Problem
Scaling Payroll Under Pressure
A backend financial operations partner for over 400 nursing homes, was undergoing rapid growth. A major new client brought in 80 facilities and 10,000 employees under a tight timeline, placing immense pressure on the payroll department to manage complex, recurring workflows with precision.
The internal task manager, developed by their engineering team, lacked flexibility and user-friendliness. It could not support nuanced task recurrence, lacked a dashboard for facility-level organization, and offered an outdated interface that impacted morale and usability. Team members were overwhelmed by the clutter of identical tasks, multiplied across each facility they managed, with no clean way to group, filter, or track completion by location.
To deliver payroll for thousands of employees on time, every two weeks, the team needed a powerful system that could handle high task volume, automate repeatable actions, and provide clear visibility across all facilities.
Q1
Solution
Custom Automation for Compounding Scale
The financial operations partner adopted SmartSuite to create a structured, scalable, and user-friendly payroll task management system. In collaboration with SmartSuite’s onboarding team, they built a custom setup using linked records, automation, and dynamic grouping to mirror their operational hierarchy.
Facilities were linked to organizations and assigned to payroll reps, allowing tasks to be automatically categorized, assigned, and tracked. Templates were created once and duplicated efficiently across all facilities, dramatically reducing setup time. Recurring tasks could regenerate either on a fixed schedule or upon completion, depending on the workflow.
To address more complex automation needs—such as updating all instances of a template task post-duplication—SmartSuite connected them with Automation Helpers, a consulting partner experienced in advanced builds.
This collaboration enabled the company to implement an automated structure that both scaled and adapted as new facilities were added.
Q2
Result
From Chaos to Clarity in Payroll Ops
SmartSuite transformed payroll task management for the financial operations partner from a fragmented, manual process to a streamlined, high-visibility operation. Tasks were now grouped by facility, with recurrence and assignments automatically managed. Managers gained visibility across all facilities and could monitor completion in real time, reducing the need for manual oversight.
The team reclaimed hours previously spent chasing updates, managing cluttered views, and replicating templates. Employees found the platform engaging and easy to use, improving adoption and compliance.
With scalable infrastructure in place, the customer positioned itself to support continued growth, confident in the system’s ability to expand with their needs.