database Layouts for Easy Access

2012-01-10T14:12:00.002-06:00

When you use a productivity tool like EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager, you expect to do things faster, easier and on-demand. This tech tip may be for something you already use but if you don't, you're welcome!

The fully customizable member database allows you to catalog virtually any employee data you need. From contact information to certifications, time off accrual to equipment rental, and continuing education tracking to shift qualifications, the member database is your one stop shop for managing your employee information. And with access anywhere you have Internet, it's truly the only place you'd ever need to keep your valuable data.

But did you know that you can create and save different layouts for quick and rapid recall?

Creating and saving layouts allows you to pull up only the data you want when you want it. Create a layout of just contact information or one of just continuing education. Whatever you need, pull up your saved displayed layout, and all data will be refreshed to reflect your most current data. Your information when you need it, as you need it.

2011: What A Year (In Review)!

2011-12-30T15:46:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and if you're like me, you're wondering how 2011 flew by already! In roughly 36 hours, we'll be living in 2012 and if you're still like me, "2012" sounds like the distant future. I can even remember sitting in a classroom in the mid-90s thinking to myself, "It'll never be the year 2000...that sounds so far away!" But all joking aside, I think that when a year feels like it flew by, if you take the time to look back upon it, you'll realize that so much actually happened.

2011 will be remembered by stories of Mubarak, Gadhafi, Kate & William, Whitey Bulger, Casey Anthony and Charlie Sheen. And we'll never forget the tsunami in Japan, flooding in Thailand or the tornado in Joplin, MO. And what about the Occupy movement? Herman Cain? How about the death of Bin Laden by our own Marines coupled with the 10 year anniversary of 9/11? Oh, and we'll be sure to never forget that our Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl at the beginning of the year!

For Aladtec, 2011 was a big year too. Our company grew which allowed us to ramp up development for EMS Manager, FIRE Manager and Zanager, which we released this year. With new faces in our development team, we pushed out new features such as:

We traveled a bit and got to meet many of our users in Milwaukee, WI at WEMSA, Baltimore, MD at EMS Today, in Miami Beach, FL at Pinnacle EMS and in Las Vegas, NV at the American Ambulance Association Convention.

Some of our users even had stories featured in major publications:

An Easy Solution to Employee Scheduling Woes - Captain James Limerick, Liberty Township Fire Department, Liberty Township, OH. As seen on firerescue1.com, posted on April 13, 2011.
Never Too Late For New Technology - Former Chief James Rattunde, Necedah Fire & Rescue, Necedah, WI. As seen in EMS PRO Magazine, Vol. 3 Issue 5.
Scheduling Software Can Make EMS More Efficient - Cassie Palmer, First Call Ambulance, Nashville, TN. As seen on jems.com, posted July 8, 2011.
Goodbye Paper Schedules...Hello Web-Based Scheduling - Stephanie Fowler Burt, Lifestar Ambulance, Salisbury, MD. As seen in EMS PRO Magazine, Vol. 3 Issue 8/9.

In 2011, we expanded our customer support efforts by launching this blog for tech tips and news, hosting support videos on our YouTube channel and keeping our users up-to-date over facebook and twitter. We continued providing support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 750 unique customers.

And largely in part due to our wonderful customers' word-of-mouth, over 200 new public safety agencies and companies switched to scheduling their employees and managing their workforce online with EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager this year. We are incredibly humbled by this and promise to continue improving our products to help you and your business run efficiently. Here's to an exciting 2012!

But Why ONLINE Employee Scheduling?

2011-12-21T14:57:00.001-06:00

When I first started working at Aladtec, I had a lot to learn about "software-as-a-service" or SaaS or what is sometimes called "cloud computing." Sure I was familiar with products that were hosted online like Gmail and Google Calendar, Apple's then MobileMe (now iCloud) platform and other services of that nature. I've been managing my own personal email and calendar online for awhile now and have thoroughly enjoyed the benefits:

Checking email or my calendar on any computer or web-enabled device
Looking up email or event archives on any computer or web-enabled device
Traveling abroad without needing my own laptop to check email
Buying a new computer and not "losing" any email or my personal calendar
Not worrying about viruses trashing all my email - it's in the cloud!

Thanks to Technorati for the graphic.

But what else is there about having things in the cloud? In the past few years, Google has done wonderful things with their Google Apps allowing you to write and store documents, spreadsheets, presentations among other things right in the cloud. In fact, Google's Chrome OS and Chromebook are big indications that the future of computing is cloud-based and not local file-based.

So what about cloud computing for the workforce? I just mentioned office productivity tools like those from Google but what else could be put in the cloud to everyone's advantage? I didn't have any experience in public safety or workforce management prior to working here so it was eye-opening learning how intricate, delicate and complex employee scheduling is for agencies like EMS, fire, dispatch, police and other branches of public safety.

As I learned more about the differences between full-timers (aka. career), part-timers and volunteers, I learned how elaborate any given schedule could be. Employees requesting time-off, shift trades, or even calling in sick had a big effect on the schedule considering what qualifications needed to be met on filling a given shift. Having done office work for most of my life, I hadn't even considered the importance of one's qualifications when it came to business of saving lives.

I had a great conversation with Bruce Hoffman, the Training Officer at the Ellington Volunteer Ambulance Corp in Connecticut, the other day and he told me that online employee scheduling for EMS made perfect sense. He shared with me that since EMTs and paramedics lead such dynamic lives, they require a dynamic schedule. Having their employee schedule online allows their entire staff to view current information at any time and from anywhere. Switching from scheduling on paper, Bruce told me how they would struggle to keep any scheduling information current because it was difficult to know when time-off or trade requests had been submitted or how a request could affect another request.

Bruce's explanation really made sense to me. I understood how scheduling your staff online would save any company time, resources and prevent mistakes. I understood the benefit of having detailed reporting and statistics on staff scheduling trends for internal consumption as well as for external audits. What really dawned on me was that online employee scheduling, as a dynamic and evolving tool, fit the lifestyle of around-the-clock agencies like those in public safety.

For workplaces where:

employees work varied shift times,
shifts have qualifications,
and you have backups available in case of emergencies,

having a dynamic and always-available schedule is a necessity. The internet has been an evolving medium for people to communicate, both privately and publicly. Cloud computing has provided cost-effective and excellent tools for productivity. I'd like to throw employee scheduling and workforce management into that hat.

Press Release: Burning Man Festival Embraces EMS Manager For Scheduling Medical Personnel

2011-12-08T11:34:00.001-06:00

When Pat Songer, EMS Director for the Humboldt General Hospital EMS/Rescue Department, began preparing for Burning Man he knew he wanted to schedule his medical staff with the same platform he had been using for nearly 5 years at his own service - EMS Manager. Burning Man is an annual art event and temporary community based on radical self-expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

"It was an advantageous tool to see where we needed to put people in and where we needed to make coverage requests. For a week and half of scheduling, EMS Manager was excellent and we plan on using it again in the future,” Songer said.

