Honest Review:
7Shifts

Great for scheduling and team management but weighed down by delayed shift notifications and app glitches.

Written by Asim Qureshi
By Asim Qureshi, CEO Jibble

August 21st 2024

As a CEO of a time tracking software company I need to know what my competitors are up to. That means my team and I are often researching about and/or playing around with their products, you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of that research, giving credit to those competitors where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful. I hope it helps you make the right decision…

This Review Covers

Overview

7shifts is a scheduling and work management tool built mainly for restaurant businesses. It’s got quite an impressive array of features for task management, team communication, hiring and onboarding, time clocking, and even tip pooling. I tried out the app myself to see how it checks out and well, I wasn’t disappointed…for the most part.

The onboarding was fairly straightforward although you do have to provide a couple more details about your business and planned usage before you can get started, which I think is warranted, but if you’re in a hurry to get started, can be a bother. The interface was fairly easy to navigate although the multiple dashboards can be confusing. I would’ve preferred a more centralized dashboard.

The scheduling feature is great but it could take some getting used to. You can create shifts with a few quick clicks and drag and drop shifts across the calendar for easy schedule management. The calendar can look a bit cluttered though, especially if you need to view various departments at the same time. Once a schedule has been published, employees can be notified right away which is pretty handy for ensuring everyone on the team stays in the loop.

Aside from scheduling, 7Shifts also offers a time clocking feature which can be used to track time and attendance. There’s also a built-in team engagement feature that lets you make announcements and even conduct surveys.

There’s no doubt, 7Shifts does pack a punch with its powerful range of features. But much like any software, it has its fair share of flaws, especially when used on Android. The app tends to log users out on its own, which can be frustrating. Additionally, while the scheduling features are robust, the time clocking is a bit basic. The payroll integration also comes with separate pricing which can be frustrating for some users. 

Let’s not judge 7Shifts prematurely though. Read on to find out more about 7Shifts’ standout features and what actual users have to say.

What Do Users Like About 7shifts?

  • Ease of publishing weekly schedules
  • Schedule notifications
  • Integration with POS systems
  • Mobile Accessibility
  • Tip pooling feature

What Don't Users Like About 7shifts?

  • Bugs and glitches on the Android app
  • Shift notifications are sometimes delayed
  • Time clocking requires a separate app

What Pricing Plans Does 7shifts Offer?

7shifts has four different pricing plans: Comp,  Entrée, The Works, and Gourmet, all aptly named for the restaurant industry.

Comp

7shifts’ Comp plan is a straightforward solution for managing schedules and clocking in and out. It’s ideal for single-location restaurants and it’s completely free for businesses with up to 30 employees. With Comp, you can easily create and manage staff schedules, and handle time-off requests and availability. It’s a pretty limited plan but good enough for your basic scheduling needs.

Entrée

This plan is designed for small to medium-sized restaurants or low-location franchises. Priced at $34.99 per month per location, it offers features tailored to optimize labor costs and monitor performance. With support for up to 30 employees, this plan includes all the features of the Comp plan, such as saving time scheduling with Templates, and tracking restaurant performance with robust reports. Additionally, it offers tools like the Labor Budget Tool to help you save on labor costs.

The Works

The Works plan by 7shifts offers streamlined communication tools to help manage, engage, and retain team members effectively. It’s ideal for small to medium-sized restaurants with multiple locations or low-location franchises. Priced at $79.99 per month per location, it can accommodate an unlimited number of employees.

In addition to the features of the Entrée plan, The Works plan offers complete labor compliance for your area to help avoid penalties. It also includes the Manager Log Book to keep track of day-to-day operations, the Optimal Labor Tool to predict staffing needs and Shift Feedback to monitor employee satisfaction.

Gourmet

For larger businesses like enterprises or mid-market brands that are corporate or franchise-owned, the Gourmet plan offers an ideal choice.

This plan costs $135 per month per location and includes unlimited employees. With the Gourmet plan, you get all the features of The Works plan, plus some additional benefits. These include the ability to keep records of daily checklists with Task Management, an auto-scheduler to help build labor-optimal schedules and a complete operational rollout plan. This plan also offers advanced customization options and dedicated support to help businesses streamline their operations and maximize efficiency.

What are the Standout Features of 7shifts?

1. Scheduling

With 7Shifts, creating and managing schedules is pretty quick and easy once you get used to the interface.

You can schedule a shift with a few quick clicks, and even add breaks in between. Shifts can be applied to several days in a week or dragged and dropped across the calendar.

Your staff can stay up-to-date with shift notifications, request time off, and swap shifts using the free mobile app. Plus, you can make schedule changes, approve time off, and manage shift swaps from anywhere, at any time, ensuring your team stays organized and efficient. There are also warnings shown at the top of the calendar if there are any conflicts with the schedule changes you’re making.

The scheduling calendar isn’t easy on the eyes though, I have to say. It becomes even more complex when you have several departments. But confusing calendar interface aside, I think the scheduling feature of 7Shifts still gets the job done.

