For pharmacy chains & banners
Run your own relief staffing. Stop depending on agencies.
Bring every pharmacy's staff, trusted relief contacts and ReliefGuru's 5,000+ pharmacist network into one system. Manage coverage for a flat subscription and cut relief costs by up to 80%.
Where your shift budget goes
Your pharmacy
−$120Agency
PharmacistAgency fee: $65–$150 every shift, often hidden in the rate
Per-shift fee: $0. Nothing taken from the rate
Results from ReliefGuru Users
Includes earlier relief service results
The cost today
Every open shift puts you back on the agency's clock.
You don't just pay a fee. You wait, you chase, and you stay out of control. Between the booking fee and the wage premium, one agency shift runs about $145–390 more than covering it with your own staff. Multiply that across every open shift, every store, month after month.
Run coverage through ReliefGuru with your own staff plus our relief network, and the cost drops fast. You save about 30–40% from the external pool, plus another 30–40% as your internal pool fills more shifts, for up to 80% off relief staffing overall.
Pharmacy chain ROI calculator
Agency money can go to your pharmacists.
A headline savings percentage does not show what agency dependence costs your chain. ReliefGuru's calculator lets you start with one location, enter its shift volume, agency charges and coordination time, then adjust the numbers to see the annual impact across every store.
Your operation
What relief costs you today
Total relief cost right now
Net saving with ReliefGuru
What you'd run on instead ≈ $2,700 / yr
How this is calculated
This is an estimate based on an 8-hour shift, assuming your in-house pool covers most relief once ReliefGuru is running. About 85% of agency fees and 70% of wage premiums drop away, and admin time falls by about 80%. These figures do not include the ReliefGuru subscription. Eligible corporate rollouts can confirm a 3-month no-platform-fee pilot during the demo.
Illustrative figures for planning only, rounded to the nearest $100. Your demo call includes a tailored estimate.
Want the full breakdown?
Enter your details and we'll send you your agency fee, wage premium and admin time breakdown.
Old way vs new way
Replace agency invoices and manual internal staffing with one system you run.
For years, ReliefGuru supplied pharmacists and charged per shift. That agency service is gone. Now your chain manages relief staffing in-house: your own staff get the first opportunity, ReliefGuru's 5,000+ pharmacist network works alongside them, and one flat subscription replaces the stack of agency invoices.
Old way
A relief agency, or manual staffing
Two ways to cover an open shift today - and each one costs you something.
1 · Call a relief agency (expensive)
Cover arrives quickly, even at the last minute.
- A booking fee of $65–150 on every shift
- A wage premium of $10–30 an hour on top
- You use it because it's fast, not because it's affordable
2 · Staff it manually, internally (time consuming)
No agency fee - you use people you already know.
- Calls, texts and group chats, most of a day
- Messy to track; cover negotiated one message at a time
- No system to find, pick or book internal or known staff
New way
One in-house relief staffing system
One app, mobile and web, runs the whole relief process. Post a shift to your own staff and our relief network from the same place - it solves both of the old problems at once.
- Fixes the cost: one flat subscription, no per-shift agency fees
- Fixes the mess: find, pick and book internal, known and network staff in one flow
- 5,000+ pros alongside: reach the wider relief network the moment you need more hands
- Everything tracked: messages, terms and payments stay attached to the shift
- Your own staff first, our relief network alongside
The solution
Your own staff first. Our relief network alongside. Agencies almost never.
An open shift should follow a clear order, not trigger a fresh round of phone calls at every store. Start with the location's own staff, then widen to your organization and trusted relief contacts, then reach ReliefGuru's network alongside them. About 3 out of 4 shifts fill this way, faster than a manual round of calls.
-
1
Your store's own staff
Give employees at the store the first opportunity to cover the shift. They already know your local systems and routines, and you can review their availability before confirming the assignment.
~45% - if unfilled
-
2
Your chain's staff, every location
If the store cannot cover the shift, offer it to eligible staff at other locations. Your visibility settings determine who can see it, so you can share coverage across the stores or regions you choose.
~20% - if unfilled
-
3
Your trusted relief list
Next, invite the relief professionals your team already knows and trusts. Keep their profiles and previous shift history together so managers can review familiar candidates without searching through old messages.
~20% - if unfilled
-
4
5,000-pharmacist relief network
When your internal staff and preferred contacts cannot cover, reach the wider relief network included in your subscription. Review applicants against the shift requirements and agree the booking directly, with no per-shift platform fee.
~13% - only if you choose
-
5
Outside agency
If suitable coverage is still unavailable, you can choose to contact an outside agency. This remains a separate option, with the agency's own fees and terms, rather than the starting point for every open shift.
~2%
Illustrative share of shifts filled at each tier.
The difference reaches beyond the roster
Agency savings become pharmacist pay and patient time.
When ReliefGuru helps stop agency fees from absorbing the staffing budget, the benefit does not end on a spreadsheet. Your chain has more room to reward pharmacists, protect time for patient care and give every store a more stable working day.
