Item: Deputy
Rating: 8
Author: Matthew McDermott

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We started using Deputy in a single location retail environment and expanded it to a second location after a merger. Prior to Deputy, we used a mix of Excel and paper-based systems to schedule employees, track time-off requests and shift changes. Our business has seasonal fluctuations in employment levels so paper-based is easier when your headcount is low. During the busy season when employment was up, scheduling-related headaches also went up. Deputy was a good way to bring some sanity back to our scheduling.

Pros and Cons

Notifying employees (text/email) of a new schedule being posted.
Analytics around payroll costs for a particular schedule.
Ability to set up separate areas or locations as needed.
Ability for employees to request time off or trade shifts.

Integration with various point of sale systems to pull sales data vs. scheduled and/or worked hours.
Ability to "re-invite, " change a password or fix an employee-level account if they didn't set things up correctly.
An easier way of loading all holidays or facility closure dates for the year. e.g. Google reminds you, Are you open for Thanksgiving this year?

Return on Investment

Easily saved us 60-90 minutes of management time per schedule produced.
Exporting hours worked allowed us to be more accurate on payroll production.
Reducing manager involvement in shift changes was a big value add, even if not entirely quantifiable.

Alternatives Considered

When I Work

We did a trial of When I Work prior to implementing Deputy. Although it has been a few years, it didn't seem to have the same features and functionality as Deputy, although our pricing was less with When I Work if I recall. It may have changed since then so they are probably worth a look if you're investigating this sort of solution for your business.

Key Insights

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?

Yes

Did implementation of Deputy go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Deputy again?

Yes

Usability

Pretty straightforward Software as a Service product. Employee setup is easy. Duplicating previous schedules to provide a starting point for the current schedule is great. Time off requests and shift changes seem to work without any difficulties. I would definitely rate it as easy to use.

Implementation Rating

No particular insights on implementation - we entered our employee data, set up areas and locations, and started scheduling. We didn't really need any technical help to get it up and running for our business. We added the time clock feature after we saw how easy it was to use.

Other Software Used

Lightspeed Retail, Acuity Scheduling, a Squarespace company, WordPress

Likelihood to Recommend

Deputy is a full-featured scheduling solution that's great for any shift-based business with hourly employees. It's probably less useful for a professional environment of mostly exempt employees. In my world, 10 would be "walk on water," I felt very comfortable giving this an 8 and would recommend it to other retail or hospitality businesses due to the convenience and time-saving features for owners or managers. Anything that helps you develop systems to more smoothly run your organization is worth a look and Deputy should be on your shortlist.

Employee Scheduling
Time Off Request Tracking
Employee Shift Swapping
Payroll Data Compilation and Export for Payroll

Innovative Uses

Easier calculation of employee bonus amounts based on hours worked.

Future Planned Uses

To more closely forecast employee hours vs. expected sales/demand
To better track required break times for non-exempt employees

Likelihood to Renew

We'll definitely continue to renew at the current cost structure. There is no way we would willingly go back to paper based scheduling.

"Deputize" Your Schedule and Make More Time for More Important Stuff for Your Business

Overall Satisfaction with Deputy