HGH EMS' Pat Songer with Aladtec's Thomas Chan at the 2011 AAA Convention

HGH EMS Rescue provided advanced life-support ambulance service within the created Black Rock City, for the week long event. A 2,000 square foot medical clinic was open around the clock handling all ground transports to Reno hospitals. In total, over 2300 patients were seen and 33 transports were taken off the playa.

Special thanks to Pat Songer and everyone at HGH EMS Rescue for choosing EMS Manager to help schedule this exciting event. Click here to read the full press release.

Tech Tip: Weekend Hours Look Funny in Reports? Check Your Weekend Range Settings!

2011-12-06T10:41:00.001-06:00

I was talking with a customer the other day and she had mentioned in passing that their reports were a little off. When I asked how so, she replied, "The weekday hours have some weekend hours and the weekend hours have a little of Monday's weekday hours."

From there, we went into the setup of her FIRE Manager system and defined the weekend range which cleaned up her reports. I asked if she has any other questions and thanked her for her time.

I thought about this conversation some more and it dawned on me that there must be other users out there who may not have this setting properly set up or have a general fear of system settings. I'm here to tell you...SETUP IS YOUR FRIEND! In the story I just shared, all it took was going to weekend range and set when the weekend starts:

Administrators, don't be afraid of system settings! Most settings include bubble help which explain what each setting does to your system. If you have any questions about any setting, feel free to call our support team at (888) 749-5550 or email them at support@aladtec.com.

Aladtec Goes Vegas! (At least just for the AAA Convention & Trade Show)

2011-11-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

There are many great reasons to go to the American Ambulance Association Annual Convention & Trade Show this year. For one, AAA is a great organization. For two, Erin Brokovich is the keynote speaker. For three, it's being held at the Las Vegas Hilton. And for four, Aladtec will be there!

We're excited to exhibit at this year's AAA Convention and invite you to come by Booth 207 to see us. It's only ten days away (as of this writing) so let us know here or at http://www.facebook.com/aladtec if you'll be there!

To review:

What: American Ambulance Association Annual Convention & Trade Show
Where: Las Vegas Hilton
When: November 14-15 (Mon-Tue)
Why: To visit Aladtec at Booth 207 (and other great EMS vendors)

See you there!

New Features: New Consolidated Views Add Speed and Agility to Workforce Management

2011-10-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Today we are proud to announce the release of our latest system upgrade. This upgrade focuses on two main areas:

consolidated work schedule views making it easier to see information you need on a single screen and
streamlined navigation to get you anywhere in the system faster.

Consolidated Work Schedule Views

Two months ago, we gave you a sneak peak of the latest work schedule, the Daily Summary View which added additional schedule items such as: shift trades, approved time off, rotating shifts, daily events and time clock entries. This view was created from many of your suggestions. With your feedback, we added these view options into every work schedule view, giving you access to more information at once than ever before.

Combining view options with six different views gives you the flexibility to display all the information you need on your preferred work schedule view.

Compare scheduled shifts, rotating shifts, traded shifts, and approved time off from the same view - without having to leave the page.

The view options vary slightly between work schedules. On any given view, you will be able to:

Select which schedule(s) to view
Indicate rotated and traded shifts with an icon

Show open shifts in red
Hide completely blocked positions/schedules
Show shift trade originator and recipient
Show approved time off shifts and types
Show occurring events from the events calendar

Time clock entries, including clock in/out and notes, are available in the daily summary view. Having more information on a single view lets you compare scheduling data for better overview of your scheduling patterns and needs.

So what does it look like? With all the different view combinations, there are countless possibilities. Here is an example of what you may see for a weekly shifts view:

And here's a free one: (did I mention that all of these features are included with your subscription?) on any work schedule view, you can hover over almost any data and more information will hover over it. For instance, hovering over an employee's name will reveal the schedule and position of the person scheduled.

Streamlined Navigation
American educator and writer, Peter F. Drucker, once said, "The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager." I may be taking this quote a little out of context, but we decided to take it upon ourselves to make our system more efficient - so you can be more productive. Here are some navigation improvements we've included in this upgrade:

Each work schedule view uses the same unified date range selector to switch between views. This will give you familiarity to navigate between views more effectively.

Next up is the scrolling menu bar. Our mad scientists in the lab concocted this feature to scroll the menu bar with you as you scroll up and down your page. No longer will you need to "page up" or exhaust your mouse's scroll wheel to get to the menu bar...it'll be right there with you. Check out this quick clip on how it works:

You may have noticed the drop-down menus, which replaced the sub-navigation bar, from one of the screenshots above. Even if you have a large high-resolution monitor, who couldn't benefit from saving some more space? For our tech-geeks out there, every pixel counts, right?

Not only does this save you vertical space, it reduces the amount of clicks needed to get to where you want. You can now access specific pages without needing to click on a tab and loading data you may not necessary want to see. Want to view your pending change requests? Now you can move your cursor over the schedule editor tab to drop-down the menu for easy access to change requests. You no longer have to click on schedule editor first.

If you have any questions or comments regarding these new features, please phone our support group at (888) 749-5550, send an email to support@aladtec.com, or join the conversation at http://www.facebook.com/aladtec.

Tech Tip: How Do I Get My Work Schedule On My iPhone (or iPad)?

2011-10-20T11:39:00.011-05:00

33% of our staff has an iPhone or iPad so we'd be happy to help you get your EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager work schedule on your iOS device. Don't worry, I'll do a post about how to get your work schedule on Android soon!

First things first, login to your system and goto Work Schedule/My Schedule. On the bottom of this screen, you should see a green box with some instruction on how to subscribe to your work schedule.

To subscribe to your schedule on your calendar.app on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, copy the URL from your work schedule:

For example:
https://secure.emsmanager.net/[yourservicename]/index.php?action=get_ical&utc=1&mid=4958:1:1:1

Next, go to Settings and select Mail, Contacts, Calendar and click on "Add Account..." From there, select "Other."

Next, select "Add Subscribed Calendar"

Replace the "https" with "webcal" and enter the URL here manually or by pasting.

It should read:
webcal://secure.emsmanager.net/yourservicename/index.php?action=get_ical&utc=1&mid=4958:1:1:1

And you're done! From here, your calendar.app is subscribed to your work schedule and will receive updates regularly.

Tech Tip: Can't Edit Past Data? Check Your Historical Edits Limit!

2011-10-14T16:34:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite features in our systems is being able to edit past schedule entries. Even in a perfect world, there's no telling if you'll ever need to go back and fix any mis-entries. Whether someone left their shift early, late, or traded shifts with someone without going through the proper channels, you don't have to jump in your DeLorean and hit 88mph to go back in time to fix it on the schedule.

But what if your EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager system doesn't let you change past schedule data?

There may be a simple answer to that question...Check your Historical Edits Limit.

Under Setup/General, you will find the Historical Edits Limit setting.

If you can't edit an entry from 90 days ago, bump up your limit to 180 or 365 (there's nothing stopping you from changing it back to a lower limit).