More room to reward your pharmacists.
Redirect a share of agency costs into fair shift incentives, team support, and a better experience for the people doing the work.
More attention where it matters.
Less staffing coordination gives managers more time to support their teams and the patient care their communities rely on.
A better day for your customers.
Supported pharmacists and well-coordinated teams help create the conditions for consistent, personal service.
The ReliefGuru app
Posting, applications, negotiation, reminders, invoicing, payment - in one app.
Every handoff creates delay when posting, applications, terms, reminders and invoices live in different places. ReliefGuru keeps the full shift journey in one app, so managers and coordinators see the same record instead of rebuilding it from messages.
Relief staffing tools
Fill shifts without the calls, follow-ups and guesswork.
Coverage stalls when managers have to ask who is eligible, who has hours available and what was agreed. ReliefGuru's Auto-Select, overtime alerts, shift sharing, negotiation and chat keep those decisions visible and move each opening toward confirmation.
Shift sharing
Share one open shift with your relief list, your chain staff and a wider link, all at once. Every application comes back to the same place, so nothing gets lost.
Overtime alerts
Before you award a shift, you see how many hours that person will have worked that week. This helps you avoid an unexpected overtime bill.
Call in sick
When someone calls in sick, the open shift is offered to your own staff first, in case anyone wants the extra hours. Overtime alerts show you the full picture before you decide.
Auto-Select
Set your criteria once, and Auto-Select picks the best match from the eligible applicants. Less chasing, and fewer repeat decisions for you to make.
Swap shift
Can't make it? A staff member swaps the shift to your whole pool, so it's picked up fast and no-shows drop.
Direct negotiation
Agree on pay, mileage and other shift terms directly with the person covering it. Everything stays recorded in one place, so you both know exactly what was agreed.
Six ways to use ReliefGuru
Every pool, from one place.
Most chains already have several groups they can call, but those people are split across stores, regions and old contact lists. ReliefGuru lets you share one shift with the right internal and known pools, with our network alongside, without changing the relationships your pharmacies already trust.
Relief staffing, 6 different ways, with no per-shift charge. Use all of them at once or pick the ones that fit your pharmacy.
External staffing only
"No float pool? Fine. Use ours. 5,000+ verified professionals, and you still don't pay per shift."
Run your own preferred relief staff, properly
Start here"You already have five relief pharmacists you trust. You're just managing them in a WhatsApp group. Here's what that looks like with a real system behind it."
Group relief staffing
For multi-pharmacy owners"Four stores, one group. A casual who works Tuesdays at store A is one tap away when store C is short on Thursday."
Internal + external combined
Most chains run it this way"Your staff first. Our network alongside. Your agency almost never. That's the whole idea."
Internal relief staffing only
"You have 60 pharmacists across 12 stores. Today they only see shifts at their own store. Now they see all of them, organised: applications, negotiation, last-minute cancellation cover, invoicing and payment tracking, reminders."
Tools to increase your fill rate
No per-shift charge"One shift, shared everywhere. Every applicant in one list. You choose who works."
Different pharmacies. Different staffing needs.
Choose the staffing approach that fits your pharmacy.
Corporate, banner and independent pharmacies have different staffing needs. Choose the pools and approach that work for your setting, with the potential for up to 80% less admin time and up to 80% lower relief staffing costs. Results depend on your staffing mix and current process.
Corporate pharmacy
Your coordinator connects staff across locations, posts shifts in bulk and selects candidates with Auto-Select. Manage scheduling in one place, with notifications, reminders and invoices sent automatically to reduce manual work.
Banner pharmacy
Each owner manages coverage for their store while sharing part-time, casual and relief staff with other pharmacies under the same banner. Build a shared pool of familiar people, with our relief network available when you need more cover.
Independent pharmacy
Run coverage for your store with your own team. Post an open shift in 30 seconds, give staff first pick, then invite trusted relief contacts. Share staff with nearby pharmacies or reach our relief network when you need more cover.
Who runs coverage
Whoever runs coverage today, an in-house system gives them the day back.
Someone on your team is already spending the day filling gaps, whether it is a banner manager between patients or a corporate coordinator across dozens of stores. Using ReliefGuru to bring the process in-house cuts about 80% of the admin work and gives that time back to operations and clinical care.
Banner
The pharmacy manager runs it, alongside running the store.
- Pharmacy managerpicks up every open shift
- Posts it, drives the cascadeown staff, then preferred relief
- Still open → outside agencyat full premium
Corporate
A staffing coordinator runs it, as a full-time role.
- Store managerssend their open shifts up
- Coordinator assigns internal reliefacross every location
- Leftover → outside agencylast resort
With an in-house relief system, both roles get their day back
When every staff member across every location is connected in one system, coverage decisions happen in real time. The manager gets their hours back for clinical work instead of calls and follow-ups.
Visibility and control
You decide who sees what - close the environment completely if you want.
