One platform, four countries: How Smokeball manages global growth with HeroForce
4
countries
HR and payroll covered across one connected platform
300 employees
managed globally through Employment Hero
1 payroll specialist
running a global pay function with automated workflows
Company
Smokeball
Industry
Business Services
Employees
300
Business Type
Mid-Market
Location
UK, Australia, US and Singapore
Favourite Features
About the business
Founded in Australia in 2012, Smokeball builds practice management software for lawyers and conveyancers. With 15,000 clients worldwide and teams across Sydney, Chicago and London, they’re more than a software company. They’re a partner dedicated to helping legal professionals run better practices. Employment Hero has supported Smokeball’s global expansion since 2021, and we spoke with Abigail Molloy, People and Culture Manager, about how the platform has evolved with them.
The challenge
Smokeball’s growth came fast, and their HR and payroll setup couldn’t keep pace. As headcount increased across multiple countries, they needed a platform with better reporting, tighter compliance, and the ability to manage employees in new markets without piling on complexity.
The clearest test came when Smokeball decided to expand into the Philippines. Hiring compliantly in a new country, without setting up a local legal entity, is not simple. They needed to move quickly and do it properly.
Then there was payroll. One person was responsible for processing pay for a growing global workforce, and the manual workload was becoming unmanageable.
The solution
Smokeball turned to HeroForce to handle the Philippines expansion. HeroForce’s Employer of Record service meant Employment Hero employed workers on their behalf locally, covering contracts, payroll, tax and in-country compliance. For Abigail’s team, bringing everything under one roof was an obvious decision.
“…having a system like Employment Hero which is able to automate a lot of things for us and make our life significantly easier… It was a bit of a no-brainer.”
For their wider workforce, Employment Hero’s integrated HR and payroll system cut through the manual processing. Automated payroll workflows meant their payroll person could focus on accuracy rather than administration.
HeroForce also gave Smokeball access to localised employment expertise across every market they operate in, so they weren’t left researching local law independently every time they hired somewhere new.
“It’s really comforting to know that we have a team who was able to provide us with that information, because it’s not the easiest thing to try and research individually.”
Performance management got cleaner too. With teams across multiple continents, keeping employee records, reviews and documents consistent had been a real pain. Now everything is centralised, secure and accessible.
“…having an actual go-to point now where we can put something into the employee file, we know that it’s safe and secure, and that they can access it, has made our lives a lot easier.”
And when Smokeball’s team needs HR support, they know they’ll get a quick answer.
“The team is so responsive… If we have questions around the platform, we know that someone’s going to get back to us quickly.”
The ROI
Since working with Employment Hero and HeroForce, Smokeball has:
- Expanded into the Philippines compliantly, with HeroForce acting as Employer of Record. No local entity required.
- Brought HR and payroll together across Australia, UK, USA and the Philippines in one connected system.
- Reduced payroll processing time, with automated workflows supporting a single-person payroll function managing a global headcount.
- Centralised employee records and performance data, making audits, reviews and career progression easy to manage.
- Improved reporting, with tools Abigail describes as “a lot more sophisticated” than what they had before.
Why it matters
With HeroForce managing the legal and compliance complexity of global employment, Smokeball’s People team can focus on building a culture that holds across continents. Whether it’s vetted templates from Employment Hero’s HR experts, or support from a team who know local employment law, Smokeball has the infrastructure to keep growing with confidence.
“The platform itself is really intuitive and easy to use. It has some great functionality for us, and I think will continue to help us grow and scale in a way that’s efficient and really effective.”
Want to see what hiring without borders could look like for your business? Talk to an Employment Hero specialist about HeroForce.
Frequently Asked Questions
HeroForce acted as Employer of Record, employing workers in the Philippines on Smokeball’s behalf. That meant Employment Hero handled local contracts, payroll, tax and compliance, so Smokeball could operate there without setting up their own legal entity.
Yes. HeroForce is part of Employment Hero’s connected platform, so it works in step with HR, payroll and performance tools rather than sitting separately. Smokeball manages their entire global workforce through one system.
It’s built exactly for situations like that. Smokeball’s payroll function runs on a single specialist, covering 300 employees across four countries, with Employment Hero’s automated workflows doing the heavy lifting on calculations, compliance and processing.
HeroForce gives you access to localised employment expertise in the countries you hire in, so you’re not left navigating unfamiliar employment law alone. For Smokeball, having a team who could provide accurate, up-to-date information across markets made a material difference to how confidently they could operate globally.
HeroForce lets you hire and employ talent in 180+ countries without setting up local entities. You can start a conversation with one of our specialists, and they’ll walk you through what employing in your target market looks like; costs, compliance and timelines included.
