Deputy used at my restaurant
Updated September 24, 2021
Deputy used at my restaurant
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Deputy
We use this product to schedule employees for weekly shifts. It is also used for store wide communications and as a tool for employees to be able to trade shifts, mark unavailability for future shifts due to appointments, etc.
- Scheduling to anticipated labor target.
- Ease in making sure that employees are scheduled when they can work.
- Allows employees to claim open shifts.
- Integration with POS is lacking.
- Costs seem high compared to competitors in the field.
- Reporting with basic account is hobbled/lacking in functionality.
- I don't have to keep track of things like employee doctor appointments or their kids schedules. They just tell me when they can't work and mark themselves as unavailable.
- I can see which employees want extra shifts by who claims them when they are open.
- Schedule is always available for employees to see. "I didn't know I was scheduled" is never an excuse.
We are investigating several other options that have the same functionality at potential better prices.
Do you think Deputy delivers good value for the price?
Not sure
Are you happy with Deputy's feature set?
Yes
Did Deputy live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Deputy go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Deputy again?
Yes
Using Deputy
25 - Staff members to see their schedule, request shift trades, etc.
2 - Building and publishing the schedule each week. Manually calculating sales forecasts and posting them into Deputy since there is no working POS integration at this time.
- Scheduling.
- Communication.
- Labor budgeting.
- Internal communication.
- Scheduling.
- Facilitate shift trading.
- Competitor's product has better feature set at less cost.
- Will be switching away from Deputy as a result.
- Deputy works, though.
Evaluating Deputy and Competitors
- Product Features
When I began using Deputy 5 years ago, I was looking for a easy to use scheduling system that would allow scheduling to a budget, facilitate shift trading/claiming of open shifts and internal communications. Deputy does all of this well.
Since I began using Deputy 5 years ago, several competitors have improved their software and offer better features at less money. I will be transitioning away from Deputy shortly and moving to a competitors product. Most specifically, I am excited for integration with my POS, reports to compare schedules with actual time clock punches, etc. When I move to the competitors product, I will be getting all of those features and saving over $20/month.
Deputy Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Not sure - We started using Deputy when we opened the store. No changes as it was used from the beginning.
- POS integration was broken. Really caused headaches company wide.
Deputy Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Good followup Knowledgeable team Kept well informed No escalation required Quick Initial Response | Support doesn't seem to care |
No. I did make a request for a price review recently due to competitors having a better feature set at less monthly cost. Hit a brick wall and was just told their current prices. As a result, I have started the process to leave Deputy for the competitors product.
I have received adequate support. I can't think of a circumstance where I have received "exceptional support" in the 5 years I have been with Deputy.
Using Deputy
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Scheduling.
- Marking schedules for employees that quit as "open."
- Shift trading/open shift features.
- News feed communications feel like something of an afterthought.
- Not too easy to add documents to a news feed post, but it is all right.
- Mobile site/app has very limited feature set.
- Can't add employees, change employee details or do many other necessary functions on app or mobile site.
- Can't adjust sales forecasts on mobile site or app.
Yes - Not really that well for administration. Mobile interface/app works great for employees to see and manage their shifts, but it really does NOT work at all for administration, building schedules, adding/modifying employee details, etc. This is one of the reasons I am moving away from Deputy.