Case Studies
How A Catered Creations Catering Replaced Scattered Communication and Manual Schedules with Connecteam
Catered Creations is a Catering company that provides corporate catering, weddings, and full-service staffed events across Michigan.
Industry
Food & Beverage
Location
Michigan, United States
Products used
Scheduling
Time Clock & Timesheets
Team Chat
Updates & Announcements
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“Connecteam seemed to be the one platform that was closest to what we needed. Scheduling, time clock, and communication, all in one place. Your onboarding far exceeds any other platform we’ve tried.”
Key Results
- Scheduling off paper – hours of manual coordination replaced with a faster digital workflow
- One channel, zero missed messages – texts, emails, and phone calls replaced by a single platform the whole team actually uses
- Onboarding that sticks – every new hire gets the same information, confirmed, before their first shift
The Challenge: Too Many Tools, Too Much Noise
Running a catering operation with a rotating seasonal workforce and zero fixed hours is not a problem most scheduling apps are built to solve. Every event is different, every delivery window shifts, and the team might include 50+ people across multiple roles on any given weekend.
- Scheduling was done with pencil and paper and communicated through text messages, an inefficient process that wasted hours each week
- Prior platforms like Seven Shifts and Deputy failed to deliver reliable communication, with staff reporting they never received schedule updates or changes
- There was no single source of truth. Messages were split between texts, emails, and phone calls, with no way to know who saw what or when
“It could take a long time to build the schedule. It’s not like a restaurant where they have set operating hours. Ours is completely based off booked events. Putting it on pencil and then communicating that to the team took even longer.”
How Catered Creations Uses Connecteam to Manage a Flexible, Seasonal Team
The team adopted Connecteam to bring scheduling, communication, and time tracking into one place. The goal was simple: stop guessing where messages were sent, and give the team one reliable way to stay informed.
- Connecteam’s scheduler replaced manual scheduling, making it faster to build out complex, event-based shifts with multiple roles and delivery routes
- The chat feature became the primary communication channel for shift changes, policy updates, and internal team events, replacing the fragmented mix of texts and emails
- The updates feature is used to share policy changes and team announcements, with visibility into who has read each message
“Our goal is to keep everything in one platform so there is just this history log you can go back to, and the team is not confused about how they communicate with us.”
Results That Affect Catered Creations the Bottom Line
Faster Scheduling and Real-Time Shift Visibility
- Shift creation is now digital, structured, and shareable in real time
- Last-minute time changes are logged with a visible history, showing when a shift was created, published, and modified
- The team knows exactly when and where to show up, reducing the friction of multi-stop delivery days with tight timing
Communication That Actually Reaches the Team
- Connecteam replaced the unreliable mix of texts and emails that left staff saying ‘we never got your message’
- Policy updates are sent as formal announcements, with read receipts showing who has acknowledged the information
- New hires get logged into Connecteam on day one and have immediate access to the employee handbook and onboarding documents
“With the updates function, I can see who read it, which is very nice. And onboarding new employees through Connecteam is helpful because our handbook is in there. I know they got all the pertinent information because they got logged in.”
Before vs. After Connecteam
| Aspect | Before Connecteam | After Connecteam |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Pencil and paper. Hours of manual work per event | Digital shifts built and published in the app, updated in real time |
| Communication | Texts, emails, phone calls. No single source of truth | One platform. All messages logged and searchable |
| Shift Changes | No audit trail. Staff reported never receiving updates | Full history log with timestamps. Who was told what and when |
| Onboarding | Emailed documents. Inconsistent delivery and timing | Handbook and policies in-app. New hires access everything on day one |
| Team Updates | Ad hoc announcements with no confirmation | Formal updates with read receipts for every team member |
Why Connecteam Was the Right Move
The catering business runs on fast decisions and last-minute changes. Catered Creations needed a platform that could handle variable-hour shifts, a large pool of seasonal staff, and real-time updates that actually get delivered. Connecteam covered all three, while previous tools like Seven Shifts and Deputy each fell short in communication.