From paper trails to wagging tails: Employment Hero transforms HR and payroll for Kiwi manufacturer

About Bell-Booth Limited

 For over six decades, family-owned company Bell-Booth Limited has been a trusted name in the animal health industry, supplying dairy farmers with essential trace elements, minerals, and feeding programs.

With 40 staff members spread across the North Island – the Palmerston North head office, a Hamilton branch, and 12 territory sales managers on the road – the Bell-Booth team depends on their strong relationships and efficient processes.

But for some time, Bell-Booth’s HR Advisor Sarah Magill says, outdated HR and payroll processes were putting a wrench in the works. 

Overseeing the company’s admin team, all payroll processes and recruitment, Sarah decided she needed a solution that could simplify HR and payroll to get the team back on track. We spoke to her recently to understand how Employment Hero helped her do that.

A paperwork jungle

Before Employment Hero, Sarah says their HR processes were “manual, time-consuming, and full of room for error – I’d be chasing paper trails for hours just to get payroll done.”

Payroll was a constant battle – employees had to submit paper timesheets and handwritten leave requests, and last-minute approvals meant frustrating delays and inefficiencies.

Leave requests were a nightmare as they were stored in random email threads, scattered across desktops, or lost in a pile of paperwork. Even processing final pay required manual calculations, making terminations harder than they should be.

“It would take me most of the day just to get payroll processed because I was constantly waiting for approvals, chasing information, and checking for errors.”

Goodbye to paperwork, hello to automation

With Employment Hero, employees are now able to submit timesheets and leave requests via a user-friendly app, giving them instant access to pay slips, leave balances, and employment records.

“We had great staff buy-in right from the start, even from those who weren’t typically comfortable with new technology,” Sarah said. “Now, everyone submits their timesheets and leave requests through the platform and it is just so much easier.”

Managers can now approve timesheets and leave requests daily, preventing last-minute bottlenecks. Plus, payroll is processed in a fraction of the time it was before.

“What used to take an entire day now takes an hour,” Sarah shared

“I can immediately spot missing timesheets, and the platform calculates everything automatically—no more manual adjustments or second-guessing.”

Sarah also praised the support she received from the Employment Hero team when it came to implementation and onboarding.

“If you do need help, you can just go onto the chat and find the answer you’re looking for,” she says.

Sarah also says she gets a lot out of the Employment Hero onboarding webinars,  finding them invaluable for gaining a better understanding of the unique features on offer.

“Even if I didn’t have specific questions, I’d always pick up something useful – whether it’s a feature I didn’t know about or a faster way to do my daily HR tasks.” 

Streamlining HR, onboarding & compliance

Beyond payroll, Employment Hero has brought Bell-Booth’s HR processes into the digital age. Employment contracts, policies, and documents are now stored in one centralised platform, eliminating the chaos of scattered files.

“Before, I’d have to dig through different managers’ computers or emails to find contracts,” Sarah reflected 

“Now, everything is in one place – it’s a huge time-saver and ensures nothing gets lost.”

Onboarding has also been completely transformed. New hires complete digital checklists, and automated notifications ensure that every step, from setting up IT access to issuing company assets, is accounted for.

“It’s been a real game-changer,” Sarah says. “New employees feel more supported, and we don’t miss crucial steps like setting up their emails, assigning policies, or ordering business cards.”

Smarter recruitment on the horizon

While Sarah has yet to fully explore SmartMatch, Employment Hero’s AI-powered recruitment feature, she says she’s excited to try it out. 

“We recently had over 150 applicants for a role, and sorting through them was a huge task,” Sarah says. “Knowing that the SmartMatch feature can shortlist top candidates for us without the same level of involvement from our side will be a massive time-saver.”

Employment Hero a ‘game changer’ for Bell-Booth Limited

By automating previously manual processes, Bell-Booth’s efficiency has gone from zero to hero in just a few simple clicks. Payroll is now simpler than ever, and Employment Hero’s HR support has transformed Sarah’s day-to-day. 

Looking to do the same for your business? Book a demo with our business specialists today.