Transitioning from the Staff Planner to the Group Planner

Modified on Sun, 8 Sep at 9:16 AM

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

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

The Staff and Group Planners can be set up to display the following:


The Group Planner can also display the following:



New exciting enhancements to the Planners, bring significant improvements for businesses to manage their capacity and workload. Daycare and boarding businesses will be familiar with the original planner, but now you can track any type of service, including dog walking and pet visits in the Group Planner.


The original Staff Planner, has also been updated with new powerful features, enabling admins and business owners to quickly view Staff total capacity for scheduling purposes, but also have the ability to edit, add services or access a client account and invoices.


Both planners provide expedited methods of assessing the availability of staff/sitters to accept a service, where they have no work or have capacity availability indicated on their planner. 


New Features


The Staff and Group Planners can be set up to display the following:


The Group Planner can also display the following:


What are the Steps to Transition from the Staff Planner to the new Group Planner?


To ensure a smooth transition from the Old Planner to the New Group Planner, follow the steps below to ensure you can access all the new features as detailed above.


Step 1. Set up Service Items to Display in both the Staff and Group Planner


The first part of setting up the planners requires you to select which service items you wish to track.


Navigation: Admin > Services > click on the service item > Advanced


  • Select the Service Item, in this instance Daycare 1 dog.


Select the Service to display in the planner in dog walking software


  • Click the "Advanced" sub menu. 
  • Set the Resource Cost based on the following guidelines: 
    • Set resource cost to 1 when the service is for 1 dog. 
    • Set resource cost to 2 when the service is for 2 dogs. 
    • Set resource cost to 1 for an overnight service. Even if the client has more than 1 pet, the resource cost covers the number of homes you are staying at, which can only be 1.
    • Keep Resource Cost set to 0 to not have the service counted on the Planner.
  • Click "Update."


Set the resource cost for a service item display it in the planner in pet sitting software


  • Your service item will then be displayed and tracked in the planner under its relevant service item group


Tip: Clicknext to "GROUP" to expand the list of services that have been scheduled.


Expand Service Item Groups in the Planner for Dog Daycare Software


Step 2. General Planner Settings


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


The next step is to choose which features of both the Staff and Group Planners you wish to enable.


Navigation: Admin > Settings > Planner Settings > General


Choose the settings you require:

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

Click "Update."


Set General Planner settings for Staff and Group Planner in Dog Walking Software


Step 3. Group Planner Settings


Next move on to the Group Planner Settings, which enable you to decide which service item groups are displayed in the planner at Group and Staff level.


Navigation: Admin > Settings > Planner Settings >Group Planner Settings


From your Group Planner settings you can decide which service Item groups you wish to display or "Track" and are available on your planner to identify which services are at, or are over capacity. 


  • ITEM GROUP: Your service item groups
  • TRACK: Toggle ON to add a service item group to the planner and display a total count of all scheduled services. 
  • STAFF: Click "Configure Staff". Here you can access the service item group tracking for individual staff/sitters and also enable the Check-in/Out feature. 
  • COMPANY CAPACITY: Displays the total company capacity for the service item group
  • ADD TO GROUP TOTAL: Only visible when "Use Add to Staff Total" is Toggled OFF in General Planner Settings. Adds the Service Group Totals to the Company Totals.


Click "Update."


Set up the Planner in Company Settings to decide which Service items to track in dog walking software


To configure the Staff Planners, follow Step 4.

 

Step 4. STAFF Planner Settings


Now you have configured which service item groups are to be tracked in the planner, now configure the staff level planners. Here you can identify which staff/sitters provide the services you have already enabled in Step 3.


Navigation: Admin > Settings > Planner Settings > Group Planner Settings


  • Having enabled the service item groups you wish to track in the planners, now Select "Configure Staff" next to each service item group.


Choose which Staff appear on the Planners for each Service they provide in Homeboarding Software


  • For each Service Item Group, toggle ON "Track" for the staff/sitters who provide these services and then click "Update."
  • Next set the "MAX CAPACITY" the Staff member has for the service item
  • Toggle ON "ENABLE CHECK IN " if this function is required
  • Toggle ON "ADD TO STAFF TOTAL" if this service is required to be counted in the staff/sitter's total.  
  • Click "Update."


Configure Staff in the Planner in Dog Daycare software


The planner will then not only show total scheduled services by service item group at company level, but also each staff/sitter will have a planner view too, so an admin can view which staff/sitter has availability to have services assigned to them.


View Company and Staff Level Planners for tracking services and capacity in Pet Sitting Software.


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


Step 5. Allow Staff to View Their Own Planner


As a default when the Group Planner has been configured at company and staff level, they are available to business owners and admins.


Admins can also allow individual staff to view and make changes to their own planners, subject to permissions.


Navigation: Admin > Staff > select Staff Name > Permissions > Interface Permissions


  • Toggle ON "My Planner View" to allow the staff/sitter to be able to view their own planner in their staff interface.
  • Click "Update."


Enable Staff/Sitters to view their own Planners in their Staff Interface in Dog Daycare Software


When the staff/sitter logs onto their interface, they can then view their own planner.


Navigation: Scheduler > My Schedules > My Planner


  • From the My Planner page, the staff/sitter can now view their own scheduled services.


View Staff Planner and Service Capacity in Pet Boarding Software


Step 6. Allow Staff to Edit their own Planners


Having allowed staff/sitters to view their own planners, additional permissions can be set to allow staff to make changes to services, view vaccination status of a pet and even check in/out of services. 


Navigation: Admin > Staff > Select Staff > Permissions > Staff Permissions 


  • Toggle ON "Can Change My Planner"
  • Click "Update."


Allow staff to make changes to their Planner in Cat Sitting Software


From the staff planner, when a service count is Selected, the details of the services are shown including client name, service type, vaccination status and the check in/out feature.


Navigation: Staff Interface > Scheduler > My Schedules > My Planner


  • Select the service count


Select Service Count from Staff Planner to edit services in Dog Daycare Software


  • From the details page, Click "Edit."


Edit Services from the Staff Planner in Dog Daycare Software


Subject to other staff permissions being set, from the "Edit Services" page, the following features can be accessed and/or amended:

  • Client information pages
  • Client service orders
  • Change service date, time, sitter, quantity, invoice & staff notes
  • Service report
  • Activity
  • Maps
  • Keys


Edit Services from the Staff Planner in Dog Boarding Software


As well as editing services, staff can also check in and check out directly from their staff planner. 


  • Click "Check in" on arrival or start of service - An accurate check in or service start time is recorded
  • Click "Check out" - An accurate check out or service end time is recorded

Check in / Check Out from the Staff Planner in Dog Walking Software

Check in / Check Out from the Staff Planner in Dog Walking Software


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