Tying this great feature with our System Log makes it foolproof. Since the System Log timestamps every action taken in the system, you have complete accountability over any changes made. What does this mean? It means that if you have mid-level administrators making scheduling changes, you will know who did it and when.

Lifestar Ambulance's Stephanie Fowler Burt says, "Goodbye paper schedules...Hello web-based scheduling!"

2011-10-10T12:09:00.002-05:00

Stephanie Fowler Burt
Human Resources Manager
Lifestar Ambulance, Salisbury, MD

This month's EMS PRO MAG features a story by Lifestar Ambulance's (Salisbury, MD) Stephanie Fowler Burt from April 2011. "Goodbye Paper Schedules...Hello Web-Based Scheduling," goes over their switch from paper scheduling to online employee scheduling from start to finish.

Fowler Burt talks about the decision to go with online scheduling..."We were interested in online scheduling because we felt that it would provide us with the immediacy and efficiency that we were seeking. Rapid responses and real-time data were mission critical."

Lifestar Ambulance chose EMS Manager for their scheduling needs saying that, "Combining our administrative team’s “wish list” and our employees’ input helped narrow down the search and ultimately choose the right vendor for our company. Aladtec’s EMS online scheduling program, EMS Manager, is designed specifically for our field so we didn’t have to explain the interesting dynamics of EMS scheduling. They had already solved many of our problems because they had previously answered these same questions for other EMS companies."

We're always happy to see these testimonies and we're glad Stephanie shared her story with the rest of the world. To read the entire story, click here.

In closing, here's what Stephanie had to say about the switch..."Since our move from the dark ages of paper schedules to a web-based system, we have seen a significant change and overall improvement in our daily operations. Our only regret: we should have done it sooner!"

Thanks, Stephanie! We're happy to help!

"Help Me, Help You."

2011-10-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

In my opinion, this line (and scene) is head and shoulders over that other quotable from the 1996 Cameron Crowe classic, Jerry Maguire. In this scene, Tom Cruise's Jerry Maguire is pleading with Cuba Gooding's Rod Tidwell to play along so they'll both get what they want...show me the money! This isn't our message here today, but the tagline is perfect: help us help YOU.

We want you to be successful. When you take the dive and decide to manage and schedule your employees online with us, we are committed to helping you get started, roll-out your system to your company, and being available when you need us. Our customer support department is available 8AM - 5:30PM CST, Monday through Friday by phone and can also be reached by email at support@aladtec.com.

But what about for after-hours? In addition to our emergency line (715-690-1095...which we politely ask you to use for emergency situations), we have great resources such as:

Videos at youtube.com/aladtec
Tech Tips on our blog (aladtec.blogspot.com)
And a growing help section built right into your system which includes:

New Features
Tech Tips
Administrator Videos
Member Videos
Help Documents
System Status
Support Contact Information

So don't be shy, we really are here to help! Call or email us any question, any time!

"Stay hungry. Stay foolish." - Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T10:14:00.002-05:00

That is a widely-known Steve Jobs quotable delivered in his 2005 Stanford University commencement address.

By now, news of former Apple CEO Steve Job's passing has reached the corners of the tech Earth. I found out around 7PM CST last night by randomly visiting apple.com to look, again, at the forthcoming iPhone 4S. I've been surveying the Internet ever since, reading editorial and social media tributes to a man who left his fingerprints on the world.

News, blogs, facebook, twitter, NPR...it seems people everywhere are sharing about how Apple products, under Steve Job's vision, have changed their lives or even given them a livelihood. It is both touching and inspiring to see how many people long to pay tribute to one man and his life's work.

As a company who develops a cloud service, we appreciate all that Steve Jobs did to bring Internet computing to the masses. His work will forever inspire us to "think different," "stay hungry" and "stay foolish."

The above photo was designed by nineteen-year-old Jonathan Mak, a student at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University School of Design, who came up with the idea of incorporating Steve Jobs' silhouette into the bite of the Apple logo, symbolizing both Jobs' departure and lingering presence at the core of the company.

Tech Tip: Web Browser Acting Strange? Try Clearing Cache and Cookies.

2011-09-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

What is it with computers? They never seem to work quite how you want them to work! Working in web technology, we find that web browsers can act so strange at times. Some web pages don't load, some won't refresh, the font is super small or super big now...and seemingly for no reason at all!

The solution? More often than not, clearing your browser's cache and cookies. Look at this graphic of Cookie Monster freaking out about deleting cookies. Sure, he's hesitant for different reasons, but clearing your browser's cache and cookies could be the simple answer to your unexplainable web browser issues.

According to Wikipedia, cache is a mechanism for the temporary storage (caching) of web documents, such as HTML pages and images, to reduce bandwidth usage, server load, and perceived lag. And a cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, or browser cookie, is used for an origin website to send state information to a user's browser and for the browser to return the state information to the origin site.

Here is a useful link from Google's support pages on clearing cache and cookies on your specific web browser.

The same thing applies to mobile smartphones. For our mobile users, if you were accessing the mobile web app and switched to the full site and can't go back for some reason, try clearing your cache and cookies.

On an iPhone:

Go to Settings
Scroll down and select Safari
Tap "Clear Cookies" and "Clear Cache"

On an Android Phone:

Open Internet application
Press "Menu" button on phone
Tap "More" on the bottom right corner
Tap "Settings"
Tap "Clear all cookie data" and "Clear cache"

A Simple Reminder...

2011-09-27T10:06:00.001-05:00

Did you know that sitting all day could be worse for you than you think? Check out this NPR article from April. Epidemiologist Steven Blair, a professor of public health at the University of South Carolina, says that:

"If you're sitting, your muscles are not contracting, perhaps except to type. But the big muscles, like in your legs and back, are sitting there pretty quietly, and because the major muscles aren't moving, metabolism slows down."

We know that all of our users work stressful jobs and hours. Here is a gentle reminder to get up and move around every now and then!

For us, other than enjoying beautiful Hudson, WI, we stretch our legs by getting pretty competitive with our pool table, foosball, and bubble hockey.

Do any of you have a game room? If so, we'd love to see some pics!

Here are a few shots from our game room:

Foosball

Pool

Bubble Hockey

Game Room

Tech Tip: Group Messaging - Who? Sent what?!

2011-09-16T12:07:00.000-05:00

System Log Filters have been out for awhile but some of you may not be aware how flexible it is. Many of our users have shared with us how having a log of every action taken in their system has provided great assurance and accountability for any changes done to the system. Another great advantage to online employee scheduling! No need for a paper log!

Here's an example of how system log filtering gets you the data you want.

Have you ever wondered who sent a group message (from the member list), what the message was, and to whom it was sent? Easy! Simply go to Reports/System Log and modify your filters to only show "Group Message(s)." You will get a list based on your date/time filters of every message sent and who sent it. Click on the "details" to find out what the message was.

We've Moved...Again!

