Enterprise Software: the New Way

by David Kelly, 5 minutes read
HOME blog enterprise software the new way

Whatever business you’re in, technology can help transform it. From efficient automation to creating great customer experiences, digitisation often changes organisations for the better and helps them scale

But what if you’ve seen the opportunity but can’t see how to get to it? Too big? Too time-consuming? Too resource intensive? If this is you, then you’re like many businesses who aren’t realising the benefits of digitisation because of the many perceived obstacles to it. Some new software can take years and large sums of money to implement, and often involves separate commercial arrangements with third-party SI’s (professional services) as well as the core technology solution. The training and change management involved can be an additional burden. And because of these issues, it can take a long time to realise value. The moment passes, the option for improvement (experience and outcome) goes begging

So we wondered: why can’t enterprise software implementation be easier? Ultimately it’s about the user getting what they need. Our workforce planning solution is famous for its user app, which is wildly popular with customers because it’s intuitive and looks and feels like other apps you use . So we designed our enterprise platform with this founding idea: that it should be able to flex easily to your needs, rather than forcing you to adjust to its requirements.

Custom spells danger?

Custom developments can take time and cause support nightmares. However, businesses need a degree of flexibility in how a system works or is implemented.

Deputy doesn’t amend core code for specific requirements. It’s one code base with all the speed of development benefits that brings. But we are endlessly flexible to accommodate specific automation and UX requests. How? A scripting layer means you can add to the default functionality, choosing from a library of script options for more flexibility. Finally, our custom app layer enables our team to configure your business-specific requirements without altering our core code.

With this flexible approach, you can implement custom requirements quickly, with less testing time and no impact on the core code. And, because your custom configurations don’t affect Deputy’s ability to develop new functionality, QA it and roll it out, we can continue to enhance and develop the platform at pace while you personalise some elements of the UX. Ever come across that issue during an implementation that was specific to you? It wasn’t identified as part of the original scope and it’s not on the vendor roadmap? Our scripts will get you out of jail!

For a UK customer we created a custom employee dashboard to show employees their sales data alongside their completed shifts. And for a US retail brand,  we made it possible for their flexible pool of workers to select their workplace based on a number of criteria such as personal preference, their training, brand qualifications and proximity to nearby stores.

Open APIs for seamless integration

Another essential feature of easy enterprise software implementation is that it should integrate smoothly with your existing processes and intellectual property. When new systems end up in silos, they cause more problems than they solve.

Deputy’s ecosystem of apps has ‘ready to go’ integrations so that data can flow to and from the application with no need for manual intervention. With a well-documented open API and an extensive network of integration partners, there are endless opportunities to build connections between apps and data. (Not all API’s are born equal. Poke the flexibility, check the documentation!)

The flexibility of our API has allowed us to build demand signals and complex algorithms (through an ecosystem partner) into workforce scheduling to make sure you have the optimum number of employees on a shift. We even automate the shift creation and fill processes. Equally, most customers choose to integrate timesheets with payroll systems, simplifying the payment process by several orders of magnitude.

A user interface that everyone wants to use

Even the best enterprise software can fail if it’s hard to use or needs too much training. The key to user adoption is empathy for your users and we have it in spades! Deputy is an exemplary in this field, earning plaudits in our NPS surveys and on review sites for an intuitive and rewarding interface. It’s easy for managers and supervisors to get set up and running and for employees, it’s a simple app download onto their mobile device.

“It makes life 100x easier”

“Super-easy to use”

-Deputy NPS survey

“The staff are really happy with it”.

-Veterinary Chain, London

“Our employees absolutely love it!”

-Large Hospitality Business, Wales

Speed to value

With many enterprise software implementations, it can be hard to track how quickly the project is delivering on its expected value. In the Deputy model, we agree success metrics up front and aim to validate the initial phase against them within 3-4 months. Sample metrics could include reducing payroll errors or creating more accurate timesheets. This way, customers realise value fast, learn quickly and go on to easily add functionality, locations and users.

Multiple locations online fast

Not all “large” implementations needs to be done on one common instance of software. Deputy has many examples of franchise and retail operations that use our “out of the box” platform (with app download for employees), which gives each store, shop or unit its own individual environment. HQ reporting can be managed with exports and existing tools to aggregate the data when required. In effect, this means that we can have a multi-location network live in a day.

A better way to implement enterprise software

Deputy’s philosophy of ‘developing enterprise-grade configurability in a consumer app’ means it doesn’t have to be a project you fear or put off

To learn more about enterprise software implementation with Deputy, visit our enterprise workforce management software page or book a meeting with one of our experts.