Case Study
Masterpiece Retirement
SOL Intelligence empowered staff and streamlined efficiencies during the pandemic.
has been in operation at Masterpiece for over three years, with tech development time approaching 10,000 hours. has been in operation at Masterpiece for over three years, with tech development time approaching 10,000 hours. “One month we had over 17,000 transactions on SOL, which just goes to show how valuable the application is and how much it takes to keep close to 140 lines filled.”
– Ariel Kitching, HR & Payroll at Masterpiece Retirement
“The SOL application is powerful and organic. Using AI from the ground up is significantly better than any off-the-shelf product.”
– Tim Garforth-Bles, Founder of Masterpiece Retirement
Masterpiece launched the SOL application in August 2019, six months prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.
This could not have been more fortuitous as it saved them time, energy, and minimized costs during the Pandemic.
Masterpiece manages staff across nursing, administration, maintenance, kitchen, housekeeping departments, recreation, and more. Providing 24/7 services magnifies day-to-day tasks including scheduling, accounting, and regulatory requirements. 
set out to tackle these organizational issues and create scalable efficiencies within a large workforce with its most complex scheduling demands.
The majority of scheduling and timesheeting processes at Masterpiece were done manually and then typed into an Excel spreadsheet. Inevitable last-minute changes to staff schedules became frustrating and cumbersome to manage. Multiply these processes with the various levels of nursing staff and different departments, and it often snowballed into higher costs.
was focused on automating manual processes that kept track of staff schedules, overtime requirements, and employee communications. We saw success by implementing custom algorithms, integration with accounting platforms, and introducing the mobile app which allows staff to manage their own schedules.
set out to tackle these organizational issues and create scalable efficiencies within a large workforce with its most complex scheduling demands.
The majority of scheduling and timesheeting processes at Masterpiece were done manually and then typed into an Excel spreadsheet. Inevitable last-minute changes to staff schedules became frustrating and cumbersome to manage. Multiply these processes with the various levels of nursing staff and different departments, and it often snowballed into higher costs.
was focused on automating manual processes that kept track of staff schedules, overtime requirements, and employee communications. We saw success by implementing custom algorithms, integration with accounting platforms, and introducing the mobile app which allows staff to manage their own schedules. Scheduling and timesheeting became 100% more efficient and now requires only one person to manage it all.
During the pandemic, Masterpiece also used an agency for Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) hours, as there was a city-wide shortage of professional nursing staff during this time.
Reports were easily and quickly obtained and sent to the agency outlining Masterpiece’s staffing needs, and the agency was able to fully respond.
The agency of professional nursing staff and casuals at the Regional Hospital had also installed on their phones and this greatly increased Masterpiece’s ability to maintain full staffing. This was extremely important during the Pandemic, as without it they believe that they would have experienced increased cases of Covid-19 with staff not reporting illness or feeling forced to work. In addition, it made their reporting to Alberta Health Services extremely comprehensive and transparent.
on their phones and this greatly increased Masterpiece’s ability to maintain full staffing. This was extremely important during the Pandemic, as without it they believe that they would have experienced increased cases of Covid-19 with staff not reporting illness or feeling forced to work. In addition, it made their reporting to Alberta Health Services extremely comprehensive and transparent. “SOL has really made a difference at Masterpiece.”
– Karen Jenkinson, Nurse at the Regional Hospital and Masterpiece RetirementMasterpiece permanently reduced unnecessary positions – such as requiring a scheduling clerk to call employees to fill shifts or using paper time sheets and manually creating schedules.
Once the scheduling has been completed by automation, employees will have been given their lines and assignments. The program takes care of itself.
Once the app is loaded onto the employees phone, they have the ability to see their shifts, see who they are working with, request additional shifts, request time off for sickness or vacation. Employee’s can see years into the future of their schedule in order to properly plan their lives.
Empty shifts are instantly available to all staff, and in some cases, shifts were picked up in less than 15 seconds from posting. Shift selection respects seniority and was extremely easy for staff to use as they are able to select or trade shifts at any time using their phones. The list of available shifts allows staff and management to constantly monitor availability and the requirement for staffing, with the result that all shifts were completely covered.
Masterpiece has the majority of their employees working part time 0.7 permanent rotations and this enables them, through , to have additional shifts picked up without running into overtime.It also provides the opportunity for any staff member who would like to pick up additional shifts, the ability to increase their full-time equivalent (FTE). Masterpiece employees find really easy to use and are able to take back control of their lives.
Masterpiece currently has no scheduling clerks on staff and no payroll company or payroll people involved, as the timesheets that are created through sync directly into the payroll section of their accounting software. This saves them the expenditure of three to four full-time positions. can be integrated with any accounting package, and the employee application is available through the Apple App Store and Android Play Store
, to have additional shifts picked up without running into overtime.It also provides the opportunity for any staff member who would like to pick up additional shifts, the ability to increase their full-time equivalent (FTE). Masterpiece employees find really easy to use and are able to take back control of their lives.
Masterpiece currently has no scheduling clerks on staff and no payroll company or payroll people involved, as the timesheets that are created through sync directly into the payroll section of their accounting software. This saves them the expenditure of three to four full-time positions. can be integrated with any accounting package, and the employee application is available through the Apple App Store and Android Play Store
"Before SOL Intelligence, our entire staffing process was done manually. It was time-intensive and errors occurred frequently, which then added more time as management had to sort out inaccuracies. The app has greatly improved efficiency as well as staff morale, which were two main areas we were concerned with. SOL took extra steps to help us be successful, something that other companies wouldn't have."
Tim President Masterpiece Care Corporation