2011-09-13T15:55:00.002-05:00

For those of you keeping track, this is our third move in the past two years! As our company grows, we continue adding to our own roster to better serve our customer's needs.

Just 14 months ago, we were in River Falls, WI. Back then, many of us shared work spaces. In August 2010, we moved to Hudson, WI to a new facility to give our guys more room to work and now we've moved into a much larger facility in Hudson. We're now even closer to the beautiful St. Croix River - which is fair since half the company lives in Minnesota.

We're still in the process of setting up but we're proud to say that our phones were only down for an hour this past Friday when we moved buildings. We're excited to continue serving our customers as we grow as a company.

Aladtec

906 Dominion Drive

Hudson, WI 54016

Here's where we are:

View Larger Map

Always Remember...

2011-09-11T12:27:00.002-05:00

On this 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we honor those we lost, thank those who serve, and remember the moment that reminded us that life should never be taken for granted.

We are proud to serve those who serve our country's communities. With every conversation we have with an EMS, police, dispatch or fire department, we are humbled and honored to provide a small part of what makes your noble profession work.

We are proud to be American; standing for peace, liberty, and freedom. Let us be unified as one people, never forgetting the common threads that tie us all together.

Tech Tip: How Do I Allow My Employees to Send Messages?

2011-09-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

Users who are "top level administrators" or have mid-level access have the ability to send messages (emails or text messages) through the member database. But what if you wanted to give everyone in your service or business that access? The answer may be easier than you think.

By design, the "member" access level is for employees who use the system to sign up for shifts, submit availability, submit/receive trade requests, and request time off.

If you'd like to add messaging in addition to this, create a new access level and use batch edit in the member database to change everyone to this new access level. The only setting you will need to enable is "View data for all members." This will enable the list view of the member database (remember, prior to this, members only saw "My Info.").

Will these employees be able to see all fields I track in the member database? Good question!

Each field in the database has a checkbox to make it a "hidden field." When a field is hidden, access levels that do not have access to view hidden fields won't even know the fields are there!

New Addition to the Family

2011-09-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

As the newest member of our development team, Shane Lambert brings more than 25 years of software development expertise to Aladtec. A geek to the core, beginning with offline applications, and venturing into the online world years before the World Wide Web, Shane has specialized in online applications for the past 20 years.

Originally from Chicago, IL and recently from southwest Wisconsin, Shane has recently relocated to the St. Paul, MN area after joining the Aladtec team. Aside from developing web based applications, building user friendly web sites, and participating in the Open Source community, he enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, recreating the middle ages, and is an active model railroader.

Welcome to Aladtec, Shane!

Tech Tip: To Automatically Approve or to Manually Approve...That is the Question

2011-09-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

"Sign Up" and "Trades/Giveaways" have a setting to have requests automatically approved or manually approved - but what exactly does that mean? This tech tip explains why and how you would use either of these settings.

For "Sign Up," there is a checkbox for, "Require administrator approval for sign ups." When this box is checked, all employee shift sign-ups remain pending until an administrator approves the request. This is an excellent option for when you aren't exactly short on employees looking to pick up a shift and you want to decide from a list of people who have bid for the shift. I should mention that "Work Limits" rules apply here so if an employee is over their weekly hourly quota, he or she wouldn't be able to sign up for a shift anyway.

Deselecting this option means that as long as your employee is still within your defined work limits, he or she will be scheduled for the shift based on first come, first serve. What if you want shifts to be first come, first serve for awhile and then have them manually approved? Help yourself! There's nothing stopping you from setting your sign up setting to not require approval and then set it to require approval later!

For "Trades/Giveaways," same concept applies. When "automatic" is selected for Trade/Giveaway Approval, any trade/giveaway, within your defined work limits, will be processed automatically without requiring an administrator's approval.

These settings are available to you to give you flexibility in managing your scheduling change requests. If you are a volunteer business and are looking for people to pick up shifts, automatic approval is the way to go. If you are a business where your employees are fighting over any open shifts, I'd go with manual approval.

New Feature: Daily Summary View (Beta)

2011-08-25T17:33:00.002-05:00

We've always said that many of our features are user-suggested - and this new one is no different! Now, it's still in beta so, bear with us!

The Daily Summary View, which you can access from Work Schedule/View, is an overview of all the happenings in a given day. Think of it as a "Day Planner" for the work day. Information in this view include:

who is on the schedule
who has traded shifts
which shifts are a repeating rotation
daily events (from the Event Calendar)
time clock data

Since this new view is still in beta, we'd especially love your feedback! Please give us a call at (888) 749-5550 or an email at info@aladtec.com; we'd love to hear your suggestions!

Tech Tip: Inactivate Members for Good Housekeeping

2011-08-15T12:18:00.009-05:00

"I have a few employees on leave for 3 months. I don't want to remove them from our system, but I don't need to see their names when I'm working on the schedule."

If this has ever happened to you, we have a great tip for you today! In the member database, you can inactivate a member which will prevent the member from logging in and the member will not be eligible to be scheduled.

You can activate the member at any time and resume scheduling as usual.

Inactivating a member doesn't "delete" them from your system and preserves all data attributed to the member from past schedules. This way, you never lose any data on ANYONE and you can inactivate members who have permanently left your company or just temporarily.

New Feature: System Log Filters

2011-08-11T11:54:00.002-05:00

You asked for it - you got it!
The system log now features robust filtering so you can view only the data you're looking for. This includes filtering by:

actions that affect a specific member
actions taken by a specific member
specific time range selection
over 70 different action types

The system log provides a detailed account of nearly every action that happens in your system. Not sure who removed someone from the schedule? Check this centralized log for up-to-the-minute accuracy of every addition, edit, or deletion made to the schedule.

Tech Tip: Work Schedule as a Wall Calendar? Why Not?!

2011-08-01T15:36:00.001-05:00

We love working with our users and learning about how they apply EMS Manager, FIRE Manager, or Zanager to their workplace.

We know that prior to switching to online employee scheduling, many services and businesses relied on a spreadsheet or giant paper wall calendar and we hear on occasion that some of our users "miss" the giant wall calendar.

Andrew Blackwood, EMS Sergeant at Queen Anne's County DES EMS in Centreville, Maryland, shared with us that they use an LCD television to display monthly calendar view of the work schedule.

Brilliant!

We love this idea and thought we'd share it if anyone was looking for some way to display the work schedule on a larger display. Most LCD TVs now come with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 which accommodate even the largest schedules.

The set up here would be to find some sort of spare computer or pick up a little nettop or a small computer to hook up to your TV. Using VGA, DVI, or HDMI (ideally), you can use your TV as a giant monitor.

You could even forego a mouse and keyboard after initial setup if you use an auto-reload plug-in or extension for your web browser to refresh the work schedule on its own. Here's a popular option if you don't want to install anything: Auto PageReboot. Using a tool like this, you can have your work schedule page refreshed every 30 seconds to reflect the most current schedule.

Don't you just love technology?

Hello from Miami - and Pinnacle EMS!

