How to Use Staff Search Criteria and Understanding the Match Score

When Should I Use Staff Search?

Use Staff Search whenever you need to fill a shift:

• Scheduling a new client's first visit
• Filling a last-minute call-out
• Finding coverage for an upcoming shift
• Building out a client's weekly schedule
• Identifying backup options when your first choice isn't available

How to Use Staff Search

Opening Staff Search

From your calendar view:

1. Click on the shift you need to fill (or the time slot where you want to create a shift)
2. Click the Search Staff button
3. The Staff Search modal opens with your shift details pre-filled

Setting Your Search Criteria

At the top of the modal, you'll see several fields and toggles:

Start Date, Start Time, End Time
These define the shift you're trying to fill. Make sure these match your actual shift requirements.

Client Care Circle Only
Turn this on if you only want to see caregivers already assigned to this client. This is useful when you're trying to maintain continuity of care with familiar faces.

Exclude Staff with Scheduled Time Off
Turn this on to automatically filter out anyone who's requested time off during this period. Saves you from accidentally scheduling someone who won't be available.

Exclude Staff with Schedule Conflicts
Turn this on to hide caregivers who already have another shift scheduled at this time. Leave it off if you're exploring options and are willing to move things around.

Understanding Your Results

Once you click Search Staff, you'll see a ranked list of caregivers. Here's what each column tells you:

Match Score
This is the big number on the left - it's the overall compatibility score from 0-100. Higher scores mean better matches based on all the factors your agency has configured. A score in the 40s is pretty typical for a good match.

Aide Info
The caregiver's name and phone number. The colored circle with initials is just a quick visual identifier.

Conflict
Shows "No Conflict" in green if they're completely available, or highlights any scheduling issues if you've left the conflict filter off.

Mileage
How far the caregiver needs to travel. The system's smart about this - if they have another visit nearby right before or after this shift, it calculates from that location instead of their home address. This gives you a more realistic picture of actual travel burden.

Staff Utilization
This shows "scheduled hours / desired hours" with a percentage. For example, "23/40 (57.50%)" means the caregiver wants 40 hours per week but currently only has 23 hours scheduled - they're at 57.5% utilization. Lower percentages mean the caregiver has more availability and might appreciate the additional hours.

Wage Rate
What you'll pay the caregiver per hour for this shift.

Estimated Pay
The total you'll pay them for this specific shift (hours × wage rate).

Gross Margin
The difference between what you'll bill for this shift and what you'll pay the caregiver. This helps you understand the profitability of the assignment.

Past Visits
How many times this caregiver has completed shifts with this specific client in the last 12 months. "0" means they've never worked together before. Higher numbers indicate established relationships and familiarity with the client's routine.

Details
The row of icons shows important attributes:

• 🚭 Will work with clients who smoke
• 🐕 Comfortable with dogs
• 🐱 Comfortable with cats

What Makes a Good Match? Understanding the Scoring

Your match scores are calculated using a weighted system. Each factor below has a priority number - higher priorities have more influence on the final score. Your agency administrator can customize these settings, but here's what's typically considered:

Default Scoring Factors

The system looks at these factors in order of importance (highest to lowest):

Prior Relationship (Priority: 10)
Has this caregiver worked with this client before? Familiar caregivers score highest because they already know the client's preferences, routines, and needs. This is usually the most important factor for client satisfaction.

Distance (Priority: 9)
How far does the caregiver need to travel? Closer is better - it reduces travel time, fuel costs, and the risk of late arrivals. The system accounts for back-to-back visits to give you accurate travel calculations.

Overtime Impact (Priority: 8)
Will this shift push the caregiver into overtime? If yes, they get 0 points for this factor. If no, they get full points. This helps you manage labor costs.

Utilization Rate (Priority: 8)
How much is the caregiver currently working compared to what they want? Lower utilization rates score higher because these caregivers have availability and are looking for more hours. This is critical for retention - caregivers who consistently don't get enough hours often leave.

Pet Tolerances (Priority: 5 each)
Does the client have cats, dogs, or smoke in the home? Caregivers who are comfortable with these conditions score higher for those specific clients. This prevents scheduling conflicts and ensures caregiver comfort.

