Call Center Scheduling

Call Center Scheduling Feature Article

December 12, 2012

Aladtec Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Online Employee Scheduling Flagship Product

By Amanda Ciccatelli, TMCnet Web Editor

The staff scheduling problem is a critical challenge in the call center industry, among countless other industries these days. While staff scheduling has long been an important operations research problem, it has recently become an important component of workforce management software. The need for effective workforce management systems has been driven primarily by the rapid growth of the call center industry in which efficient deployment of human resources is absolutely crucial for success.

One online employee scheduling system, EMS Manager, was launched back when software was sold in a box, to be installed on a single computer and used by a single person. When EMS Manager was first made publicly available in 2002, creators Dave Feyereisen and Leo Langlois hadn’t heard of the terms “SaaS (News - Alert)” or “cloud.” They were simply asked to create a website for a local ambulance service featuring an interactive employee schedule.

That request launched EMS Manager,  as well as Aladtec, Inc. Today, Aladtec is a provider of Web-based software solutions for online employee scheduling and workforce management applications. The company’s flagship products, EMS Manager and FIRE Manager, are often used in the public safety sector. Currently, more than 50,000 employees use the company’s online employee scheduling and workforce management products.

“It was a tough road for a number of years...but we were confident the web application model would succeed once public understanding caught up to the technology,” shares David Feyereisen, co-founder and CEO at Aladtec, in a statement.

In 2000, The Software & Information Industry Association (SIAA) coined the term “SaaS” and defined as a service model, application, or service deployed from a centralized data center across a network that provides access based upon a recurring fee. Because SaaS products are subscription-based, they are budget-friendly with either a fixed monthly or annual fee.

“The pricing structure played a role in choosing an Aladtec product, as did the turn-key deployment. Recognizing the direction of wireless technology, we also wanted a solution that could be used with smartphones and other mobile devices," said Eric Gerhardt, administrative manager, San Diego County Fire Authority.

Now, a decade after EMS Manager was first introduced, the terms “SaaS” and “Web app” are common terms, and there are hundreds of subscription-based SaaS products available to businesses. So, the future is bright for companies like Aladtec who utilize this technology to benefit their customers.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.

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