Implementing a new workforce management solution like Shyft requires careful planning and evaluation to ensure success. Trial periods serve as a critical bridge between initial interest and full-scale implementation, providing organizations with a hands-on opportunity to test the platform’s capabilities against their specific needs. By leveraging a structured trial approach, businesses can mitigate risks, build stakeholder confidence, and create a roadmap for successful adoption that aligns with their operational goals.
For organizations considering employee scheduling software, a well-executed trial period delivers insights into how Shyft’s features address pain points in workforce management, scheduling efficiency, and employee engagement. This comprehensive guide explores how to maximize the value of your trial experience, establish meaningful success metrics, and develop an implementation strategy that positions your organization for long-term success with Shyft’s scheduling and communication tools.
Understanding Trial Periods for Shyft Implementation
A trial period represents a critical phase in your implementation journey, offering a low-risk opportunity to evaluate Shyft’s workforce management platform in your specific business context. Unlike simple product demos, a comprehensive trial allows your organization to test real-world application of features while gathering valuable feedback from end users who will rely on the system daily. Organizations that approach trials strategically gain clearer insights into the potential return on investment and can identify customization needs before full deployment.
- Controlled Evaluation Environment: Trial periods create a contained testing environment where organizations can explore Shyft’s core features without disrupting existing operations, protecting business continuity while evaluating new technologies.
- Risk Mitigation Strategy: By testing the platform with a limited user group before organization-wide deployment, companies can identify potential implementation challenges and develop mitigation strategies early in the process.
- Stakeholder Engagement Opportunity: Trials provide tangible experiences for key stakeholders, from frontline employees to executive sponsors, fostering buy-in and collecting diverse perspectives on usability and value.
- Feature Relevance Assessment: Organizations can evaluate which of Shyft’s features—from shift marketplace to team communication tools—deliver the most significant impact for their specific operational challenges.
- Custom Configuration Testing: Trials allow for testing various configuration options to determine optimal settings for your business requirements before finalizing implementation parameters.
The typical Shyft trial period runs 2-4 weeks, providing sufficient time to test key functionality while maintaining implementation momentum. This timeframe balances the need for thorough evaluation with the business imperative to move forward with productivity-enhancing solutions. Organizations with complex scheduling needs or multiple departments may benefit from slightly longer trials to accommodate diverse use cases.
Planning an Effective Trial Strategy
Successful trial periods begin with deliberate planning that aligns evaluation activities with organizational objectives. By defining clear goals, selecting appropriate test groups, and establishing relevant success metrics, you create a framework for meaningful evaluation rather than a superficial platform overview. This strategic approach ensures that your trial delivers actionable insights that inform your broader implementation and training strategy.
- Define Clear Objectives: Establish specific goals for your trial period, whether testing schedule optimization, evaluating employee adoption, measuring labor cost reduction, or assessing integration capabilities with existing systems.
- Select Representative Test Groups: Include users from different roles, departments, and technical comfort levels to gather comprehensive feedback on how Shyft meets diverse workforce needs across your organization.
- Create a Structured Timeline: Develop a week-by-week trial schedule that progressively introduces features, collects feedback, and evaluates results against predetermined success criteria.
- Establish Measurable Success Metrics: Define quantifiable indicators for trial success, such as user adoption rates, schedule creation time reduction, or decrease in last-minute coverage issues.
- Assign Clear Responsibilities: Designate internal champions who will oversee the trial, provide user support, collect feedback, and liaise with the Shyft implementation team throughout the evaluation period.
Communication is essential throughout the planning process. Ensure all trial participants understand the purpose of the evaluation, their role in providing feedback, and how their input will influence the ultimate implementation decision. Organizations that invest in thorough trial planning typically experience more successful implementations with higher adoption rates and faster time-to-value, as confirmed by implementation success stories across various industries.
Setting Up Your Trial Environment
Properly configuring your trial environment creates the foundation for meaningful evaluation. A well-prepared trial setup allows your team to experience Shyft’s capabilities in a context that closely resembles your actual operational environment, providing more accurate insights into the platform’s potential value. The configuration process also offers valuable learning opportunities for your implementation team about the system’s architecture and customization capabilities.
- Data Preparation: Collect and organize essential data for the trial, including employee information, skill sets, scheduling rules, and operational requirements to create a realistic testing environment.