Days Since Last Visit (Priority: 3)
How long has it been since this caregiver worked any shift? Active caregivers who haven't worked recently score higher. This helps you distribute work fairly and identify caregivers who might be at risk of leaving due to lack of hours.

Gross Margin (Priority: 1)
How profitable is this assignment? This considers the difference between billing rate and pay rate. Higher margins score slightly better.

Tenure Preferences (Priority: 1, if enabled)
You can optionally prioritize either new hires or tenured staff, but not both. Most agencies leave these disabled to treat all caregivers equally.

What Gets Excluded by Default

Prioritize New Hires - Turned off by default
Prioritize Tenured Staff - Turned off by default

Most agencies find it's better to let the other factors determine the best match rather than biasing toward hire date.

Making Your Selection

Once you've reviewed the results:

1. Look at the top 3-5 matches - these are typically your best options
2. Consider factors beyond the score: do you need to balance hours across your team? Is there a strategic reason to introduce a new caregiver to this client?
3. Click on a caregiver's row to assign them to the shift
4. Or click Cancel if you need to adjust your search criteria or think about it more

Customizing Staff Search

If you're you have the permissions to edit Staff Search Settings, you can customize how Staff Search calculates match scores for your entire agency.

Accessing Staff Search Settings

1. Go to Admin Panel
2. Navigate to Staff Search Settings
3. You'll see a table showing all available metrics

Understanding the Settings Table

Each row represents a factor that can influence match scores:

Staff Search Metric - The factor being measured

Include/Exclude - Toggle whether this factor affects scoring at all

Priority - The weight of this factor (1-10, where 10 has the most influence)

Description - What each metric does

Customization Tips

Want to prioritize keeping clients with familiar caregivers?
Keep "Shifts with Client" at a higher priority.

Trying to control overtime costs?
Increase the "Overtime" metric.

Need to ensure newer staff get hours?
Enable "Prioritize New Hires" (but remember, you can't use both new hire and tenured staff priorities at once).

Want to reduce travel time and fuel costs?
Increase the "Distance" metric.

Focused on caregiver retention?
Keep "Utilization Rate" and "Days Since Last Visit" included - these help you identify caregivers who need more hours before they start looking elsewhere.

Important Notes About Configuration

• You can't enable both "Prioritize New Hires" and "Prioritize Tenured Staff" at the same time
• Changes to these settings affect all staff searches agency-wide
• The priority numbers are relative - what matters is which factors have higher numbers than others
• Most agencies stick close to the default configuration because it's been refined based on best practices across hundreds of home care agencies

Getting Better Results

Keep Staff Profiles Updated
Make sure caregivers have current addresses, phone numbers, and accurate preferences in the Job Details page (pets, smoking, Desired Hours, etc.). The system can only work with the data it has.

Record Completed Shifts Properly
The "Days Since Last Visit" calculation depends on shifts being marked complete with accurate dates. This also feeds the "Shifts with Client" history.

Set Realistic Desired Hours
Work with caregivers to set their desired weekly hours accurately. If someone says they want 40 hours but really only want 20, the utilization calculations will be misleading.

Review Match Scores Over Time
After using Staff Search for a few weeks, look at patterns. Are the top-scored matches actually working out well? If not, talk to your administrator about adjusting priorities.

Don't Ignore Low Scores When You Have Context
The system doesn't know everything. If a caregiver with a lower score has a special relationship with the client's family or specific skills needed for this case, trust your judgment.

Common Questions

Why is someone with a "No Conflict" showing a low match score?
Match scores consider multiple factors beyond just availability. They might live far away, already have high utilization, or lack prior experience with this client.

Can I see why someone got a specific score?
The overall score is a weighted combination of all factors. If you have the permissions to do so, you can click on the Match Score to review which factors are most influential.

What if my best caregiver doesn't show up at the top?
If this happens regularly, it might mean your priorities need adjustment, or there's information in their profile that needs updating (like their address or desired hours).

Should I always pick the highest score?
Not necessarily. Use the score as a starting point, but consider your broader scheduling needs - balancing hours across your team, developing new staff, maintaining backup options for clients, etc.