Know your availability before the phones ring
Ask staff to share availability weeks ahead, by morning and afternoon, and make it easy to update from their phone. A live view of who is free turns calls into confirmations.
See demand and people on one board
When requests and available staff sit on the same screen, consultants stop flicking between lists. Pin unfilled bookings to the top so nothing is missed.
Match on what schools care about
- Has this person worked at the school before?
- How far do they travel?
- Do they have the right experience and key stage?
- Are all their checks in date?
Book and confirm in one step
Once a match is chosen, book it, notify the worker and confirm with the school straight away. Every extra step delays the next booking.
Build a reliable pool for each school
Schools prefer people they know. Track who has worked at each school, how the school rated them and whether they would have them back. Offering a familiar face first raises acceptance and reduces complaints.
Plan for long-term and daily bookings
Long-term bookings give stability but tie up your best people. Keep a clear view of who is committed long term and who is available for daily cover, so you do not promise the same person twice.
Common bottlenecks
- Availability collected by text and copied into the system by hand
- Requests arriving by phone, email and text with no single list
- Checks verified at the last minute
- Workers confirmed one phone call at a time
Measure the morning
Track how many requests arrive before 8am, how many are filled and how long each one takes. These numbers show where time is lost and whether changes are working.
Keep the school informed
A quick confirmation with the name and arrival time of the person booked gives schools confidence. A schools portal for requests and timesheets reduces calls further.
How Orchestrate helps
Orchestrate puts demand and staff on one drag-and-drop board, ranks matches by familiarity, distance and competency, blocks non-compliant bookings and notifies workers instantly.