- System Configuration: Work with Shyft’s implementation specialists to configure the trial environment with your organization’s scheduling parameters, work rules, and approval hierarchies to test real-world scenarios.
- Integration Assessment: If relevant to your implementation goals, evaluate integration capabilities with existing systems during the trial, including HRIS, time and attendance, or payroll platforms.
- User Access Setup: Create appropriate user accounts with role-based permissions that reflect your organization’s actual management structure and access control requirements.
- Mobile Environment Testing: Ensure participants can access both web and mobile versions of the platform to evaluate the full range of user experiences, particularly important for deskless workers.
Organizations in specialized industries should customize their trial environment to reflect unique operational requirements. For example, healthcare providers might focus on credential-based scheduling and compliance features, while retail businesses may prioritize demand-based scheduling and shift marketplace functionality. This industry-specific approach provides more relevant evaluation insights and helps identify any configuration adjustments needed for full implementation.
Trial Period User Training and Support
The quality of user training directly impacts trial period success. Well-prepared participants can effectively test the platform’s capabilities, provide more valuable feedback, and serve as knowledgeable advocates during broader implementation. Investing in comprehensive training during the trial also helps identify potential adoption challenges and develop mitigation strategies before full-scale rollout, creating a more seamless implementation experience.
- Role-Based Training Sessions: Develop targeted training programs for different user roles (managers, schedulers, employees) that focus on their specific platform interactions and responsibilities.
- Multi-Format Learning Resources: Provide diverse training materials including interactive sessions, written documentation, video tutorials, and quick reference guides to accommodate different learning preferences.
- Hands-On Practice Opportunities: Create structured exercises that allow users to practice key functions like schedule creation, shift swapping, or team communication in a guided environment before independent use.
- Dedicated Support Channels: Establish clear support mechanisms for trial participants, including designated internal champions and direct access to Shyft’s implementation team for technical questions.
- Progressive Feature Introduction: Consider introducing features gradually throughout the trial period, allowing users to master core functions before exploring more advanced capabilities.
Organizations that excel at training and support during trials typically achieve higher user satisfaction and more accurate evaluation results. The investment in training during this phase also creates a foundation for your broader implementation strategy, as you can refine approaches based on trial user feedback before organization-wide rollout. Thorough documentation of training needs and effectiveness during the trial provides valuable insights for developing your comprehensive implementation training plan.
Key Features to Evaluate During Your Trial
While Shyft offers a comprehensive suite of workforce management capabilities, focusing your trial evaluation on features that address your most pressing business challenges yields the most valuable insights. Prioritizing critical functionality allows for deeper testing and more meaningful assessment of potential business impact. This targeted approach also helps maintain participant engagement by concentrating on capabilities most relevant to their daily work experiences.
- Schedule Creation and Management: Evaluate the efficiency of creating, publishing, and modifying schedules compared to your current processes, with attention to time savings and error reduction potential.
- Shift Marketplace Functionality: Test the shift marketplace capabilities for employee-driven shift swapping and coverage, assessing both manager oversight features and employee experience.
- Mobile Accessibility: Thoroughly evaluate the mobile experience for all user types, considering ease of viewing schedules, requesting changes, and communicating with team members from any device.
- Team Communication Tools: Assess the effectiveness of team communication features for operational announcements, shift-related questions, and team collaboration compared to existing channels.
- Reporting and Analytics: Review available reports and data visualizations to determine if they provide actionable insights for optimizing schedules, controlling labor costs, and improving workforce management decisions.
Industry-specific features should also receive focused attention during trials. For example, hospitality businesses might thoroughly test demand-based scheduling capabilities, while supply chain operations may focus on skills-based assignment features. Document specific use cases that demonstrate how these features address your organization’s unique challenges to support the business case for full implementation.
Collecting and Analyzing Trial Feedback
Systematic feedback collection during your trial period provides critical insights that inform your implementation strategy and help maximize Shyft’s value for your organization. Effective feedback mechanisms capture both quantitative performance data and qualitative user experiences, creating a comprehensive picture of the platform’s fit for your business needs. This multi-dimensional approach to feedback allows you to identify both technical adjustments and change management considerations for successful implementation.
- Structured Feedback Channels: Implement diverse feedback collection methods including surveys, user interviews, observation sessions, and performance metrics to capture comprehensive insights throughout the trial.
