Creating & Utilizing Schedule Templates

⚡ What are Schedule Templates?

Schedule Templates let you save and reuse weekly schedules, making shift planning faster and more efficient. Instead of recreating schedules each week, you can apply a pre-built template tailored to your staffing needs. When creating a template, you choose whether shifts stay assigned to employees or remain open for flexibility. This keeps schedules consistent while allowing for quick updates.

💡 | Tip: Schedule Templates help streamline scheduling across different teams, recurring shifts, and seasonal needs—saving time while reducing manual work.

📌 | Note: Schedule Templates currently support weekly schedules only. Daily schedule templates are planned for future updates.

🔎 Why Use Schedule Templates?

Here are some common scenarios where Schedule Templates can help streamline scheduling and save time:

• Recurring Schedules: If your team follows a similar schedule each week, you can save time by reusing a template instead of building a new one from scratch.
• Seasonal & Event-Based Scheduling: For busy seasons or annual events, templates make it easy to apply pre-set schedules without manually adjusting shifts every time.
• Multi-Team & Department Scheduling: If different teams or departments require unique schedules, you can save templates tailored to each group for faster, more accurate scheduling.
• Minimizing Scheduling Errors: Working from a saved template reduces the risk of misassigning shifts or forgetting to schedule required coverage.
• Last-Minute Adjustments: When unexpected staffing changes occur, templates provide a structured starting point, allowing you to make quick updates without reworking an entire schedule.

🔐 Access required

Schedule Templates is available to subscription plans that have the Scheduling feature.

Who can create, manage, and use Schedule Templates?

• Super Administrators: Full access to create, apply, edit, and delete Schedule Templates for all positions.
• Team Administrators: Can create, apply, edit, and delete Schedule Templates only if they have permission to update the Schedule for specific positions. If you cannot access Schedule Templates, confirm your permissions with a Super Administrator.

📋 Topics covered in this article:

• Creating a Schedule Template
• Applying a Schedule Template
• Managing Schedule Templates
• Frequently Asked Questions About Schedule Templates

📚 Related articles:

• Building Your Schedule
• Schedule Presets & Shift Tags
• Scheduler Section of the Knowledge Base

Creating a Schedule Template

Before creating a Schedule Template, ensure the schedule for the selected week includes all the necessary shift details you want included. You can save a fully built schedule or choose to template only specific positions if needed.

💡| Tip: If you need help building your weekly schedule before saving a template, check out this section of our Knowledge Base for step-by-step guidance.

How to Create a Brand New Schedule Template

1. Click the Scheduler tab.
2. Ensure your schedule for the week is fully set up.
   📌 | Need help building your schedule? Check out our Knowledge Base's Building Your Schedule section for step-by-step guidance.
3. On the right side, click Template.
4. In the dropdown menu, select Save.
5. A side panel titled Save Weekly Template will appear.
6. Under Template Name, enter a title for the template.
   💡 | Tip: Choose a name that’s easy to identify, such as “Summer Staffing Plan” or “Weekend Coverage.” Adding details like the department, position, or team—such as “Retail - Holiday Rush” or “Kitchen - Weekend Shifts”—makes it easier for your team to quickly recognize and apply the right template.
7. Under Positions, click the box to select which positions should be included in the template. If left blank, all positions in the schedule will be included.
8. Select one of the following options to determine how shifts are saved:
   1. Save with Assigned Staff – Shifts will remain assigned to employees.
   2. Save as House Shifts – Shifts will be saved without employee assignments, allowing flexibility for future scheduling.
9. Check/uncheck the box associated with Include Shift Comments if you want to copy shift-specific notes into the template.
   💡 | Tip: If shift comments contain important instructions (e.g., “Close the store” or “Deep clean required”), including them ensures they remain visible when reusing the template.
10. Click Save.
11. A pop-up titled Template Saved will appear to confirm your template has been created.
12. Click Dismiss to close the pop-up.

Applying a Schedule Template

Once you’ve saved a Schedule Template, you can quickly load it into a new schedule to save time and maintain consistency. Using a template allows you to pre-fill shifts based on a structured plan, reducing the need for manual adjustments while still offering flexibility when needed.

