How to Set Up StaffConnect for the First Time

So, you’ve decided to manage your events and staff with StaffConnect. Great move. Now it’s time to set it up for a smooth start. In this guide, we walk you through the first setup steps, giving you simple instructions and helpful tips to get your team running efficiently. Let’s dive in right away!

How to Set Up StaffConnect for the First Time

Setting up StaffConnect for the first time may sound daunting, but trust us, you can do it in just under 10 minutes! So, grab your laptop and let's get your team event-day ready with this guide. 

1. Log In to the StaffConnect Homepage

First things first, you need to log in to the StaffConnect homepage. To do this, open your browser and navigate to your unique StaffConnect homepage at https://www.google.com/search?q=youragencynane.staffconnectapp.com. After logging in, you'll be on the Home tab. A quick look at the Home tab reveals a newsfeed for staff communication, an activity feed, and pinned notes for important information.

2. Set Up Your Work Areas

Work areas are the specific locations where you manage your staff. They help you organize shifts and coordinate across different time zones, keeping scheduling smooth and efficient. For your team, work areas are just as important. Before registration, each staff member selects their preferred work area when creating a profile. When you have an event, the system filters staff based on this information, so only those who can access the work area can view and accept job invites.

To access the work areas, go to Settings > System > Work Areas. Click add category and enter the location where you are operating or managing an event. Enter the specific area and the time zone of the work area. To make staff selection easier, you can also set a minimum and maximum number of work areas that staff users must select. 

3. Create New Staff Profile Elements

Your staff profiles should include all the exact information you need when selecting staff. It’s not enough to only know their location; you need to capture key details that can drive strong results for your team. With StaffConnect, you can collect all the necessary details about your staff by creating a new profile element, a specific piece of information, or a data field that you add to a staff profile.

To create a new profile element, go to Settings > System > Profile Info. Select the add button, and the Add Field pop-up will appear. Enter the element’s name, then choose the type of answer you need. You can set it as a short, medium, or long text response, a selection from a list, a date, or a number. Click the check icon to save and finalize your new element. By default, new elements appear at the bottom of the category. Simply drag and drop them to your desired position. You can also customize elements to be suitable for specific genders or change their type. Additionally, you can  edit an element by clicking on it, or delete it by clicking the trash can icon. The information you set here will be included in the registration process for new staff.

4. Customize Attributes

Elements and attributes are easy to mix up, but they serve different purposes. Elements are custom fields you create to collect specific information from staff profiles. Attributes, on the other hand, record and track skills or qualifications that help determine job suitability and event assignments.

Let’s customize attributes to your needs. Go to Settings > System > Attributes. Next, enter skills and qualifications, such as driver's licenses, modeling experience, or health and safety certifications. You can set visibility to either admin or user. Use admin only for internal attributes that you don’t want staff to see or edit themselves. Attributes assigned by an admin will appear in red on the profile and won't be visible to staff. 

5. Set Up and Assign Forms

The days of having staff sign papers through a third-party app or in person are finally over. With StaffConnect, your staff can sign forms online directly within the system. Go to System Settings > Forms, click the add button, import your form, add a name, and click Create. Then drag, drop, and resize the fields that need to be completed. Once everything is set, click Save. After saving, you need to assign the form and determine when users must complete it. You have a few options: require it when they apply for a shift, when they confirm a shift, the next time they log in, or make it optional. Completed forms are automatically added to the Documents section of the user’s profile for your reference.

6. Create a Welcome Message

Greet your staff with a welcome message each time they log in to your custom website. To set this up, go to Settings > Registration. Write a welcome message to appear as a banner and add a completed message to give staff any further instructions.

7. Review Other Settings

As you explore your system, take the time to review the various settings to ensure they are configured to your agency’s exact needs. Check out the following fields.

• Users
• Company Info
• Time Tracking
• Integrations
• Finances
• Communication
• Documents

8. Bring Your Staff Onboard

Once you have completed the basic setup, you are ready to onboard your team. The easiest way to do this is by providing your team with your unique URL and having them create an account. You can then approve their access by navigating to Registrants in your User Database.

New registrants will complete the Profile Info, Attributes, and Region sections, and they can also provide references, outline their experience, upload any required photos or documents, and sign forms. Alternatively, you can add a new user at any time by clicking the Add New User button in the User Database. You can set their user type, add their basic details, and send them a notification email with their login information.

What You Can Accomplish With StaffConnect

Now that you have set up StaffConnect, are you ready to see what you can achieve? Here’s the big picture. With StaffConnect, you save time and boost productivity. Built by industry professionals for the industry, StaffConnect is a feature-rich event management software that draws on over a decade of experience supporting agencies worldwide. It is a complete one-stop platform that brings all your staffing needs together in one powerful, efficient tool.

At StaffConnect, we pride ourselves on our ability to maximize your agency’s efficiency by handling all the tedious, routine tasks, saving you countless hours of management and increasing productivity by over 400%. With StaffConnect, you can be confident in staffing more events while we handle the data, allowing you to streamline operations and focus on what matters most.