2011-07-27T15:33:00.004-05:00

The dynamic duo of Nate Davis and Matt Vorwerk were kind enough to go down to Miami Beach, FL to represent us at this year's Pinnacle EMS Conference.

If you're down in Miami for the Pinnacle EMS Conference, and already enjoying the delicious food, come by and see Nate & Matt while you're at it!

Tech Tip: Reorganizing Your Member Database

2011-07-15T13:38:00.002-05:00

The member database provides you with your own customizable database to track whatever employee information you'd like. With tools like in-line editing and batch editing, the member database makes it easy for you to organize and maintain your data.

When we rolled out the improved member database in December 2010, we made it possible for YOU to create and manage your own groups and fields.

Just the other day, a user asked me if he could re-sort some of his fields. I said, "of course you can!" So, just in case you didn't know what those dotted vertical lines are for next to each group and field, they are for reordering!

Click any group or field and you will have the field highlighted, ready to be moved. Move your item anywhere you want and drop it in place and your database will update automatically.

Enjoy!

Pinnacle EMS in Miami Beach? Um, yes, we'll be there!

2011-07-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

We'll be exhibiting at the Pinnacle 2011 EMS Leadership & Management Conference this year. We've enjoyed meeting so many EMS and fire professionals at trade shows this year and we look forward to more great conversation at Pinnacle.

What: Pinnacle 2011 EMS Leadership & Management Conference
Where: Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
When: July 25-29, 2011

Exhibit hours are:
July 26: 06:30 - 8:30PM [TUESDAY]
July 27: 10:00 - 4:00PM [WEDNESDAY]
July 28: 10:00 - 4:00PM [THURSDAY]

We'll be at Table 19 near the back buffet section. You can't miss us! See you there!

Cassie Palmer (First Call Ambulance, TN) Shares How Online Employee Scheduling with EMS Manager Makes EMS Efficient

2011-07-09T10:00:00.005-05:00

Rebecca Pannell, EMT-IV/Dispatcher
Johnny Holmes, QA/Insurance Specialist

Cassie Palmer, scheduling/communications manager for First Call Ambulance in Tennessee, wrote a great story about her EMS Manager experience for JEMS. She talks about how switching to online employee scheduling has put accountability in the hands of their employees.

Palmer writes, "Once employees became comfortable with the scheduling system, they became more efficient. Employees are more responsible about submitting their time-off requests or checking to see if they're on the schedule. The line of communication between our employees and administrators has become simpler and more streamlined."

The benefits aren't just for the members either. Palmer also shares that she "became more efficient in dealing with the crews and their schedules. The time previously spent on the schedule was reduced by almost half due to time saved from contacting employees."

It's a great read and, Cassie, if you're reading this, a very sincere 'thanks!' for writing it!

Read the full story here.

Tech Tip: Renaming Schedules & Shift Times

2011-07-08T11:07:00.004-05:00

Administrators of EMS Manager, FIRE Manager, and Zanager...did you know that YOU can rename your schedules and change their shift times?

The "setup" section in your system is your friend. If you haven't spent time in there, we strongly encourage going through your different setup options.

For this tech tip, we'll show you how to edit your schedule names.

From "Setup," select the Schedules settings. You will see a list of all your schedules and their corresponding shift times. You can rename your schedules here and adjust their shift lengths. Remember to click "Save Changes" and your changes will be in effect immediately.

Attention Element Mobile Customers...or of any provider not on our list...

2011-07-07T16:47:00.001-05:00

It finally happened...our systems can now TXT message to Element Mobile numbers.

It took a little while to get someone on the phone to give us their SMS gateway, but it's done and you can now select, "Element Mobile" in the pull-down menu on your Member Info page.

If you use a mobile provider not currently listed, find out what the SMS gateway is and let us know. You can email us at info@aladtec.com, post on Facebook wall, or even give us a call at (888) 749-5550.

Welcoming Our Newest Employees

2011-06-30T14:11:00.010-05:00

We are proud to introduce our two latest additions to the Aladtec family...the Justins.

Justin Stolpe is the latest member of our development team. A recent University of Wisconsin River Falls computer science graduate, Justin brings his skills and talents to a team of programmers who recently brought us time-off accrual, a revamped member database, and time clock cross-platform functionality.

A St. Paul, MN native, Justin still resides in greater St. Paul along with half of Aladtec's staff. Prior to writing code for Aladtec, Justin has done work ranging from web design, QA (bug reporting), furniture installation, and valet parking. When he's not in the office, he enjoys golf, football, snowboarding and living the good life.

You may have already met our other Justin.

Justin Marsh joined our customer support team a few weeks ago and has been assisting customers with system setups and configurations. A University of Wisconsin Stout and North Central Technical College alum, Justin brings his computer support education to our growing user-base.

Hailing originally from Abbotsford, WI, Justin's love of computers and modern technology brought him to our offices in Hudson. When he's not helping our users with block time and change requests, he's learning about the newest computer tech and finding creative ways to store his electronic gadgetry in his new home in River Falls.

We're proud and excited to have these two Justins as part of our team. As our company grows, we strive to provide the best in product and service for our loyal customers.

Tech Tip: Block Time & Open Shifts

2011-06-23T15:59:00.008-05:00

Did you know that you can fill all your open shifts with an employee we call “block time”?
Let's say you've just finished your July schedule and you have open shifts that don’t really need to be filled. Or maybe you use a schedule for special events and don’t want it showing “Open Shift” on days you don’t have an event. Or maybe you want to block off time after your members have signed up for their shifts. To do this in one shot, follow these steps:

• Click on Schedule Editor/Repeats and Rotations
• Select "BLOCK TIME" from the Employee pull-down
• Select "ALL SCHEDULES" (or a specific schedule) from the Schedule pull-down
• Select "All Positions" from the Position Slot pull-down
• Select the the entire date range you'd like to block out on your schedule
• Check off every day of the week and the appropriate time range (e.g. 00:00 - 00:00 (next day))
• Click on "Continue" to block out all open times on your schedule

Before...

After...

Just Another Company Lunch at Aladtec

2011-06-16T15:19:00.016-05:00

June 16, 2011 started off like any other Thursday at Aladtec. Employees trickled in early in the morning and kicked off yet another busy day in the office. Company lunch was set for 12PM and everyone headed over to our normal Thursday digs - Kingdom Buffet in Hudson, WI.

But what happened at lunch was far from ordinary.

Miles, one of our developers, who is always quick with a witty remark, quipped that he could do a good "buddha" impersonation - that is, if he shaved off all his hair. Now, if you don't know Miles and his hair, it is a thing of legend within the walls of the Aladtec office. Standing at a commanding 6'4", Miles, alone, is a force to be reckoned with.

His hair? Just as powerful.

Dave seized this opportunity to offer an undisclosed amount of cash for Miles to have his head and facial hair shaved. Others offered to cover cost for services, and after a little negotiating, everyone got up from lunch and walked next door to Great Clips supported by cheers from the other patrons in the restaurant who took interest in the challenge.