- Progressive Evaluation Timeline: Schedule feedback collection at strategic points during the trial—initial impressions, mid-point assessment, and final evaluation—to track evolving perceptions and growing proficiency.
- Role-Specific Input: Gather targeted feedback from different user types (managers, employees, administrators) to understand how Shyft meets the needs of various stakeholders across your organization.
- Feature Utilization Analysis: Use system analytics to track which features receive the most engagement during the trial, identifying both popular functionality and potential adoption challenges.
- Comparative Assessment: Evaluate Shyft’s performance against predefined success criteria and current processes to quantify potential improvements in efficiency, compliance, and employee satisfaction.
Organizations that excel in feedback collection create transparent processes that make participants feel their input genuinely influences implementation decisions. This approach not only yields better evaluation data but also builds stakeholder investment in the platform’s success. For effective analysis, consider using reporting and analytics frameworks that organize feedback into actionable categories: critical issues requiring resolution before implementation, enhancement opportunities for future optimization, and successful features that should be highlighted during broader rollout.
Measuring Trial Period Success
Establishing clear success metrics before beginning your trial creates objective criteria for evaluating Shyft’s performance against your business needs. These metrics should align with your strategic objectives for workforce management improvement and provide quantifiable evidence of the platform’s potential return on investment. Well-defined success measures help transform subjective impressions into data-driven implementation decisions that organizational leadership can confidently support.
- Efficiency Improvements: Measure time savings in scheduling processes, comparing the hours required to create, publish, and modify schedules in Shyft versus current methods.
- User Adoption Metrics: Track platform engagement statistics including login frequency, feature utilization, and mobile app activation rates to assess potential adoption success in full implementation.
- Error Reduction: Document decreases in scheduling errors, conflicts, or compliance issues compared to baseline measurements from your existing processes.
- Communication Effectiveness: Evaluate improvements in team communication efficiency, including faster issue resolution, reduced message fragmentation, and increased information visibility.
- User Satisfaction Scores: Collect satisfaction ratings from trial participants regarding usability, feature relevance, and perceived value compared to current tools and processes.
Industry-specific metrics should supplement these general measures to ensure comprehensive evaluation. For example, retail organizations might measure improvements in schedule-to-demand alignment, while healthcare facilities could track compliance with specialized credentialing requirements. The tracking metrics you establish during the trial period can evolve into key performance indicators for ongoing assessment after full implementation, creating continuity in your optimization efforts.
Addressing Common Trial Period Challenges
Even well-planned trials typically encounter challenges that require proactive management. Identifying and addressing these obstacles promptly maintains trial momentum and prevents minor issues from undermining your evaluation process. Organizations that approach challenges as learning opportunities often gain valuable insights that strengthen their implementation strategy and change management approach.
- Resistance to Change: Combat initial user resistance by clearly communicating the benefits of Shyft for individual roles, providing excellent support, and celebrating early successes to build positive momentum.
- Insufficient Engagement: Address participation gaps by scheduling specific evaluation activities, recognizing active contributors, and regularly reinforcing the importance of thorough testing for implementation success.
- Technical Integration Issues: Document and prioritize any integration challenges with existing systems, working closely with Shyft’s technical team to develop solutions before full-scale implementation.
- Feature Misalignment: If certain features don’t match expected functionality, collect detailed requirements information and explore configuration options to better align the platform with your needs.
- Scope Management: Maintain focus on prioritized evaluation objectives rather than trying to test every feature, which can overwhelm participants and dilute the quality of feedback.
Effective conflict resolution during trials requires balancing immediate fixes with strategic decisions about implementation adjustments. For example, if users struggle with a particular feature, determine whether the issue stems from training gaps that can be addressed through enhanced materials, or fundamental usability concerns that require interface adjustments or workflow reconfiguration. The solutions you develop for trial challenges create valuable precedents for managing similar issues during broader implementation.
From Trial to Implementation: Creating Your Roadmap
The transition from trial to full implementation represents a critical juncture where evaluation insights transform into concrete action plans. A well-structured implementation roadmap leverages trial period learnings to create a strategic approach that maximizes adoption success and accelerates time-to-value. This roadmap should address technical configuration, process integration, change management, and ongoing optimization based on trial experiences.
