Introduction
Whether it is managing your sales or the people in your organisation, software seems to be the answer. As an entrepreneur, you are probably using a cloud-based system for marketing, accounting and project management. But, have you considered using human resource software for your SMB? If you haven’t yet, it is about time you should. Keep reading to know why and which software is ideal for you.
Why does your business need HR Software?
Often, small and mid-sized businesses focus on driving immediate ROIs. Is this enough? The answer is no. To support your employees who build a strong foundation of your business, you need human resource software, also known as people’s software. HRMS can prove to offer a lot of benefits for your business venture. Some of these benefits are:
• Improved productivity
• Employee management becomes easier
• Improved security
• Better business efficiency
• Save costs
• Improved decision-making
These are just some of the many benefits an automated human resource tool can prove to be beneficial for you. If you want to reap these benefits, it is time to start looking at a suitable HRMS. With a plethora of options available on the market, choosing the one that suits your requirements might seem like a daunting task.
To simplify this process for you, read the latest review by iTMunch of Calamari, a human resource tool for small and mid-sized businesses. Calamari is one of the most preferred software when it comes to leave management. Keep reading to know more about its features, pricing plans, and testimonials and find out if it suits you. Let’s get started!
What is Calamari?
Calamari is cloud-based human resource software that makes people management easy. It consists of two modules: leave management and clock in or out services. The first module helps businesses improve and accelerate leave-related tasks. Whether an employee wants to apply for a leave, or check his balance and more, this module can come to rescue. With this software, your staff will have the easiest access to their leave records.
The second module is a unique HR application that can help boost employee work productivity. This is done by accurately tracking and documenting working hours and attendance. You can only use this module with iBeacon. This is a type of a small electronic device which needs to be installed in your workplace. Once you have installed the iBeacon, you need to link it to your employees’ mobile devices. After this, Calamari can detect the amount of time your employees are spending at work and then clock in and clock them out automatically.
This HR solution is suitable for small as well as mid-sized businesses in different types of industries and offers Android and iOS applications for mobile phones.
Calamari’s Key Features
There are many human resource automation systems that offer more or less the same kind of features. However, when it comes to leave management, Calamari offers arguably one of the most comprehensive features set. The following are a few points that give you a brief idea of this software’s key characteristics:
1. Online automated approval
Say hello to approving leave applications through a system. With this, your employees would not have to worry about typing a new application, and waiting for your approval. They just need to select the dates, give a reason and click on Apply. Once they have applied, you or the immediate supervisor will get notified immediately!
2. Mobile access
Today, most of the human resource systems require you to log-in from your PC or laptop to access it. But, this would not be the same with your new software, Calamari. Users can access their account through their mobile phones.
3. Employee database
Maintaining all your employee details manually is time-consuming. You can simplify this task by saving all the data in this system and access it whenever you want it.
4. Team and organisation calendars
It can be difficult to keep a track of the number of people who are on leave and plan their work. With Calamari’s this feature, you know all your team members who are planning to take a leave and assign tasks accordingly.
5. Calamari clock-in and clock-out integration
With this feature, you can understand the number of hours your employees are really working for. This can help you decide whether you need to make any alterations in timings, plan tasks differently, etc.
These are the top five features of this software. Some of the other common features include email notifications; excel reports, PDF exports, employee request notes, etc.
Calamari Pricing Plans
As mentioned earlier, this software offers two modules. The price of every module is as follows:
- Leave Management- $40 per monthly
- Clock In/ Clock Out- $60 per monthly
This is the standard price for an organization with 21-35 employees. If your organization has less or more than 35 employees, the price will be as mentioned below:
A. Price based on the module (Leave Management)
1-10 employees- $10
11-20 employees- $25
21- 35 employees- $40
36- 50 employees- $60
51- 75 employees- $95
76- 100 employees- $130
B. Price based on the module (Clock In/ Clock Out)
1-10 employees- $20
11-20 employees- $40
21- 35 employees- $60
36- 50 employees- $80
51- 75 employees- $115
76- 100 employees- $150
Have more than 100 employees? Contact Calamari today! You can select either one module or both, whatever suits your business requirements the most.
Calamari Free Trial
Still contemplating whether Calamari is right for your business or not? Why not try its 14-day free trial. All you need to do is add your personal details and your business email ID, then you can try the free version of this software. No credit card and no commitment
Calamari Integrations
This tool offers seamless integration with other software that can make work simpler for you. Some of the top systems you can integrate this automated tool with are:
1. G-Suite
This leave management system can be easily integrated with all the Google apps. Your staff can view their leaves on Google Calendar. You would not have to worry about manually transferring data between Calamari and Google.
2. Basecamp
You can integrate Calamari’s both the modules with Basecamp to automate HR management. This integration makes planning and attendance-tracking easy.
