“A plan is what; a schedule is when. It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done.” – Peter Turla.  

The most important asset of your organization is your workforce. A business cannot flourish without the right staff. In short, it is important to have the right people in the right place at the right time. But how to do this? Who would identify the right fit for a specific task? 

Managers perform this function through scheduling.  

Optimizing your workforce is the best thing you can do to enhance productivity. Effective scheduling is one of the ways employers can ensure each location is staffed appropriately in terms of staff levels and staff expertise. 

One such approach gaining popularity among businesses of all sizes is demand-based scheduling. It is an innovative way to manage your resources according to your customer needs. 

In this blog, we’ll learn about demand-based scheduling and how it helps you grow. 

Demand-Based Scheduling 

Staffing demands vary according to the needs and requirements of the business. It may be due to peak or off times, the number of customers, or staff availability during a particular shift.  

Demand-based scheduling helps execute scheduling & data analytics simultaneously. To get the most out of it, use employee scheduling software. Such a solution can integrate useful data and scheduling tools. Thus, accurately setting schedules based on demand. 

Furthermore, it adjusts employee shifts based on fluctuating business needs whereas in regular scheduling, a fixed routine is observed which may cause understaffing or overstaffing. 

For example, a security firm providing services to a large shopping mall might increase the number of security officers on duty during peak shopping hours, like weekends or Black Friday, when foot traffic and the risk of theft are higher.  

Conversely, during slower times, such as weekday mornings, the firm might reduce the number of guards on duty. This approach ensures that the security resources are aligned with the fluctuating demands, optimizing both security coverage and operational costs. 

A Cost-Effective Solution

Every business wants cost-effective ways while getting maximum output. Using a demand-based scheduling tool is cost-saving. It allows for precise scheduling as and when required. 

For instance, during slow periods, you can reduce your labor cost by cutting down the number of staff. Also, the scheduling tool helps align workforce levels with actual demand. This can avoid unnecessary payroll expenses and ensure that resources are used efficiently, leading to significant savings. 

Factors to Be Considered for Demand-Based Scheduling  

Depending on your business or your industry, there are several things to consider when creating a schedule based on demand. Below you will find five demand-related factors that can accelerate the value and usefulness of demand-based scheduling.  

1. Customer Traffic/Footfall  

The number of customers that enter the business premises to make a purchase is known as customer foot traffic. Here, a shop serves as the most basic example.

For instance, demand-based scheduling allows a company to automatically change shifts according to customer demand. It ensures that there are enough staff members present regardless of the volume of footfall. It also assists management in identifying client pain points and gaps in their sales funnel.  

Retailers can determine how many in-store purchasing opportunities they have at any given time of day by measuring foot traffic. Additionally, they can combine it with sales data to determine the number of absentees.  

Additionally, the higher the foot traffic, the more shifts you need to fill throughout that time frame—be it retail, events, hospitality, or even security. Managers or supervisors can predict this using previous trends. 

For example, weekends are usually busier than weekdays in retail shops. Foot traffic in the hospitality industry mostly depends on seasons— peaking during the summer, school breaks, Christmas, and other celebrations. 

2. Product Demand 

In the manufacturing and e-commerce sectors, employee scheduling is often influenced by shifts in the demand for products. Demand can fluctuate rapidly in the modern era due to social media and most importantly, being viral. 

Managers must act quickly to modify the staff schedule to accommodate the sudden surge in demand. These variations in demand, in contrast to consumer foot traffic, might be more unpredictable. However, schedulers can create their timetable based on anticipated demand if they have access to the proper tools and resources. Demand can occasionally change in response to the seasons, holidays, and other variables. 

3. Service Demand  

Hospitals and call centers are examples of service-based enterprises whose demand varies. These two sectors have the most variable staffing situations based on different circumstances. 

For hospitals, there might be a need for more staff after an earthquake or during a flood. And for the call centers, the demand for additional staff might be low at night times. Lower demand therefore reflects a reduction in the number of employees while higher demand calls for more on-duty personnel. 

So, if you want to use demand-based scheduling efficiently, you must know how to predict and manage the fluctuating service demand.  

4. Seasonality  

Seasonality is a common phenomenon in company operations. Consider a retail store in the winter or a ski resort in the summer. The concept of seasonal labor originated with seasonal demand, and they are an excellent resource for demand-based schedulers.  

Managers must know when to hire and fire such seasonal employees so there are no clashes when the season is on. While being unable to get this rightly might result in unnecessarily high labor expenses or low customer satisfaction. 

5. Market Trends  

Demand for most firms is directly impacted by broader market changes. These trends can be related to global events, technical breakthroughs, changes in consumer behavior, or economic factors. Depending on the trend, demand may occasionally decline sharply or rise quickly. 

To be an effective demand-based scheduler, you must keep your ear to the ground to see these things coming and adapt accordingly.  

How Employee Scheduling Software Assists in Demand-Based Scheduling?

One of the greatest resources for efficiently utilizing demand-based scheduling is employee scheduling software. Celayix and Totalmobile are automated tools designed to make it easier for you to plan your staff according to demand. The solution offers labor predictions, schedule templates, and even just having access to your previous scheduling data. 

To see what has worked in the past, schedulers can review a prior schedule from a known period of varying demand. An excellent technique that helps schedulers predict demand is labour forecasting. Also, there is an option to change the schedule, and the employee gets notified instantly about it. 

So, if there is an increase or decrease in demand, supervisors face no difficulty in making changes accordingly. 

Final Thoughts

Now that you have learned much about demand-based scheduling, keeping the right person in the right place at the right time is the go-to formula for your organization’s success.  

We’ve discussed various factors which must be considered while scheduling like analyzing foot traffic, product demand, service requirements, seasonality, and market trends. Supervisors must create schedules that align with real-time needs so that everything operates well. 

Automated solutions like employee scheduling software further enhance this process by offering data analytics, labor forecasting, and real-time schedule adjustments. Thus, making it easier for businesses to respond to fluctuating demands.  

Ultimately, demand-based scheduling helps companies maintain operational efficiency while improving customer satisfaction and reducing labor costs, resulting in sustainable growth.