Sharing shifts across a chain raises an immediate question: who should see each store, worker and conversation? ReliefGuru lets you set visibility by role and location and keeps data hosted in Canada, with encryption, single sign-on and dedicated environments available as corporate add-ons.
You control the whole environment
Close it completely so your staff are never visible to other companies. Post a shift to all pools at once, or a chosen pool, in the order you set. Hosted in Canada on AWS (ca-central-1).
Visibility settings · every plan
- Fully closed environment - your staff are never visible to other companies
- Choose exactly who sees what: head office, regional, store and staffing teams
- Control which pools a shift goes to, in what order and when - all pools, or a chosen one
- Decide how staff move between locations, regions or banners
Your data · every plan
- Hosted entirely in Canada, on AWS (ca-central-1)
- PIPEDA-aligned data handling
- Your staff records stay private to your organisation
- Licence and credential tracking
Corporate add-ons
- End-to-end encryption at rest and in transit
- Single sign-on through SSO or SAML
- SOC 2 audit trail (readiness in progress)
- Dedicated enterprise environment on request
Integration and reporting · corporate
- HRMS or HRIS API sync keeps staff records current
- Bulk roster upload by spreadsheet
- Worked hours and projected overtime before assignment; wage rates and caps per tier
- Detailed reporting to answer budget questions
ReliefGuru vs a relief agency
A staffing system. Not another agency.
Both models can put a professional into an open shift, but they leave you with very different costs, control and data. Compare ReliefGuru's flat-fee system with an agency's per-shift model across coverage, administration and ownership of the staffing relationship.
| How it compares | ReliefGuruWhat you'd run | Traditional agency |
|---|---|---|
| Who fills the shift first | Your own staff, every location | Whoever the agency has on its bench |
| Per-shift fee | None | $65–$150 a shift |
| Wage premium | Lower: your own staff, your rates | $10–30/hr on top of the wage |
| Your staff's data | Private to your organisation | Not your staff |
| Admin work | One system; broadcast and self-serve | Phone, email, spreadsheets |
| Cost model | Flat subscription | Per shift, unpredictable |
| Relief network | 5,000+ verified, included | The agency's own bench |
| Who fills the shift? | Your own staff first, then your relief network | Whoever the agency has on its books |
| Data location | Canada (AWS ca-central-1) | Wherever the vendor hosts |
Getting started
Register, add your staff, start posting. As simple as that.
Starting ReliefGuru can sound like a long IT rollout, but it does not have to be. Independent and banner pharmacies can register, add their staff and start posting in three steps, while larger corporate teams can plan the wider rollout with a dedicated account manager.
Register
Download the app and create your account. No sales call needed to get started.
Add your staff and set permissions
Invite staff by link or import a spreadsheet, connect each location, and choose who sees what. About 30 minutes per store.
Start posting to all pools
Post an open shift and it goes to every pool at once - your own staff, your group, and our relief network - or to a chosen pool.
Running a corporate rollout across many locations? A dedicated account manager handles onboarding, HRMS sync and visibility setup with you.
Get started with a chain pilot
Your own relief system.Say bye to agency bills.
Test the system with real shifts at a small group of locations before you roll it out chain-wide.
A chain-wide change should not begin with assumptions. Bring ReliefGuru to a handful of pharmacies, see how staff and managers use it, and measure where coverage comes from before every location switches over.
FAQ
Common questions
Before your chain moves coverage into ReliefGuru, you need to know how staff sharing, shift visibility, pricing and rollout work in practice. These answers cover the decisions pharmacy chains ask about before they start.
No. ReliefGuru is software your organization uses to run relief staffing across its own locations. Your team controls the pools, visibility, invitations and final selection. Our verified relief network of 5,000+ pharmacy professionals works alongside your own staff. Permanent hiring remains a separate service.
Yes. Eligible staff can be connected across the locations or regions you choose. When one store cannot cover a shift, it can be offered to approved staff elsewhere in the organization before you use an external pool.
Yes. Your organization sets which internal, cross-location, preferred and external pools can see a shift, in what order and on what timing. Access can be organized around the locations, regions or banners you operate.
No. Internal staff are not surfaced to other companies. Your organization controls staff and shift visibility, and internal staff data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
You can expand the shift to preferred relief contacts and then ReliefGuru's verified external network. Your team reviews suitable applicants and makes the final selection, with no per-shift platform fee.
Your roster can be added through an HRMS or HRIS API sync, or by spreadsheet upload. A dedicated account manager guides the rollout. Confirm your system, field and access requirements during the discovery call.
ReliefGuru uses a platform subscription rather than a per-shift agency fee. Staff wages are separate. Eligible corporate rollouts can confirm a 3-month no-platform-fee pilot, regular subscription pricing, any payment-processing charges and post-pilot terms with the ReliefGuru team during the demo.
Start with a defined cluster of stores, onboard the locations and staff, and run real open shifts through ReliefGuru for 3 months at no platform cost. At the end, review fill rate, cost and administrative workload before deciding whether to continue.