During what felt like hours, we witnessed miles of hair fall from Miles' head (see what I did there?). And in yet another swarm of cheers and applause, Miles stood to reveal his clean shaven head and face.

But before we left, Miles held up Samson-like locks of hair to his chin - not so much in an "I miss you" gesture, but almost as if this had been the master plan all along.

Thank you, Miles, for letting us share this moment with you and for donating your hair to Locks of Love. You're a real American hero!

Before and after videos...

Tech Tip: Use Tabbed Browsing for More Flexibility

2011-06-10T14:30:00.003-05:00

As developers of an online web application, we love modern web technologies. One of our favorites that got very popular this past decade is tabbed browsing. Nearly every web browser supports tabs, allowing you to have multiple pages open in one window. Using tabbed browsing, you can keep the page you're on open and open another page on its own tab.

In this example, I right-clicked on "Reports" and got a contextual menu with an option to "Open Link in New Tab." You will probably have a similar option in whichever web browser you are using.

Each browser may have tabbed browsing on or off by default. Here's where the setting is in Safari...

and in Firefox...

and in Internet Explorer...

Google Chrome is such a supporter of tabbed browsing, I don't even think there's an option to turn it off!

Since Aladtec online employee scheduling systems are fully dynamic, keeping multiple tabs open is more than fine. Change information on one section of the system, switch to a tab, refresh the screen, and your data is current.

Online Employee Scheduling Makes Life Easier for James Rattunde from Necedah Fire & Rescue

2011-06-08T15:48:00.001-05:00

Chief Jim Rattunde from Necedah Fire & Rescue (Necedah, WI) contributed a story to EMS Pro Mag, Vol. 3 Issue 5 entitled, "Never Too Late For New Technology."

Rattunde, who has been a FF/EMT for over 36 years, doesn't consider himself computer-savvy but shares how easy EMS Manager is to use. He writes, "With so much to offer, we wanted to get online scheduling implemented as quickly as possible. Personally, I had a lot of faith in our members being able to pick up this new system - I figured if I could learn how to use the system so quickly, certainly all the younger members could pick it up even quicker. And they did. We let everyone know we’d be using this new system and before we even had our small training and orientation, most of our members had already logged in and started getting acquainted with it. This made training very easy. We went over the different sections of the system for members and we were up and running."

Using newer technology like a cloud-based employee schedule makes life easier. Rattunde shares that, "Having a unified schedule and database online makes a once daunting task now much easier. Peggy Beise, our Deputy Chief, accesses the system via her smartphone to check the schedule and to have our member’s contact information handy. For me - I opted for a laptop which is installed in my car with 3G access allowing me to stay on top of things when I’m not in the station or my own office."

In closing, Rattunde remarks that..."Overall, beyond knowing we’re staffed 24/7/365, we see the biggest return on investment in not having to constantly run over to the station to check the schedule. Time is money and our scheduling process before switching to online scheduling cut into our time way more than it ever should have. Even as a subscription service, there is no doubt in my mind that EMS Manager has saved us money, not cost us money."

Read Jim's story here.

Thank you, Jim, for sharing your experience with EMS Manager!

Emergency! (TV Show) FREE on Hulu!

2011-05-31T11:33:00.002-05:00

With our included unlimited customer service and technical support with each subscription, we like to think we're ALL ABOUT sharing information. Which is why this blog entry is going to make your day.

Emergency! is viewable online FREE on Hulu through September 18, 2011! Relive Seasons 1-4 of Randy Mantooth's Johnny Gage and Kevin Tighe's Roy DeSoto's adventures with Los Angeles County Fire Department's Station 51.

We know how much this series means to so many of our customers so we had to share. We've got guys here who watched the show when it aired and we have guys here who have only known big-screen TVs.

Will we show episodes on our main lounge wall-mounted LCD TV?
Maybe.

Will we be doing that every day till September 18th?
Maybe.

Will you share this great news with everyone else you know?
DO IT!

New Features: Schedule Editor Enhancements

2011-05-25T15:45:00.029-05:00

We are always working on ways to improve our platform to help make our users' lives that much easier. Performance enhancements, as a feature, are as important to us as they are to our users. In particular, we've been working on optimizing the Schedule Editor (SE). With the help of user suggestions, we've found a few ways to speed up SE load time. Here are some of the things we've added recently to the system...

1) "Float Up" can now be disabled system-wide. This is now a setting in Schedule Characteristics. If "Float Up" is disabled, SE will default to selecting the first open slot/shift on your schedule.

2) In SE, a new option to "Hide unavailable members" is available. Checking this box will hide members with no available/preferred time (if using the Availability feature) speeding up load time.

3) There is also a "Hide Column" above the reports section here. Hiding these reports will give a little more screen real estate and a speed increase.

4) "Hide" and "Show this only" options are available on each schedule giving you quick tools to hide schedules you don't need to see or isolate the only schedule you need to work with.

Many under-the-hood optimizations went into this upgrade to improve Schedule Editor performance. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Customer Service at (888) 749-5550.

Our Thoughts and Prayers Go Out To The People of Joplin, Missouri

2011-05-24T16:28:00.002-05:00

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the recent storms in southwestern Missouri. In particular, we'd like to send our very best to our friends at METS Ambulance in Joplin, MO during these difficult times.

Your commitment to public service is amplified during these tragedies and we are watching and waiting patiently for the first signs of good news up here in Wisconsin.

Tech Tip: Using Batch Edit in the Member Database

2011-05-18T15:10:00.024-05:00

Your Aladtec online employee scheduling system already includes a robust and fully-customizable database management system. The Member Database (accessible through the Members Tab) can be used to track as few or as many member attributes, certifications, or anything as you would like.

Check out a tutorial on the Member Database:

Batch Edit allows you to edit multiple fields simultaneously. This comes in handy when you need to change an attribute for several employees.

To batch edit a field, follow these easy steps:

Make sure you have the field you want to edit displayed in the list view. If it is not in your current view, click "Modify" next to the Display pull-down menu. Select the fields you wish to view and click "Apply" to refresh your database list. You may also click on “Save as…” to save this view in the Display pull-down menu of your account.
Select the members you want to edit by clicking on the check box to the left of each members' name.
Click "Batch Edit" at the top of the column you are editing.
Depending on what kind of field you are editing, you will have different edit options:

To edit a text, date, or expiration date field, enter the text or date and click “Save.”
To edit a single-option field (e.g. Employee Type), select the appropriate option from the pull-down menu and click "Save."
To edit a multi-option field (e.g. Schedule Permissions), select the options you wish to edit, then choose to either add or remove the selected choices from the selected members.

Using Batch Edit with the Member Database can help keep organized, accurate, and helpful information stored in one easily accessible place.

EMS Today 2011 Podcasts with GCEMS' Andy Lovell and Aladtec's Chad Clay

2011-05-18T09:02:00.008-05:00

JEMS.com just posted the EMS Today 2011 podcast videos on their site. We have these up on our YouTube channel already, but if you haven't seen them yet, check them out!