Editing a shift using the 7Shifts app.

2. Time Clocking

7Shifts offers users two ways to punch in their time and attendance: Via POS or their separate time clocking app which they call 7Punches. Both are suitable choices, although the latter does offer more flexibility because it can be used on mobile.

You can customize your time clocking settings to prevent early punches and allow punching for breaks, ensuring accuracy. You can also set up geofencing and declare tips directly on the mobile app.

Managers can easily view all-time clocking data on one page and export it to various payroll integrations for seamless payroll processing. Plus, you can track missed clock-ins and modifications with punch audit reports, giving you full visibility and control over your workforce’s time management. Fair warning though, the time clocking app is not all it’s cracked up to be. Several users have complained about glitches with the Android app which can really take away from its overall reliability.

Clocking in for a shift with by entering a PIN code to 7Shifts.

3. Tip Management

Managing tips manually can be a hassle for restaurant owners and managers. That’s where 7shifts’ Tip Pooling feature comes in handy. With this feature, you can create custom tip pools tailored to your team’s needs in just a few clicks. Whether it’s splitting tips between servers, bartenders, and hosts, or allocating them based on specific shifts or sections, you have full control over the distribution. Plus, automated tip calculations save you time and effort by eliminating the need for manual calculations. 

You can seamlessly integrate your custom tip rules with your POS or 7Punches data to ensure accurate and fair distribution every time. And when it’s time to pay out the tips, Tip Payouts makes it easy to send them directly to employee debit accounts, track paid tips, and export them to payroll for a hassle-free tax deduction.

The time management feature of 7Shifts showing a summary of tip payouts.

4. Team Engagement

Another one of the perks of using 7Shifts is its team engagement feature.

With this feature, you can easily monitor and improve engagement levels among your staff. By automating shift feedback surveys, you gather valuable insights that help you address issues, provide better coaching, and enhance operations. Additionally, the Team Chat app streamlines communication by centralizing group chats, announcements, and shout-outs, promoting stronger relationships between team members and management.

Selected Positive User Feedback

  • “Good. Works most of the time. Customer service is great.” – Tessa D. (Source Capterra)
  • “Easy to use, easy for employees to use. It’s mobile and I can access it from anywhere, as can our employees” – Ray M. (Source GetApp)
  • “It’s extremely user-friendly. Very easy to navigate between sections and clear layouts.” – Madison M. (Source GetApp)
  • “The scheduling portion is pretty easy. I like that I can copy from one week to the other, and that I can get a “warning” if someone has asked for time off or is not available.” – Allison D. (Source GetApp)
  • “With its intuitive interface, I’ve been able to streamline scheduling processes, saving valuable time and ensuring seamless communication with my staff.” – Carilyn V. (Source GetApp)
  • “If I have an issue the customer service is great. They even take my suggestions and have made improvements!” – Tessa D. (Source GetApp)
  • “Very easy to use interface. Log book and chat features are excellent!” – John S. (Source Capterra)

Selected Negative User Feedback

  • “I want to know total dollar spend for the written schedule per day. It is lacking that basic function because it has other tools that are supposed to help you. But the tools are very complex and difficult.” – Brendon M. (Source Capterra)
  • “Buggy. Constant problems with time zones and being able to edit employee profiles. Extremely unstable, even after reinstalling.” – RS (Source Google Play Store)
  • “It is sometimes slow and lagging, which makes it difficult to communicate with employees at times.” – Allie B. (Source GetApp)
  • “It can be a bit hard to navigate on mobile sometimes.” – Matthew C. (Source GetApp)
  • “Horrible…keeps crashing!” – Eric M. (Source Google Play Store)
  • “Disappointed. Used to love it. It signed me out on it’s own and now it won’t let me get in. I keep touching the sign in button, and it only changes colour’s, nothing else.” – Ildiko Szekely (Source Google Play Store)

What are 7shifts’s Review Ratings from Review Sites?

(As of May 2024)

  • Capterra: 4.7/5
  • G2: 4.5/5
  • TrustRadius: 9/10
  • GetApp: 4.7/5
  • Google Play Store: 4.6/5
  • App Store: 4.7/5

What’s My Final Verdict on 7shifts?

Overall, 7shifts proves to be a robust scheduling and work management tool tailored for restaurant businesses. Its impressive suite of features, including task management, team communication, hiring and onboarding, time clocking, and tip pooling, makes it a comprehensive solution for managing restaurant operations.

While the onboarding process can take a while and the interface a bit complex with multiple dashboards, these are minor inconveniences compared to the benefits it offers. The scheduling feature, though initially challenging, allows for the quick creation and management of shifts, keeping the entire team well-informed and organized.

Now the big questions is: will 7Shifts work for businesses outside the restaurant industry? It might, but given that its features are mainly geared toward the needs of restaurants, its full potential may not be realized in other industries.

If you’re looking for better options, why not check out our breakdown on the the 6 Best Free Time and Attendance Software in 2024?