Very Robust and Feature-Rich, But Sometimes Doesn't Perform as I Expected
October 08, 2021
Very Robust and Feature-Rich, But Sometimes Doesn't Perform as I Expected
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Deputy
We use Deputy for hourly staff scheduling, task management and team communication. Deputy tracks availability of multiple part-time employees, allows for employees to request time off for approval, and provides the platform for creating and distributing the bi-weekly schedule as well as allowing employees to swap shifts with others once the schedule has been published. We use the Tasks feature for our regular checklists of tasks to be completed each shift as well as being able to assign duties for special events (such as extra prep for a large catering order). The communication features are basic, but I do like that I can choose to require a confirmation to ensure team members see important messages.
- Deputy provides a variety of ways to forecast needed staff to create a schedule that meets business demands
- The option to require confirmation to ensure employees have read a message
- Task management in the same place as scheduling and communication
- Tasks are nice, but pretty basic. I'd like to be able to share tasks between employees working in different areas. Reporting on task completion is basically non-existent.
- Trading shifts can be hard for employees, especially if they are willing to cover a shift when they aren't ordinarily available. For example, Joe is typically unavailable on Saturdays. But Jane really needs someone to cover her shift, and even though Joe usually doesn't work Saturdays, he's willing to rearrange his other commitment to help out Jane. Because Joe is "unavailable" on Saturday's, the system will not allow Jane to offer Joe the shift, nor allow Joe to claim the shift. A manager can override the swap, but it would be really nice to not have deal with that.
- Sales forecasting in improving - they are working on it, but it doesn't work the further in the future you look because it figures and days that have not yet occurred as zero sales days, thus lowering your average for the prediction.
- Chat Support - it's terrible. They basically just copy & paste the help article. If the article didn't answer your question, they won't be able to either.
- Improved scheduling accuracy (right number of employees at the right times)
- Improved performance by employees with completing shift responsibilities through using the task lists.
Deputy has a lot more features. The auto scheduling feature is much better with Deputy and the ability to incorporate task management with scheduling/communication has been great. I also like Deputy's "newsfeed" style with the communication. In Homebase, it was more like a long text thread, making it hard to find previous messages or important announcements. In Deputy, it's more like a Facebook feed with a post and then comments under it. It's much more organized.
Do you think Deputy delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Deputy's feature set?
Yes
Did Deputy live up to sales and marketing promises?
No
Did implementation of Deputy go as expected?
No
Would you buy Deputy again?
Yes
Deputy Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Good followup Quick Initial Response | Slow Resolution Less knowledgeable Problems left unsolved Not kept informed Escalation required Difficult to get immediate help Need to explain problems multiple times |
I'm not aware of an option to purchase premium support. Maybe there is additional support for larger organizations?
Yes - I had to push hard to get the issue escalated but it was eventually resolved. Once I got to senior level support, they were very helpful. The front line is terrible.
Deepesh is a rockstar! I have had multiple video calls to talk through issues and resolve implementation challenges. He's amazingly helpful! Now, if I have a tough issue I'm trying to resolve, he's my go-to contact.