Andy Lovell from Gloucester County EMS shares about how EMS Manager has changed (for the better) the way their service manages and schedules their members. In another segment, our very own Chad Clay is interviewed by Carissa O'Brien from ProMed Network about EMS Manager and what it provides to its users.

EMS Week 2011

2011-05-13T14:46:00.011-05:00

With EMS Week approaching, we here at Aladtec wanted to offer our thanks and appreciation to all the First Responders, EMTs, and Paramedics that day-in and day-out do such vital work for their communities.

When we first started EMS Manager back in 2002, we didn't anticipate that our online tools would help over 650 agencies do their jobs. As we learn more and more about emergency medical services, we are truly grateful and humbled to serve those who serve others.

Cheers from all of us at Aladtec; we are proud to serve YOU, our everyday heroes.

Tech Tip: Using Block Time to Hide or Fill Positions/Slots

2011-05-10T11:54:00.001-05:00

We are often asked how to "hide" a position/slot or make it "unavailable." We have a handy tool we call "BLOCK TIME" to do just that. You can use BLOCK TIME in your EMS Manager, FIRE Manager, or Zanager system to prevent scheduling anything else in its place. Once BLOCK TIME is scheduled in a position/slot, that time is no longer open or available. Think of BLOCK TIME as a place-holder for a position or slot. If "something' is there, nothing else can be there!

To block a single shift or time, go to Schedule Editor and select the shift and time you wish to block out. At the top of the employee list on the lower portion of the Schedule Editor, select BLOCK TIME and click add. You will see a grey bar over the position you are blocking to indicate that the shift or time has been blocked out.

To block a stretch or pattern of time, use Repeats and Rotations, the second option under Schedule Editor. If you are familiar with how to use Repeats and Rotations, everything is the same only you will be "scheduling" BLOCK TIME instead of an employee.

If you are unfamiliar with Repeats and Rotations, it is a tool that lets you schedule an employee for a stretch of time or pattern of time. For instance, you can use R/R to schedule an employee to work a 24/48 pattern or to schedule someone that only works Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4PM to 8PM.

For more help with BLOCK TIME and Repeats and Rotations, feel free to contact Customer Service at (888) 749-5550.

New Feature: Time Clock Now Cross-Platform (Mac or Windows)

2011-04-27T09:41:00.002-05:00

We are proud to announce that the Time Clock module already in your EMS Manager, FIRE Manager, or Zanager system is now cross-platform. Whether you are on Windows XP, Vista, 7, or Mac OS X, you can now use your choice of web browser with Time Clock.

For Windows, we recommend Internet Explorer 7 or higher, Firefox 2 or higher, or Google Chrome. For Mac, we recommend Safari 5 or higher, Firefox 2 or higher, or Google Chrome.

And for those of you who recently experienced hiccups from recent Java updates, fret no more! Time Clock, according to our development team, now uses a secret combination of magic and wonder, or what you might call "native web technologies" for easy integration and setup without Java.

Use of biometric fingerprint scanners, however, is limited to Internet Explorer 7 or higher for Windows. 32-bit and 64-bit drivers are available in the Setup/Time Clock settings page.

Time Clock is an integrated time and attendance module that integrates seamlessly with your Aladtec online employee schedule system. You get up to the minute accuracy for clock-in and clock-out entries with support for unlimited computer kiosks.

For a free demo of Time Clock in your system, go to Setup/Time Clock to enable your free trial. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Customer Service at (888) 749-5550.

Tech Videos, Interviews, and More on YouTube

2011-04-25T12:03:00.002-05:00

We're excited to utilize all the Internet has to offer to help our customers schedule and manage their workforce. We've started a YouTube channel where we'll post tech videos, interviews, and other great content to enhance your Aladtec online employee scheduling experience. Check it out here.

We have a couple of interviews up there now. One with Chad Clay, our Director of Business Development and another with Andy Lovell, EMS Chief with Gloucester County EMS in New Jersey.

We also have some tutorial videos going up and we'll keep them coming!

Dave Konig Blogs About The Perks of Online and Mobile Scheduling

2011-04-22T10:37:00.001-05:00

Dave Konig of EMS Blogs blogs about the advantages of online employee scheduling especially on mobile devices like smartphones.

He writes, "Because it is an online system, you are able to access it anywhere there is an internet connection. You could be at the station, at the local coffee shop, or even on the scene of a major incident and still have access to all of the functionality of the employee database and scheduling options."

Check it out here.

Press Release: 51 Organizations Implement Aladtec Online Employee Scheduling Systems in 1st Quarter, 2011

2011-04-20T11:56:00.013-05:00

Thanks to all of you for your continued support. Many of our new customers heard about us through word-of-mouth so, again, THANK YOU! It goes without saying that the more users we have, the more we can continue to improve our platform and help make life that much easier for you - well, at least the scheduling and employee management parts!

Click here for press release.

Capt. James Limerick Shares How FIRE Manager Solves Scheduling Problems

2011-04-14T10:45:00.002-05:00

Captain James Limerick from the Liberty Township Fire Department in Ohio shares his department's experience with FIRE Manager.

FireRescue1 has the story; click here to read how FIRE Manager solved LTFD's scheduling woes!

Special thanks to Jim and everyone at the Liberty Township Fire Department for sharing such a great story!

New Feature: More "Required Messages" Flexibility

2011-04-07T16:06:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we added a feature we had several requests for: Required Messages.

This feature allows administrators to have message pop up upon logging in to your system requiring any or all members to read and confirm that they've read the message.

Now, we've included this feature in Time Clock as well. For our Time Clock users, when members clock-in, you have the option of having the required message show up then as well.

Andy Lovell Talks EMS Manager on ProMed Podcast at EMS Today 2011

2011-04-04T17:36:00.001-05:00

We were proud to sponsor the ProMed Podcast Studio during EMS Today 2011 in Baltimore, MD. Part of the deal was that we could send over a sales person to be interviewed on air.

Our employees are more like super high-end tech support / customer service guys than actual sales people. And we really try not to brag ;-) so the thought of interviewing one of us seemed kind of silly. We suggested they talk to one of our customers instead.

Gloucester County EMS has used EMS Manager for several years and they were just down the road so we asked Andy Lovell, their EMS Chief, if he'd be willing to be interviewed on air. He agreed - and we're glad he did. Andy did a great job of explaining how they use EMS Manager and the benefits they've received.

To watch the 15 minute video click here.

New Feature: Date & Time Formats

2011-04-01T15:17:00.001-05:00

For several years now our systems have had the ability to switch between standard time (2:40 am) and military or 24 hour time (14:40).

As of this week you can now also choose your preferred date format to be used throughout the system. There are currently three choices: [Apr 1, 2011], [4/1/2011], and [2011-4-1].

These changes can be made by administrators in Setup under General Settings.

