Fixing Outdated Availability Collection with a Self-Service Staff Portal

The Problem

A clinical diagnostics provider relied on manual communication channels—phone calls, emails and text messages—to gather staff availability. Information arrived in different formats, at different times, and often had to be retyped into spreadsheets or planning tools. This created inconsistent data, delayed rota decisions and generated unnecessary follow-up between planners and staff. As the workforce grew, fragmented availability collection became a major source of operational inefficiency and planning errors.

The Solution

One of our digital squads designed and implemented a self-service availability portal that enabled staff to log and update their availability directly. The portal synced in real time with the organisation’s rota system, ensuring planners always had an accurate and current view of staffing options. Automated reminders encouraged timely updates, while staff could adjust their schedules from any device, reducing back-and-forth communication. By removing manual collection methods, the organisation gained consistent, structured availability data that supported faster, more reliable planning.