Getting started
Google Chat has no way to mention a group. DutyDesk gives your team one handle, @DutyDesk, that always reaches whoever is on duty right now. It keeps the rotation, posts the handoff when the duty changes hands, and turns each mention into a request card the person on duty can claim, hand on or resolve.
Add DutyDesk to a space
- Open the Google Chat space your team uses for requests.
- Click the space name › Apps & integrations › Add apps.
- Search for DutyDesk and choose Add.
DutyDesk posts a short checklist in the space. It ticks itself off as you go.
Set up the rotation
Type /dd_setup in the space. In the dialog:
- Who: the people of the space are listed and selected. Unselect anyone who should not be on duty. The order of the list is the duty order.
- When it changes hands: daily, weekly or every two weeks, the day and the time of the handoff, and the team’s timezone (type a city to search).
Choose Save rotation. DutyDesk posts who is on duty and who is next. From then on, it posts a handoff message in the space at each handoff time and notifies the next person.
To change the rotation later, run /dd_setup again or choose Edit rotation
on the /dd_duty card.
Send a request
Mention DutyDesk with your request in the space:
@DutyDesk the VPN is down for the Paris office
DutyDesk replies in the thread of your message with a request card and notifies the person on duty. On the card:
- Claim: you are on it. Everyone in the space sees who took it.
- Reassign: give it to someone else in the rotation. They are notified.
- Resolve: done. The card shows who resolved it.
/dd_requests lists the open requests and the ones resolved during the current
shift. The next handoff message says how many requests are still open, so
nothing is lost between shifts.
Skip or swap a shift
From the /dd_duty card:
- Skip me next time: you are passed over at your next turn, once.
- Swap the next shift: the person on duty or the next one can give the next shift to someone else in the rotation. The space is told who takes it, and both people are notified. One swap can be planned at a time.
Commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
@DutyDesk <request> |
Sends a request to the person on duty |
/dd_duty |
Who is on duty, the next handoffs, Skip and Swap (only you see it) |
/dd_requests |
Open requests and the ones resolved this shift |
/dd_setup |
Set up or change the rotation |
/dd_help |
Commands, your plan and links to this page |
Plans and trial
Each space gets a 21-day free trial, no payment card needed. Then one plan per space, priced by the people in its rotation:
| Plan | People in the rotation | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | up to 5 | $12 | $120 |
| Team | up to 20 | $29 | $290 |
Choose a plan from /dd_help › See plans. Payment is handled by Polar,
which sends the receipts. If the trial ends without a plan, nothing is deleted:
/dd_duty still answers, but new requests are not routed and no handoff is
posted until the space subscribes. To cancel, use Manage subscription on
the same card. Details in the terms.
Remove DutyDesk
Click the space name › Apps & integrations, then remove DutyDesk. The rotation is kept, so it comes back as it was if you add DutyDesk again. To have everything erased, write to support-dutydesk@futzs.com.
Troubleshooting
DutyDesk does not answer a message
DutyDesk only sees messages that mention it. Type @DutyDesk and pick it from
the list so the mention turns into a chip, then write the request.
“No rotation yet”
The space has no rotation. Choose Set up the rotation (or run
/dd_setup), save, and mention DutyDesk again.
Someone is missing from the setup dialog
The dialog lists the people of the space. Add the person to the space first,
then open /dd_setup again.
The handoff came at the wrong time
Check the timezone in /dd_setup. Handoffs follow the team’s timezone,
including daylight saving time changes.
Still stuck?
Write to support-dutydesk@futzs.com with the space name and what happened. A person reads every message.