Workforce Management software has developed over the last 30 years to include lots of different levels of functionality. This can range from a simple app that shows who is off that day to an AI powered multi language system managing 10s of thousands of employees. As you can expect the costs range from very little to a lot. In this article we can’t give you an exact price but we do try and help you understand what factors influence price and how you can work with your supplier to minimise the total cost of ownership. Hopefully you will get a good understanding of how much does workforce management software cost based on those factors and your requirements.
Can I get WFM software for free?
Like many software solutions on the internet there are so called “Freemium” versions of workforce management software. These allow you to try before you buy. They are likely to have limited functionality and require you to configure it yourself, you are also unlikely to be able to integrate such a system into your HR and Payroll systems or make other custom changes. If you upgrade the per person licence fee is likely to be a higher than enterprise level software, reflecting the target market of 10-20 staff.
If you have a simple operating model and don’t have to worry about huge staff numbers, this can be the ideal solution for you.
How much are Software Licence fees for Workforce Management software?
For a SAAS based software, the licence fee is normally on a per person per month basis. It can be on a per venue per week or per venue per month basis. Some companies prefer per venue because that is how they account for costs and they prefer the cost for each venue to be the same. If you prefer a per venue model, your software supplier is likely to ask how many staff are in each venue and there will be a strong correlation between the price per venue and the price per person basis.
In terms of per person average you can expect to pay from £10-£15 per person per month for a smaller scale system targeting micro or small businesses, down to £2-£3 for enterprise level software.
The software supplier is likely to base their fee based on a percentage of the value created. At ShopWorks one of our 3 key values is to “create real benefits” and we believe that all of our software’s create an instant return on investment. That could be cost savings, reduced compliance risk or increased revenue through AI powered scheduling and forecasting.
What is included in a SaaS licence fee?
You should expect your SaaS based WFM fee to include:
- Hosting
- Software licence fee
- Support and maintenance
- Upgrades
- A small premium for the value added to your business.
How much are implementation fees for Workforce Management software?
To get a good understanding of how much does Workforce Management software cost you will need to consider if there are implementation fees. You will be getting used to the answer that “it depends” when discussing costs for WFM software. Some system don’t need to charge for implementation fees as they are simple, easy to use and include self help material to help you get started. You will be expected to configure your own software, import your staff data and train your own staff. But for may companies and software packages this is fine.
The further up the enterprise ladder you go, the more that implementation is likely to be charged for. Here are some of the things that will cost:
- Discovery and documentation of pay rules, absence types and lunch break rules
- Configuration of above
- Bespoke integrations
- Site build
- Hardware installation
- Bespoke development of features
- Project management and implementation support
- Training
Do I have to pay for training when I install a Workforce Management system?
Again, this depends on the cost to the software supplier. Many have excellent video based training content, aren’t complicated and are ideal for self service training and implementation. Most companies have some sort of offering that is free or very cheap.
If you want to have a trainer travel around the country and deliver training in person to every location that is going to use the workforce management software, expect to pay around £600 per day for a trainer plus expenses.
Do I have to pay if I want to have a pilot or trial period with my WFM software?
As we have already mentioned there are plenty of freemium software solutions available. Some will offer a free trial and others will offer a paid pilot. A paid pilot is where you pay something towards the cost of the pilot but have the option to terminate if the product doesn’t meet your requirements.
Paid pilot’s tend to be for systems focussed on larger more complex businesses where being given access to a system that hasn’t been configured for your needs won’t really prove much to you. The cost of the pilot is to cover the cost of that setup and configuration.
If you are getting free access to the software it is likely to be simple to use and targeted at the smaller business with less complex functionality such as complex pay rules, multiple contracts per person and full absence entitlement. Or your trial will be without having these features fully configured.
How are Integrations charged for with a WFM system?
To fully understand how much does Workforce Management software cost the need for any integration needs to be taken into account. Again here the answer is everything from free to quite a lot. Here we expand on the cost by type of integration.
- Market place partner: this is where the WFM software appears on the marketplace of a large HR or Payroll software company. A good example would be Xero’s app store. These are targeted at smaller and simpler companies and there is normally no charge to integrate or to maintain that integration.
- All in one supplier: this is where a company offers all of the various software solutions you may need, in the case of Workforce Management software this would mean that you take your HR and Payroll software from the same company, the systems are already integrated and there is no charge for integration. It sounds perfect but you should read our articles on best of breed v all in one suppliers before you make up your mind.
- Established enterprise partner: at ShopWorks we have an established partnership with CIPHR who provide HR and Payroll solutions. We have integrated into their systems many times and have lots of reference sites. In this example the integration is normally a small fixed charge and a small monthly fee to monitor and maintain the integration.
- New integration: If you have established HR and Payroll systems that you don’t want to change and/or you want to add a best of breed Workforce Management system you will need to arrange an integration. Most Workforce Management suppliers have a dedicated integrations team, have built an API first system and have integrated into most if not all of the HR and Payroll systems you are likely to come across. They should give you a fixed price for the integration and a fixed monthly fee to manage it. These shouldn’t be too scary but they will be higher than the costs for their chosen and regular partners.
How much does it cost to have Time and Attendance clocks with my Workforce Management software?
We have written some useful blog articles which will answer all of your questions on time and attendance clocks. However, a simple answer would be that the cost can be everything from free to £2,000 per clock. Although a modern high quality biometric reader such as the ZK VF380 should cost around £450 per reader. If your staff use their mobiles to clock in the price is often included in the software licence fee or is a small add on per person per month.
We hope that we have given you a comprehensive understanding of how much does workforce management software cost and what is involved when calculating that.
You Still Have Questions Regarding The Cost Of Implementing A WFM Solution?
