How Alltech uses Employment Hero to drive scale, efficiency and retention

When Alltech’s founder Stephen Scullion first partnered with Employment Hero seven years ago, it was a practical decision to fix a software gap. But today, he sees that decision as something much bigger – an enabler of business growth, client retention and day-to-day ease for his team and his clients.

Alltech is a New South Wales-based outsourced payroll and HR consultancy, supporting businesses across various industries and award structures. Their client base includes some 150 businesses and over 8,500 employees, managed by a lean team of just four payroll professionals. According to Stephen, the team has only been able to scale to this size and maintain quality service by choosing the right technology partner.

“It was a no-brainer for us. We’d come from a previous payroll platform, Attaché, and we just weren’t getting what we needed. With Employment Hero, we’ve been able to expand our service offering and take on a much broader range of clients.”

Before Employment Hero: Limited tech and opportunity

Alltech’s former system didn’t support the level of flexibility or compliance that clients needed, especially those navigating complex awards. The team was stuck using multiple systems to deliver basic payroll and HR services, which made it harder to take on new clients or offer more value.

“We needed something that could do time and attendance, onboarding and make it easier for employees to self-service. Employment Hero ticked all those boxes.”

Saving time and scaling fast

One of the biggest benefits Alltech has seen is the time saved through automation and smart workflows, particularly for clients running weekly payroll.

“We had one client with about 70 weekly paid staff. Just the award interpretation and automation saves them at least 1.5 hours a week. It eliminates so much manual fiddling with spreadsheets.”

The results are clear: Alltech now spends less time on admin and more time delivering value-added services to their clients.

“With three full-time and one part-time staff, we’re managing 150 clients and 8,500 employees. You don’t do that without a platform that works.”

He also credits these efficiencies with allowing Alltech to grow their own business. In the last 12 months, the team has grown from five to 13 employees, expanding their implementation services for Employment Hero customers. 

The implementation partnership allows Alltech to manage end-to-end setups for clients, acting as an extension of the Employment Hero team. Their personalised, one-to-one approach ensures a smooth onboarding experience. It’s a win–win as clients get hands-on support, and Alltech expands its service offering.

“With our partnership with Employment Hero, we help manage payroll and HR implementations. 95% of our work is to support Employment Hero clients – we implement, then hand them back.”

Why a true partnership makes all the difference

Alltech doesn’t white-label Employment Hero. Instead, they champion the partnership proudly, both internally and externally. For Stephen, that transparency builds credibility and trust.

“We’re not trying to hide who we work with. We’re saying, ‘We’re a partner. Here’s how this helps you.’ We’ve had clients come back to us after trying something else because this model just works better.”

That clarity also helps with client retention. According to Stephen, Alltech enjoys long-standing relationships, working with some clients for over 20 years. While some churn is inevitable, many return after testing alternatives.

“When clients leave and try something else, they often come back. They realise the cost of doing things badly adds up.”

Award interpretation was a critical factor in Alltech’s decision to partner with Employment Hero and it remains one of the biggest sources of value today.

“By using Employment Hero, the platform gives our clients confidence that they’re doing the right thing. It helps them navigate Fair Work regulations and stay out of the news for underpaying someone.”

The built-in compliance features have helped Alltech’s clients reduce risk, while also giving the Alltech team more certainty in the advice they give.

Helping clients grow and growing alongside them

One of the biggest testaments to the partnership’s success is how Alltech has been able to grow its client list, internal team and service offerings, thanks in large part to the platform and support from Employment Hero.

“We’ve got a seven-person implementation team now and most of their work is Employment Hero clients. A lot of those clients prefer our way of doing it with one person handling the whole thing. That wouldn’t have happened without this partnership.”

A partnership built on trust, transparency and results

From onboarding and compliance to award interpretation and payroll, Employment Hero has become a key part of Alltech’s client offering and a catalyst for its continued growth.

“At the end of the day, we’re confident recommending Employment Hero because we use it ourselves. It makes our lives easier. It makes our clients’ lives easier. And it helps us grow.”

Interested in partnering with Employment Hero like Alltech? Discover our partnership opportunities here.