📌 | Note: Applying a template will not override existing shifts. Any shifts already scheduled for the selected week will remain unchanged. If needed, review and remove any unnecessary shifts before loading a template to ensure the schedule aligns with your staffing needs.

How to Apply a Schedule Template to a Weekly Schedule

1. Navigate to the Scheduler tab and select the week you want to apply the template.
2. On the right side, click Template.
3. In the dropdown menu, select Load.
4. A side panel titled Load Weekly Template will appear.
5. Under Select Template, click the drop-down menu and choose the template you want to apply.
   📌 | Note: If you do not see any templates available, it means none have been created yet. Navigate back to the Creating a Schedule Template section to learn how to set one up.
6. Once a template is selected, a preview of the shifts will appear in the weekly schedule. Depending on how the template was created, shifts will be assigned to positions or employees or saved as house shifts.
   💡 | Tip: Use the schedule filters (e.g., by position or department) to make previewing shifts easier.
7. Review the preview to confirm the shifts are correct.
   1. If this is the wrong template, repeat steps 4–5 to select a different one.
   2. If everything looks correct, click Load to apply the template.
8. A confirmation popup titled Load Template will appear immediately after clicking Load:
   1. Click Cancel if you do not want to proceed.
   2. Click Load Template to apply the selected shifts.
      ⚠️ | Warning: Clicking Load Template will apply the selected template to the current schedule. If shifts already exist, they will not be overridden and will remain in place. If you’re not ready to apply the template, do not proceed with this step.
9. Once you click Load Template, a second confirmation popup titled Template Loaded will appear to confirm the shifts have been successfully added to the schedule for the week.
   1. Click Dismiss to close the message, and the shifts will be assigned to the schedule based on the template! 

Managing Schedule Templates

Keeping your list of Schedule Templates organized ensures your team is using the most up-to-date and relevant templates when building schedules. While you can rename or delete templates, keep in mind that existing templates cannot be modified once saved—meaning the shifts and positions associated with a template cannot be adjusted. If changes are needed, you’ll need to load the template into a schedule, make updates, save it as a new template, and delete the old one. This section will guide you through the following actions:

• Renaming a Schedule Template
• Deleting a Schedule Template

How to Rename a Schedule Template

Renaming a template helps keep schedules organized, making it easier for your team to identify and apply the right template for different staffing needs.

1. Navigate to the Scheduler tab.
2. To access a list of the existing Templates, there are two ways to access:
   1. On the left-hand navigation panel, click Schedule Templates.
   2. On the right side, click Template; in the drop-down menu, select View All.
3. The Schedule Templates page will load.
4. If templates have been created, they will be displayed below with the following details:
   

   Column Name	Description
   Name	The title of the template, as entered when it was created or updated.
   Positions	The position(s) associated with the template are based on the position(s)/shifts that were included when the template was saved.
   Type	Displays Weekly by default, as Schedule Templates currently only support weekly schedules.
   Created	The date a template was created.
   Last Modified	The date a template was last updated.
   History of Changes	Displays the administrator’s name, what changes were made to the template, and the date/time stamp for auditing purposes.

5. On the right side, click the three-dot icon next to the template you want to rename.
6. From the dropdown menu, select Rename.
7. A Rename Template pop-up will appear. Under Template Name, enter the new title.
   💡 | Tip: When naming your template, consider whether another team member could easily understand when to use it and which team it applies to. A clear and descriptive name helps ensure the right template is selected for scheduling.
8. Once done, click Rename Template to save the new name.
9. The page will refresh, returning you to the Schedule Templates page from Step 3, where the updated template name will now be reflected.

How to Delete a Schedule Template

Keeping your list of saved templates organized ensures your team is using the most up-to-date and accurate templates when building schedules. If a template is no longer needed, consider deleting it to remove outdated or unused versions. Once deleted, templates cannot be retrieved, so review with your team before proceeding.

If you’re unsure about deleting a template, renaming it may be a better option. Updating the title—such as adding “Under Review” or “DO NOT USE”—helps ensure your team avoids using outdated templates while you decide whether to keep or remove them.

