Key Features of Inn-Flow Labor Management Software

Inn-Flow’s labor management module includes three main functions: labor performance tracking, time & attendance and payroll. Within the labor component, you’ll find functionality like scheduling and a time clock. The payroll module handles paychecks and analytics. Let’s dig a bit deeper into each one.

On-demand scheduling

This type of scheduling is unique to hotels, and Inn-Flow takes data from your PMS to help forecast labor requirements. This means you can do away with paper schedules and conversation about scheduling. Inn-Flow’s analytics dashboard delivers value to GMs and owners by giving you a look into the future to rest assured that you aren’t going into overtime or over-scheduling based on occupancy changes.  The software even has an “at risk” alerts system that automatically tracks how many hours an employee has worked, compares that to their schedule and alerts managers about potential overtime risks - ultimately lowering labor costs by facilitating better planning.

Inn-Flow allows you to set default shift lengths, by day of week, and the hours you need for each role based on different service levels at a given property. For instance, banquet servers might work 6 hours on weekdays and 8 hours on weekends. For housekeeping staff, you can set the length of time needed to clean a stayover vs. a departure.

Timeclock

Inn-Flow’s biometric timeclock is where staff can clock in and out. Employees use an iPad with Inn-Flow’s technology installed to securely punch in and out. Using facial recognition, employees clock in using Smile ID technology which means they don’t need to punch in any codes or enter a fingerprint. This method eliminates the possibility of an employee punching in on behalf of someone else. Managers can control settings like how early employees can punch in before the beginning of their shift, for example, to reduce the possibility of paying for hours that employees aren’t actually working.

Employees’ punches flow into their timesheets, which you can view and edit as needed.

Forecast and Schedule

What are your labor needs for the upcoming week? Inn-Flow pulls data from your PMS to predict your staffing needs based on occupancy, looking at the volume of arrivals, departures, and stayovers. Using this data and the shift models you set, you can easily drag and drop shifts on the schedule. Inn-Flow will alert you if you hit overtime, and you can save the schedule as a template to use for future weeks. If a specific employee’s schedule needs to change, you can notify only that employee via text or email, rather than sending notifications to everyone on the schedule. It’s also printable in just two clicks!

Another important input for your schedule is time off requests. Inn-Flow tracks PTO accrual for each employee and time off requests. Once an employee’s time off request has been approved, that employee will not even appear on the list of available employees for shifts during the period they will be away.

The scheduling module gets rave reviews from hoteliers, including from the chief engineer at a large hotel in Chicago, who says, “I like the copy schedule feature, and the ability to see how much PTO each employee has available. I also like the print schedule feature.”

Payroll

Using the data from the labor module, including employees’ timesheet, Inn-Flow processes payroll and issues payment to your employees. The payroll function can be a great option for hotels with limited back office bandwidth; this feature takes the entire process of issuing paychecks off your plate. Once checks are issued, the system takes all of your payroll data and brings it back into the accounting module. Everything is connected so you can get a holistic view of your labor needs, spend, and trends.

Inn-Flow integrates with leading payroll providers and acts as a true extension of your hotel team.  For hotels that are frustrated with poor quality service at larger payroll companies, Inn-Flow has dedicated payroll support specialists on staff to assist with any questions or technical needs.

Reporting and analytics

How did your payroll expenses compare to budget on a given day? No spreadsheets needed; within Inn-Flow, you can easily see your labor totals for any time period in the reporting dashboard.

A popular analytics tool is the Daily Flash Dashboard that compares your actual labor cost to your budget, plus your cost per occupied room, occupancy, room revenue, and labor cost as a percentage of revenue. In the dashboard you can even drill down by hotel into departments, positions and even users for full visibility and control.

You can select from one of Inn-Flow’s many report templates, or you can create your own from scratch. Reports can be emailed out on a schedule or run on demand.

Integrations

In order to make the best use of Inn-Flow’s scheduling features, you’ll need to connect it to your property management system. Inn-Flow offers integrations with many popular PMSs, including Hilton’s OnQ, OPERA and Sabre’s Synxis platforms. When you speak with a sales rep from Inn-Flow, be sure to confirm that the system is compatible with your PMS.

In addition to a PMS integration, you’ll want to connect Inn-Flow to your financial institution for seamless payroll processing – or if you choose not to use Inn-Flow for payroll, you can connect to your existing payroll processor to ensure the data flows back into the analytics module.

User interface and user experience

Hoteliers across the US are pleased with the user experience provided by Inn-Flow’s software. A General Manager in San Jose, CA says, “Very pleased with all of Inn-Flow's products -- accounting, finance and labor modules. I've used a lot of accounting software and hotel management programs over the years, and Inn-Flow is far superior than all the others I have worked with.” And an AGM in Raleigh mentions Inn-Flow is “Very detailed and user friendly. I use it daily and even if you are a beginner it's very simple to navigate.”

When you’re implementing a new system, especially one with features as critical as scheduling and a timeclock, it’s important to find a system that’s intuitive so you don’t need to rely as heavily on training and documentation for employees to be able to use the tool adequately. Furthermore, since employees will use Inn-Flow every day, a system that runs smoothly will prevent frustration that can arise with software that’s clunky or riddled with glitches.

Customer support

Inn-Flow has earned HotelTechReport’s Global Customer Support Certification, which means you can expect world-class service from Inn-Flow’s support team. Inn-Flow has a handy online knowledge base which is a convenient way to learn more about the tool and self-serve any questions. Inn-Flow also has customer support reps available via phone, email, and live chat for more personalized assistance. To keep clients feeling supported, Inn-Flow also schedules quarterly check-ins to ensure everything is going well and provide a forum for questions.