Frequently asked questions
Questions universities ask us
Collected from twenty-five years of implementations and procurement processes. If yours is not here, ask us directly — we will answer it properly and add it to this page.
Implementation and rollout
What is the usual implementation time for Wise Timetable?
It varies with what you need. Our cloud services can be set up within a single day, but the full process involves several collaborative steps and the timeline is usually driven by your side rather than ours. Integration with external systems — especially ones we have not encountered before — extends it, though our integration interface covers most common setups.
Training typically takes three to five days of hands-on work with your team. After go-live, support continues for as long as you need it.
What level of engagement is required from our university?
Implementation is genuinely collaborative. We can deploy cloud services in a day, but your involvement is essential for configuration, data preparation and integration with your existing systems. Where third-party systems are in play, expect some coordination effort from whoever owns them.
Budget three to five days for training. Beyond that, the ongoing burden is low — see the next answer.
Is Wise Timetable difficult to manage after implementation?
No. We describe it as an IT-less system. Once implemented, core operations are handled by the server and by our team, which keeps your IT department out of day-to-day scheduling entirely. Administration staff run the system themselves, with our support available whenever they need it.
This matters more than it sounds. A scheduling system that requires standing IT involvement quietly consumes staff budget every year it runs.
Can we migrate from our current timetabling system?
Usually, yes. If your current system can export to Excel, CSV or XML — and almost all can — we can map that into Wise Timetable. Where an API exists, we can often read directly.
Send us a sample export before you commit to anything and we will tell you honestly what transfers cleanly, what needs mapping work, and what will have to be re-entered.
Data, scale and scheduling
We want to use our existing data. How do we avoid extensive manual input?
Wise Timetable supports a range of automated import methods. Excel and CSV cover most cases; XML is supported; and there are documented REST API libraries for direct integration with external systems.
Automated import and manual adjustment can be combined at any point, so you keep full control over the final dataset. Many ready-made templates exist, and where your setup is unusual, imports can be tailored precisely to your file format.
What if we want to keep some hours fixed and generate the rest automatically?
You have full control over manual scheduling. Set specific sessions and lock them in place so automatic generation cannot move them. If you have built a substantial part of the timetable by hand, you can lock all of it in a single action.
Locked sessions are marked with a key icon so they are obvious at a glance, and the system generates the remainder around them. This hybrid approach is how most of our institutions actually work.
What if the timetable cannot be completed because of constraints?
In rare cases, constraints are strict enough that no complete solution exists even in theory. When that happens, Wise Timetable displays all unallocated sessions clearly rather than failing silently. You then have two options: place the remaining sessions manually into the free slots the system shows you, overriding a constraint where you judge that acceptable; or relax a constraint and re-run generation.
Because even large and complex timetables regenerate in under a minute, iterating is cheap. You will not be starting from scratch.
What are the size limits of the system?
There are virtually no limits on programmes, sub-programmes, modules, classrooms or lecturers. Technically the only constraint is available memory, and that supports extremely high volumes.
Wise Timetable was originally designed for enterprise-level universities, which is why it scales; it stayed easy enough to use that smaller organisations run it with a single administrator.
Can lecturers enter their own availability?
Yes, and this is the single biggest time saving most institutions report. You open the web booking system to your teaching staff; each lecturer signs in through a browser and books the hours they are free to teach. No installation, no training, no form to email back.
The administrator watches a live completion dashboard and sends automated reminders to whoever has not responded. Then generation runs directly against that availability from the admin console. There are no phone calls to make, no spreadsheet to reconcile, and no transcription step where errors get introduced — which removes both the delay and the most common source of scheduling error.
Is it possible to make the internal timetable available for lecturers to verify?
Yes. Wise Timetable supports an unlimited number of internal published timetables. Most institutions maintain three: one for the current academic year, one for the upcoming year during the transition period, and one for internal verification and review.
You can also create and save unlimited timetable simulations with different parameters or constraints, stored locally through the administration console, so you can test scenarios without touching the live schedule.
Platforms, security and support
What devices are supported?
The system runs in any modern browser on any platform — Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile. Dedicated apps are available for Android and iOS so students and staff can reach schedules and booking tools on the move.
The administration console is optimised for Windows PCs, any version, and gives full control over scheduling, reporting and configuration. Backend software runs on Windows Server, whether hosted by us or on your own infrastructure.
We have strict security rules. How does your company handle data?
Wise Technologies is certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022, the international standard for Information Security Management Systems. That means a structured, risk-based approach covering people, processes and technology — not just a firewall.
For cloud-hosted data specifically: sensitive information is encrypted in storage and in transit, backups run regularly, and access controls limit exposure. Where your data governance requires it, we install fully on-premises so data never leaves your own network.
- ISO/IEC 27001 certified Information Security Management System
- Encryption of sensitive information in storage and in transit
- Regular backups against data loss
- Strict access controls limiting exposure
- Full on-premises option for maximum control and compliance flexibility
How does your support system work?
Every university is assigned a dedicated account manager from our support team. In many regions support is also available locally through trusted partner companies or distributors.
Advanced technical issues and feature requests go to second-line support, handled directly by the core development team — so the hardest problems reach the people who wrote the code. Everything runs through a help desk with a trackable ticketing system for all inquiries.
Support is not an optional add-on. It is a fundamental part of how we sell: every Wise Timetable licence includes it in full.
Can we publish everything on our university website?
Yes. Wise Timetable provides ready-made web pages served directly by the application server. Link them from your site or embed them in an iframe and they appear as a seamless part of your own design, including your institution's logo.
For deeper integration, the REST API lets your internal systems read schedule data directly, enabling real-time display, automated reporting and interoperability with the rest of your infrastructure.
Still have a question?
Ask it on a short call. We would rather answer honestly up front than discover a mismatch three months into an implementation.