📌 | Need help to rename a template? Review the Renaming a Schedule Template section to learn how to update template names instead.

1. Navigate to the Scheduler tab.
2. To access a list of the existing Templates, there are two ways to access:
   1. On the left-hand navigation panel, click Schedule Templates.
   2. On the right side, click Template; in the drop-down menu, select View All.
3. The Schedule Templates page will display a list of all saved templates.
   📌 | Need to review template details before deleting? The table in the Renaming a Template section lists what is included to help differentiate between templates.
4. Locate the template you want to delete and click the three-dot icon.
5. In the drop-down menu, select Delete.
6. A confirmation pop-up titled Delete Template will appear. To complete the action:
   1. Click Cancel if you do not want to proceed.
   2. Click Delete Template to remove it permanently.
      ⚠️ | Warning: Deleting a template is permanent. If you might need it later, consider renaming it instead to prevent it from being used while under review.
7. Once Delete Template is selected, the page will refresh, and the template will be removed and no longer available.
   

Frequently Asked Questions About Schedule Templates

Have questions about using Schedule Templates? Whether you’re wondering how to update templates, what happens when you load one, or how to ensure your team is using the right template, this section provides quick answers to help you navigate the process.

💡 | Tip: Need assistance or more clarity? Contact our Support Team at support@pushoperations.com or utilize our AI bot, Astra, for quick assistance.

💡 | Feedback: Have ideas or requests for Schedule Templates? We’d love to hear from you! Submit your suggestions on our Roadmap & Ideas Page to help shape future updates.

 

Q: Can I update an existing template’s shifts without creating a new one?
A: No, templates cannot be edited after they are saved. If you need to make changes, load the template into a schedule, adjust shifts as needed, and save it as a new template. You can then delete the old one to keep your templates organized.

Q: What happens if I load a template into a schedule that already has shifts?
A: Applying a template does not override existing shifts. Any shifts already scheduled for that week will remain unchanged. If needed, review and remove any shifts that are no longer required before loading a template to ensure the schedule aligns with your needs.

💡 | Tip: If you need to clear an entire week’s schedule before applying a template, you can use the Clear Schedule setting under Options to remove all shifts at once. Otherwise, you can manually delete individual shifts as needed.

 

Q: Can I create a template for only certain positions instead of the full schedule?
A: Yes! When saving a template, you can select which positions to include, allowing you to create templates specific to different teams, departments, or roles.

Q: How do I ensure my team knows which template to use?
A: Choose a clear and descriptive name when saving a template, such as Weekend Coverage—Front House. If a template is under review or should not be used, consider renaming it to include DO NOT USE or Under Review to avoid confusion.

Q: What happens if a template is deleted? Can it be recovered?
A: No, it cannot be recovered once a template is deleted. If you’re unsure about deleting a template, consider renaming it first to indicate it’s under review.

Q: Do templates carry over schedule presets, tags, comments, or break times?
A: Yes, templates will retain schedule presets, shift tags, and scheduled break times if they were included in the original schedule when the template was created. However, shift comments are optional and must be selected when saving the template.

📌 | Note: Break times are only available if your business is using the Advanced Breaks feature, which is included in the Supreme/Premium package.

Q: If I delete a template, will it also remove the shifts already loaded in a schedule?
A: No, deleting a template will not affect schedules where the template was previously applied. Any shifts that were loaded into a schedule will remain. The template will simply no longer be available for future use.

Q: Will Schedule Templates support daily schedules in the future?
A: Schedule Templates currently only support weekly schedules. If daily templates are important to your workflow, please submit feedback on our Roadmap & Ideas Page so our team can evaluate future enhancements.

Q: Can templates be shared across different locations or business units?
A: Currently, templates cannot be transferred between different accounts or business locations. If this is a critical feature for your team, we encourage you to submit your request through our Roadmap & Ideas Page to help prioritize future improvements.

Additional Information

Need further help? Contact our Support Team at support@pushoperations.com or utilize our AI bot, Astra, for quick assistance.