3. Office 365
By integrating this software with Office 365, you can sign in directly through your Microsoft account. This is convenient, secure and you also won’t have to remember several passwords. Also, it allows you to manage your onboarding process in a fast manner by importing employee accounts from Office 365.
4. Toggl
Calamari can automatically read work-time saved in this system. Thanks to this feature you can track time, manage HR and PTO. If you are Toggl user and have any ideas on how to integrate both of these platforms, you can share it with Calamari’s team.
What are Calamari’s users saying?
Now that you know what is Calamari all about; its features, pricing plans, and integrations let’s look at what its users have to say about it.
1. Avishkar P– “Effective timesheet and leave management – we have a very happy HR Department!”
Profile: Project Manager
Usage– Almost 6 months
Reviewer source: Capterra
Overall score- 5/5
Ease of Use- 5 / 5
Features & Functionality- 4 / 5
Customer Support- 5 / 5
Value for Money- 5 / 5
Pros: Ability to check the status of all employees in real-time and at a high level. Calendar function facilitates efficient resource management and allocation.
Cons: No option to upload attachments from a mobile device.
2. Mariuss Z- “Great, easy and very helpful product!”
Profile: Vice President
Usage– 6-12 months
Reviewer source: Capterra
Overall score- 5/5
Ease of Use- 4 / 5
Features & Functionality- 5 / 5
Customer Support- 5 / 5
Value for Money- 5 / 5
Pros: This software helps me handle holidays. Along with this, it allows me to easily control, monitor and approve all leaves.
Cons: No cons!
3. Alannah C– “Easiest software to use”
Profile: HR Manager
Usage: 6-12 months
Reviewer source: GetApp
Overall score- 4/5
Ease of Use- 4 / 5
Features & Functionality- 2 / 5
Customer Support- 5 / 5
Value for Money- 3 / 5
Pros: It is easy to use for me as well as my employees. It is self-explanatory, has a pleasant layout and helps me manage all leave requests within no time. The best part is their support functionality. Also, the calendar gives me a simple and quick overview of my company’s whereabouts.
Cons: This software only offers leave management and nothing else. It would be really helpful if it integrated other functionalities such as performance management, recruitment section, etc.
Top 3 Calamari Alternatives
Before you finalise this software for your SMB, you should go through some of ht e similar options available on the market. To make this process simpler for you, we have created a list of top 3 alternatives of this software. Here, you get a brief overview of the alternatives and a user satisfaction score. Based on this information, you can make a well-informed buying decision.
1. BambooHR
About BambooHR:
BambooHR offers integrated applicant tracking, onboarding tools, time-off tracking and performance management. This is considered to be ideal software for medium and small-sized businesses.
User Score: 9.8
2. Trakstar
About Trakstar:
Award-winning software, Trakstar is designed to help HR experts to track employee performance, help managers provide feedback, set goals and reviews. Based on user-experience this software is easy-to-use, customisable, and applicable to all organisations; irrespective of their size.
User Score: 9.1
3. Freshteam
About Freshteam:
Here, you get a combination of applicant tracking systems and recruitment functionality in the same software. With Freshteam, hiring managers, freelance recruiters, and more can find talent for their companies or clients in a simple yet intuitive way.
User Score: 9.2
Calamari FAQs
A. Getting started with Calamari
1. How to add a company logo?
To add a company logo, you need to:
• Open Configuration > Account Settings
• Click on “Organization logo”
• Upload the desired file
2. How to turn on/off a module?
Only admin has the access to turn on or off any module. To do this, you need to:
• Open Subscription tab
• Click on enable or disable in front of the module
B. Employee-related doubts
1. How to turn off notifications?
To turn off notifications, employees should:
• Open the ‘menu’ on the right corner on the top of the screen
• Click on notifications
• Select or deselect which notifications you would like to receive
2. How can I edit my work time?
To edit your shift:
• Go to Timesheet
• Select a date
• Click on Edit
C. Managerial doubts
1. How to approve or reject a leave request?
When an employee applies for leave, you will see the change in the Approval tab
• Click on the Approval tab (i) to see the changes
• Select approve/ reject or add your comments
2. How to check overlapping absences?
Before approving or rejecting leaves, if you want to check who else has applied on the same day, you should:
• Go to Approval Tab and select the request you want to check
• Click on Details (i)
• On the right side of the screen in the Overview tab, you can see employees who have applied during the same period
These are a few questions commonly asked about Calamari. In case you have any other doubts about this software, you can check out their Support page. Here, Calamari has covered almost all the common questions possible.
SEE ALSO: GetResponse: Email Marketing Automation Software
Conclusion
Before selecting any software for your business, you need to have thorough knowledge about its features, pricing plans, alternatives, etc. Mentioned above is everything you need to know about Calamari to make it your ideal leave management software. Get started with Calamari, make employee management simpler for your business!
For more such tool reviews, stay tuned with iTMunch!
