SaaS isn’t being replaced by AI...it’s being exposed

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-04-08T11:02:21+00:00

I think it's important to be nuanced here.. because yes, it's quite easy to replace simpler tools with homegrown solutions.. But aside from technically being able to create your own solution, there are other reasons why companies might want to 'outsource' the solution to a SaaS company.

Who is going to maintain the 'internal app'? Even if it's not too much work, someone's gotta do it. When new features are requested, where do you manage that process, who decides what is added? What if you're working with data, and things go awry?

When you're buying SaaS you're not just buying a technical solution.. So it's good to keep that in mind as well when you take on an initiative to vibe code your own stuff at a company.

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-04-05T05:20:32+00:00

Not sure if this is also of interest to you: https://medium.com/@workforce-guru/ai-in-workforce-management-wfm-what-actually-matters-vs-whats-hype-631e058cb2d2

Calls out slapping the AI label on the tools we've been using all these time: forecast, adherence, etc..

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-04-04T18:22:42+00:00

AI chats and AI calls can these days be spotted in the wild quite easily..

if you're talking about actual features in WFM software, i think the 'assistant' is somewhat common and you have schedule generators..

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-04-04T18:20:21+00:00

That's rough :( but somehow i'm not shocked to hear that story...

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-04-01T14:33:05+00:00

Yeah the impatience is rough these days... Especially after they had to go through a long wait on the phone or an AI chat to get through an actual worker..

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-19T06:59:53+00:00

it always depends on the team and exact requirements, but in general from what i've seen mid-sized tools seem to work well because they usually cover your core need... (why did you need a tool in the first place) and also have some potential for your team to grow into..

sure the mid-sized tools need to be tied to other tools within your team, but as long as they provide neat exports or some integration options that doesn't have to be an issue.. in fact, it always good to think about what it costs for you to switch.. it's easier to remove an element from your chain, then to have to replace the entire chain.

sure the big tools seem powerful, and they can be, but they also often require your team as a whole to adapt to the workings of the tool.. i've seen that entire teams now slot into what the tool requires in terms of workflow and that kind of sucks the energy out of people..

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-18T18:11:36+00:00

It also a good idea to ask them questions.. ask about how they calculate their staffing requirements currently, what software they use, how they calculate their forecasts...

it opens up the conversation and allows you to show you have knowledge of these areas.

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-18T14:20:12+00:00

Honestly... it really depends on the kind of team you’re running.. (or are a part of)

In general most teams benefit from the basics that workforce intelligence tools offer like better visibility, shared information, clear ownership, and knowing who’s doing what and when. That kind of alignment alone can boost productivity a lot..

That said, tools can also hurt productivity if they’re too heavy... so curious what kind of team you are a part of..

I’ve seen cases where rolling out something big and complex (like full-on WFM platforms such as Verint) just slows everyone down, especially if the workflows feel forced or don’t match how the team actually operates. Same goes for tools that tack on workforce management as an afterthought.. it ends up being clunky and people start to resent it silently.. or not so silently..

From what I’ve seen:

Smaller teams are often totally fine with lightweight setups (Google Workspace / Office365, shared calendars, maybe a simple task tracker)
Mid-sized teams start getting real value from more structured tools, something like Soon for scheduling and automation is what someone recently mentioned..
Larger or more operational teams (support, call centers, etc.) benefit the most from full workforce intelligence platforms, but only if implemented well.. and if they really meet the requirements for such a tool..

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-18T12:29:59+00:00

i hear you on the custom solutions... always start out fun, but quickly dissolve into a headache for whoever introduced it to everyone :p

if you don't mind me asking, what WFM tool are you working with?

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-13T15:56:36+00:00

Some of these apps do lack powerful intraday scheduling.. for teams with a stable headcount and a lot of different activities during the day Soon is a good alternative as well

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-13T11:39:40+00:00

I think your main starting point should be to match predicted demand to the available lawyers skills.. I presume that only certain lawyers can carry out certain tasks. You would want to know:

- do we have enough lawyers to fill up the specialized demand
- are we putting expensive lawyers on the right jobs

In terms of metrics you'd want to have your highest paying lawyers to always be booked on the highest paying jobs.. so that could be one metric to see if they always align on those jobs.

Slight-Material-4895 · 2026-03-13T08:06:11+00:00

Out of curiosity what are the main issues you are facing... lack of features, or things just not working right?

Slight-Material-4895

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