Scheduling work forces -- whether cashiers at retail stores, nurses at blood drives or parent volunteers at a school auctions -- can be a logistical nightmare. But online tools are making that job a little easier, and that's where Seattle software startup Shiftboard is making its mark. Founded in 2002, the 25-person company now boasts a strong lineup of customers that includes The American Red Cross, Puget Sound Blood Center and Bold Hat which use the online service to schedule employees, forecast employee expenses, communicate with staffers in real-time and more. We chatted with Shiftboard CEO Rob Eleveld and founder Bryan Lhuillier for the latest installment of Startup of the Week to get the inside scoop on what sets them apart.

What’s your elevator pitch — in 140 characters or less… Shiftboard provides dynamic mobile workforce management tools that alleviate scheduling woes for companies, employees, and volunteers.

We came up with the idea for the startup... After recognizing that staffing managers needed a way to automate the endless cycles of staff recruiting, scheduling, and communications. Shiftboard was created to allow workers a greater work-life balance by interacting with schedules directly. On the flip side, our solution would allow management to focus on more important things like building their business, running events, saving lives, or providing thousands of seasonal flu shots.

Shiftboard's Rob Eleveld, left, and Bryan Lhuillier

The word that best describes our company culture is... Progressive. For the past 8 years, we have expanded our platform with optional services and features every month. The unique needs of our diverse customer base present challenges and opportunities for us to expand our service. Our goal is to create the most balanced, effective, intuitive, and engaging workforce management solution in the market.

We are different from the competition because... We do it all. Shiftboard integrates recruiting, targeted communications, financial forecasting, workforce management, and our own unique tools to empower the “human network” that exists within every organization. Shiftboard is used by hundreds of companies spanning multiple verticals because our solution accommodates any company with a mobile, flexible, or volunteer workforce.

The biggest challenge we face is... Shouting over the noise. There are many free and low-cost calendaring and scheduling software products with niche features. This has created the misconception that scheduling software is limited and low quality. ONLY Shiftboard offers a breadth of friendly features and services, and people are starting to take notice.

We’ve raised... Plenty.

If we had $3 million, we’d invest in... More sleep

The oddest thing about our company is... We listen to our customers - we answer the phone when it rings.

The one thing missing from our business is... Plush office furniture

We won’t fail because... We’re smart and have all the answers. Okay, not really, but we are on a quest to revolutionize flexible work-life and the job description of the modern-day manager. Shiftboard is a workplace solution for people of all ages, educational backgrounds, technical affinities, and occupational levels. Our service is easy to set up, easy to use, and cost effective. The possibilities are endless – just look at how our customers are using Shiftboard.

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