- Trial Results Analysis: Conduct a comprehensive review of trial outcomes against success metrics, documenting both achievements and areas requiring adjustment before full implementation.
- Configuration Refinement: Outline necessary system configuration changes based on trial feedback, including scheduling rules, workflow adjustments, or permission structures that require modification.
- Phased Deployment Planning: Develop a staged implementation approach that prioritizes departments or locations based on readiness, strategic importance, or potential for quick wins that build organization-wide momentum.
- Training Strategy Enhancement: Refine your training programs and workshops based on trial participant experiences, addressing knowledge gaps and emphasizing features that delivered the most value during evaluation.
- Support Structure Development: Establish ongoing support mechanisms for the full implementation, including internal champions identified during the trial who demonstrated aptitude and enthusiasm for the platform.
Organizations with successful implementations typically maintain communication continuity between trial and deployment phases. Share trial successes broadly to build anticipation, address concerns transparently based on trial learnings, and create visible connections between user feedback and implementation decisions. This approach demonstrates responsiveness and builds trust in the implementation process. Consider adapting to change management strategies that specifically address challenges observed during your trial to proactively mitigate resistance during full deployment.
Leveraging Trial Insights for Long-Term Success
The value of your trial period extends far beyond the immediate implementation decision. The insights gathered during evaluation can inform your continuous improvement strategy for years to come, establishing baseline metrics for measuring ongoing success and identifying opportunities for advanced feature adoption as your organization matures in platform usage. This long-term perspective transforms the trial from a one-time evaluation into the foundation of your workforce management evolution.
- Performance Benchmarking: Use trial period metrics as baseline measurements against which to track continuous improvement after implementation, celebrating progress from these initial benchmarks.
- Feature Adoption Roadmap: Create a phased plan for introducing advanced features that weren’t prioritized during the trial, ensuring users master core functionality before expanding their platform utilization.
- Process Optimization Opportunities: Document workflow improvements identified during the trial that could be implemented post-deployment to further enhance efficiency and user satisfaction.
- Change Management Refinement: Apply lessons from trial period adoption patterns to refine your approach to introducing new features or expanding to additional departments after initial implementation.
- ROI Projection Validation: Compare actual implementation outcomes against trial-based projections to validate your return on investment calculations and refine future technology assessment methodologies.
Organizations that maximize trial period value maintain a continuous feedback loop between users and administrators even after full implementation. The feedback collection methods established during your trial can evolve into permanent channels for user input, creating an environment of ongoing optimization. This approach positions Shyft as a dynamic solution that continuously adapts to your evolving workforce management needs rather than a static implementation that quickly becomes outdated.
Conclusion
A well-executed trial period serves as the cornerstone of successful Shyft implementation, providing critical insights that shape your deployment strategy and maximize return on investment. By approaching your trial with clear objectives, strategic participant selection, and systematic feedback collection, you transform a simple product evaluation into a comprehensive readiness assessment that addresses both technical and organizational dimensions of implementation success. The lessons learned during this controlled evaluation phase become invaluable assets as you transition to full-scale deployment.
To maximize the value of your Shyft trial period, maintain focus on your most pressing workforce management challenges, involve diverse stakeholders in the evaluation process, and create direct connections between trial insights and implementation decisions. This strategic approach not only supports a more informed adoption decision but also accelerates time-to-value by addressing potential obstacles before they impact your broader implementation. With thoughtful planning and execution, your trial period becomes not just an evaluation milestone but a catalyst for workforce management transformation across your organization.
FAQ
1. How long should our Shyft trial period last?
The optimal trial duration typically ranges from 2-4 weeks. This timeframe provides sufficient opportunity to test core functionality while maintaining implementation momentum. Complex organizations with multiple departments or locations may benefit from the longer end of this range to accommodate diverse use cases. However, extending trials beyond 4-6 weeks often diminishes engagement and delays realizing the benefits of full implementation. Work with your Shyft implementation specialist to determine the ideal duration based on your specific evaluation objectives and organizational complexity.
2. Who should participate in our trial period?
Effective trials include a representative cross-section of users from different roles, departments, and technical comfort levels. At minimum, include managers who will create schedules, employees who will use the platform to view shifts and request changes, and administrators who will oversee system configuration. For best results, select participants who represent different locations, shifts, and demographic gr