The differences between EMS Manager, Fire Manager and Zanager

2011-04-01T14:42:00.001-05:00

The only significant differences between EMS Manager, Fire Manager and Zanager are cosmetic.

All three systems are built on the same code base and all share the same basic functionality. However, each system has a different look and feel and each system has its default settings and demo configuration customized to best fit its niche.

Our first scheduling system was built in 2002, and we called it EMS Manager. In 2008 Fire Manager was added, and in 2011 we added Zanager. The code base is constantly being enhanced and improved based on the thousands of discussions we've had with users over the years.

EMS Blogs: Don't Let Scheduling Drive You Insane

2011-03-24T13:11:00.001-05:00

Dave Konig, who writes The Social Medic, wrote a great little piece on EMS Manager for EMS Blogs. He brings great perspective into the usefulness of online employee scheduling and workforce management for EMS agencies.

Check it out here!

New Features: Time Off Accrual, Enhanced Work Limits, Required Messages

2011-03-22T11:01:00.003-05:00

We recently rolled out some new features that are available in all systems. So if you're already using EMS Manager, FIRE Manager or Zanager, check it out!

Time Off Accrual

This new feature introduces a new concept called "Time Off Profiles." Time Off Profiles are used to designate one of more time off policies. Each employee can have one Time Off Accrual Profile. The system allows you to set up as many Time Off Profiles as needed to accommodate different employee time off policies. Once your Time Off Profiles are in place, the system will automatically track time off as it is accrued and automatically deduct time off as it is used.

Want to use this feature now but your members already have banked hours? No problem. On each member's profile, you can manually add or subtract hours from their time off bank. You can turn this feature on under Setup/Time Off.

Enhanced Work Limits

In addition to "Show A Warning" and "Do Not Allow," you now have an "Admin Approval Required" option for work limits.When a member signs up for a shift that would violate a work limit, a message will pop-up explaining which limit will be violated. The user will then have the option to cancel the request or submit it. Administrators are then able to deny the request of approve it with the knowledge that it has violated work limits.

You can turn this feature on under Setup/Work Limits.

Required Messages

Required Messages are displayed for anyone or everyone the next time they log in to your system. A confirmation is required to continue into the system.

The systems tracks who has and who has not viewed each message. To use this feature, administrators can click on the "Required Messages" link under the Home Tab.

Fingerprint Scanners for Time Clock

The biometric fingerprint scanner installer for Windows 7 is now working. Due to recent changes in Java, however, you may experience some delays during the installation process. For help with installing your fingerprint scanner, or to purchase additional scanners, please contact our support team at (888) 749-5550.

Carissa O’Brien Interviews Our Man Chad at EMS Today 2011

2011-03-10T16:51:00.001-06:00

On Saturday at EMS Today 2011 this past March in Baltimore, Carissa Caramanis O’Brien of BaselineVitals.com came over to visit our booth. While she was there she interviewed Chad for the ProMed Network.

Chad talked with Carissa about the web based nature of our software, the self scheduling capabilities for personnel, and the organizational time and money savings from using the online service.

To view the five minute interview click here.

Hello Baltimore!

2011-03-06T12:02:00.001-06:00

We exhibited at EMS Today this year in Baltimore, MD and had a great time! Like in Milwaukee, it was great to meet so many of our users in person. Thanks to all for stopping by our booth.

A special shout-out to Andrew Blackwood from Queen Anne's County EMS who stopped by as well. Andy wrote a great story about how they use EMS Manager at their service that was run in last October's EMS PRO Magazine.

Click here for more photos.

Introducing ZANAGER

2011-03-01T13:26:00.001-06:00

World Class Scheduling For Everything

We've heard the question "Do you only have scheduling systems for EMS and FIRE?" many times. We are now proud to say we have Zanager - the world class employee scheduling system for everything else.

Built from the same platform as EMS Manager and FIRE Manager, Zanager brings the same flexible online scheduling and workforce management we are known for to the masses.

If you know of an organization outside of EMS and FIRE who could benefit from online scheduling, please tell them about Zanager.

To learn more, please give us a call at (888) 749-5550 or visit www.zanager.com.

Eastern Wake EMS Switches to Online Scheduling

2011-02-01T10:23:00.000-06:00

Eddie Ross and Beth Costantino write about their online employee scheduling experience with EMS Manager. They shared with the Carolina Fire EMS Rescue Journal how they were faced with budget cuts when several services merged to form Eastern Wake EMS. Using an online scheduling system like EMS Manager has saved them time, money, and helped reorganize their workforce management.

Read more about how having an online schedule helped Eastern Wake EMS' productivity.

Special thanks to Eddie and Beth and everyone at Eastern Wake EMS for sharing their EMS Manager experience!

WEMSA's Working Together Conference in Milwaukee, WI

2011-01-28T11:52:00.001-06:00

We exhibited at WEMSA's Working Together Conference this year and hosted a Happy Hour at the Miller Time Pub.

We had a great time finally meeting so many of you in person! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth and for joining us at the Miller Time Pub. Maybe we'll make a habit of the beers and nacho bar!

Click here for photos.

Andrew Blackwood's & Queen Anne's County EMS' Journey Into Online Employee Scheduling

2011-01-02T12:44:00.000-06:00

EMS Sergeant, Andrew Blackwood of Queen Anne's County DES EMS in Centreville, MD, wrote a great story about his and QACDES' experience switching to online scheduling.

In Vol 2, Issue 10 of EMS Pro Mag, Andrew provided a communications editorial focus that landed him on the front cover!

Prior to switching, Blackwood writes that, "It seemed that no sooner was a schedule created than it was being changed. When we printed it to hand out to employees, sometimes the ink wouldn’t even be dry before a change had been made and the previous version was out of date. Our 'master schedule' would often be covered in so much whiteout that it felt like cardstock." I'm sure many services can relate!

In looking for a solution, Blackwood states that, "Having a single, real-time, always accurate schedule was of utmost importance to us. We wanted to be sure that administrators and members alike were looking at the same schedule at all times."

In regards to time-savings, Blackwood writes that, "In the past, we spent an enormous amount of time picking up the phone and calling or emailing members to find coverage and coordinate time-off as well as trades. With the new system many of these tasks are now automated and everything is at your fingertips. I can truly say that EMS Manager returns man-hours to you; I went from spending fifteen hours a week to two on the schedule!"

Queen Anne's County DES EMS has been using EMS Manager for their online employee scheduling and workforce management for nearly two years. At the time of publication, Blackwood shared that, "We’re a little over a year into using EMS Manager and we have already received an estimated overtime savings of $40,000, a 70% reduction in unscheduled overtime."

We love hearing these stories and we're even happier to know that our little product is making life easier for nearly 700 unique services around the world.Andrew, if you're reading this, thanks for sharing your experience!

To read Andrew Blackwood's story, click here.

Welcome to Our New Aladtec Blog

2011-01-01T14:12:00.001-06:00

For quite some time now we've been thinking there should be an Aladtec blog. But today is the day we make it happen. Thanks for stopping by!