Connecteam is a customizable scheduling and time clock software with a mobile app and excellent communications tools. It can be used for onboarding, training, and managing employees, making it a good choice for businesses with high employee turnover.
Since our last update, Connecteam has reduced its pricing, along with the number of maximum users. Its paid plans now start at $35 per month for up to 30 employees. It also has a free plan with limited features and is available for up to 10 users only.
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Drag-and-drop UI
- Certification and training tracking
- Surveys
Cons
- No auto-scheduling or forecasting
- No live support
- Limited integrations
When to Use Connecteam
Connecteam impressed us with the way its tools could be used to create a convenient and thorough onboarding and training program. We also liked its ease of use for scheduling and employee time clocks.
Overall, we recommend Connecteam for:
- Companies with high turnover rates: Connecteam’s mobile onboarding, training, and checklist functions make it easy to get new employees up to speed and following standards. While its employee engagement features encourage open communication in the company and promote accountability, creating an inclusive workplace culture. Because of these features, it is one of the top software in our list of best free HR software for small businesses.
- Businesses that want a strong employee communications and management tool: In addition to individual or group chat, there are push notifications and checklists. Connecteam’s task lists, quiz tools, and other communications features make it great for training or onboarding.
- Retail stores: Retailers use the platform for automating activities like opening or closing checklists and end-of-day cash reporting. Also, it earned a score of 4.03 out of 5 on our list of best retail scheduling software.
When to Use Something Else
- Small businesses on a budget: While Connecteam has a free version, it is limited to 10 users only. Meanwhile, Homebase has a free version that is available for up to 20 users, as long as they’re in one location. If you want more features, its paid plan starts at an affordable $24.95 per location for unlimited users.
- Businesses needing auto scheduling: Connecteam does not have this feature—instead, opt for programs with auto-scheduling like 7shifts, which can fill a set shift schedule with qualified employees.
- Companies with seasonal workers: If you are a business that hires seasonal workers, Connecteam doesn’t have the pricing flexibility to accommodate your on-call employees. Sling, on the other hand, adjusts your costs to the number of your seasonal workforce. If you need them for only two months, you only pay for what you used for that time period.
Looking for something different? Read our guide to the top employee scheduling software or best time and attendance software to find one that’s right for your business.
Connecteam Deciding Factors
Pricing: |
* Sign up for annual pricing and receive an 18% discount on all plans |
Standout Features: |
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Ease of Use: |
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*Multiple time clocks are only available in the Advance, Expert, and Enterprise plans.
Top Connecteam Alternatives
Best for | Businesses needing free employee shift scheduling | Small businesses on a budget, seasonal businesses, and those needing straight scheduling | Restaurants that operate in multiple locations with complex employee shifts |
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Connecteam Pricing
Connecteam has a free plan with a time clock, scheduling, tasks, and communication tools. Its paid plans start at $35 per month for the first 30 users, plus a small price for each additional user. The Enterprise plan has custom pricing, more reports, API access, and a personal account manager.
Free | Basic | Advanced | Expert | |
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Price per month for first 30 users* | $0 | $35 | $59 | $119 |
Price per user over 30 | N/A | 60 cents | $1.80 | $3.60 |
# of time clocks | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
# of custom jobs | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Mobile app; Clock in/out; Directory | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Announcements, chat, surveys; Employee training | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Checklists, forms & task management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Manage absences; Push notification reminders; Export timesheets; Claim open shifts | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Schedule search; Team chats; Event tools; | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Media & file attachments; Export checklists & task lists | N/A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Auto clock out; Shift-swap; Single shift templates; Copy previous week; Task assignment and creation tools and tabs; Advanced quiz tools, like answer key | N/A | N/A | ✓ | ✓ |
Geofence | N/A | N/A | 10 sites | Unlimited |
Trigger-based email notifications; Set schedule limitations; Limit clock in/clock out | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✓ |
*Get an 18% discount when you pay annually.
Want to know which Connecteam plan will fit your budget? Use our online calculator to compute the estimated monthly and annual fees if you have more than 30 employees.
Connecteam Features
To get started with Connecteam, you can sign up for the free plan or jump in with a paid plan. Then, you’ll need to add employees, set rules, build your first schedule, and train employees.
What’s great about Connecteam is its customizability. You can add features useful for your business or delete features that your company doesn’t need.
Based on customer feedback, Connecteam recommends you do a soft launch with a few users to refine the application before you go companywide. This may depend on the size of your company, however. Connecteam says it takes a few weeks to launch the application, though if you have only a few employees, it may be faster.
Connecteam has a drag-and-drop feature to allow you to create and edit a shift easily. Once you have a schedule, you can save it as a template and use it again or duplicate it for a particular week. Templates can also be made for single shifts.
Aside from assigning shifts to an employee, you can also create open shifts for your team. Set limits for daily or weekly hours to prevent overscheduling someone. When someone accepts or rejects a shift, you will be notified in real time.
Use the schedule to track activity in real time as well. Connecteam has color-coded status badges so that you can see if an employee has checked in, is late, or has completed specific tasks. It also had GPS stamps for offsite work.
Connecteam’s strength is in its communications, making employee management simpler. Some of its standout communication features include:
- Push notifications: It reminds your team about an upcoming shift, to clock in or out, and to warn them when they are approaching their daily limit of work hours.
- Updates: Managers get real-time updates on change requests, overtime alerts, clock-ins, and more. The software can also provide daily summaries. Besides that, managers can see and approve requests and change schedules as needed, and employees will get notified of changes.
- Knowledge base: You can add locations, tasks, special notes, and even attachments. This is great not only for jobs that need checklists to ensure compliance with regulations and company standards but also for new employees or those tackling a job that requires special attention. It also has automated follow-up capabilities, taking some of the tracking pressure off your managers.
- In-app chat: Connecteam has group and individual chat so that you can set team channels for project collaboration, send direct messages to each other, or create a company-wide channel for announcements or socializing. You can also set channels for locations, projects, departments, or whatever grouping works for you. Set rules for group inclusion so that only the right people are in a given group or that anyone who leaves the company is automatically removed from the chats.
- Directory: Employees have access to a company directory so that they can contact individuals easily themselves. You can provide information for phone, email, or chat.
- Surveys: Connecteam also lets you set surveys, create live polls, and even launch a suggestion box. You can create structured channels for employees to reach HR or senior management as well.
Connecteam offers two kinds of time clocks to help track employee hours. You can set up an on-location kiosk that requires a personalized PIN or let employees clock in through the mobile app. The mobile app includes GPS location, digital time logs, and jobs—and it’s easy to use. You can even set geofencing to a specific customer or project to help with labor budgeting. The time clock includes an auto-clock-out feature to help avoid overtime costs.
The time sheets include visual flags for auto-breaks, overtime, double-time, daily limits, and more. It makes it easy to review and approve.
If you need more time tracking options, check our best time and attendance software guide to find one that suits your business’s needs.
You can make checklists that include signatures and save them to ensure standards are being met. You can also create announcements with a video of a new procedure to train employees and create dedicated boards for a topic if there are a lot of concerns. There’s also a drag-and-drop form creator that includes text, lists, videos, signature blocks, and more.
You can also create a library of these documents, videos, and checklists. This way, any employee can access it anytime to review a procedure, check a policy, or refresh themselves on a skill. Meanwhile, employees can use the comment or message feature to ask questions and get answers.
Connecteam has brought these features together to help you build onboarding programs and custom courses to get employees started and up-to-date on whatever they need to get the job done right. Training can be divided into sections and is accessible from the mobile app.
In addition, you can get notifications when employees have completed a course or task, set automatic follow-ups if they don’t finish a training session on time, and more. Keep the records for performance evaluations or to prove compliance with federal, state, or industry standards.
Managers can track completion rates, flag exceptions, analyze historical data, and export the information when needed. They can also create forms for employees to sign, such as acknowledging policies or a performance evaluation. They can share reports to necessary stakeholders via Excel reports or PDFs.
Connecteam Ease of Use
- Intuitive interface
- Good customer service
- Video tutorials on YouTube
- Illustrated help articles
- No auto scheduling
While Connecteam lacks an auto-scheduler, which assigns employees to shifts based on rules you set, it does have a lot of other features that make scheduling easy, from templates to reminders. Its customer support is available through email or an online form—and it also has in-depth help articles online and video tutorials on YouTube for those that need help. Because of these, real-world users praise its ease of use.
Popularity: What Users Think
What Users Like | What Users Don’t Like |
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User-friendly | The mobile app sometimes breaks down |
Wide range of employee management tools | Could be expensive for some teams, depending on the size |
Customizable time clocks | Set up might be a bit complicated for teams with little technical expertise |
Connecteam earned high praise from managers for its terrific intuitive interface. One employer noted that they have high school kids and retired ski coaches all using the app with equal ease. Managers said that the tools worked great for scheduling and communicating. Its responsive and helpful customer service also got strong praise.
- Capterra: 4.8 out of 5 based on 230+ reviews
- G2: 4.3 out of 5 based on around 40 reviews
Bottom Line
If you have a large employee base with a high turnover, then Connecteam’s tools will give you an advantage in getting them on-boarded and trained as well as scheduled. The application makes it easy to create and assign shifts, manage time off and shift swapping, track clock-ins and time sheets, and communicate with individuals or teams across the board. Get started with its free trial, or jump in with a Connecteam plan and get scheduling today.