A 200-employee food manufacturer closed payroll through phone calls, paper notes and Excel guesswork. We moved input collection to validated WhatsApp forms with automatic HRIS merging, and the monthly close now finishes three days faster with almost nothing to correct.
Typical results
100%
Inputs in on time
12
Line managers on WhatsApp
12→1
Corrections per cycle
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Every month, HR chased twelve line managers for overtime, bonuses and absence lists — around forty reminder calls and messages per cycle. Inputs arrived late, in every format, and outside contract limits; about twelve corrections surfaced after each run. The close dragged for five days, and the accountant regularly received the file late and imperfect.
Before and after
Payroll close
−60%Corrections per cycle
−92%Monthly chasing messages
−100%The automation
We built a WhatsApp-first collection flow on Make. Three days before cutoff, each of the twelve managers receives a short form pre-filled with their team; every figure is validated on entry against contract limits and daily caps, and anything off bounces back instantly with a reason. Joiners, leavers and salary changes merge in from the HRIS automatically, stragglers get escalating reminders, and a clean, validated payroll file compiles itself for the accountant.
How it works
- 01
Monthly prompt
Three days before cutoff, every line manager gets a WhatsApp form for overtime, bonuses and absences — pre-filled with their team.
- 02
Validated on entry
Each figure is checked against contract limits and daily caps; anything off is bounced back immediately with a reason.
- 03
HRIS merged in
Joiners, leavers and salary changes are pulled from the HRIS automatically, so nobody is missed or paid twice.
- 04
Auto-chasing
Missing managers get escalating reminders; HR sees one board showing exactly who's outstanding.
- 05
File compiled
A clean, validated payroll file lands with the accountant on cutoff day, every cycle.
Starts from
- WhatsApp manager forms
- HRIS joiners & leavers
Delivers
- Clean payroll file
- Validation alerts
- Accountant handoff
The impact
Payroll close dropped from five days to two, and the file now reaches the accountant on cutoff day, every cycle. All twelve managers submit on time without a single chasing call — down from forty a month — and corrections per cycle fell from twelve to one. Payday stress is simply gone.
Questions about this automation
How do line managers submit their monthly payroll inputs?
Three days before cutoff, each manager receives a short WhatsApp form that already lists their team. They enter overtime hours, bonuses and absences per employee from their phone. Every figure is checked against contract limits and daily caps as it is entered, and anything out of range is sent back with the reason.
How are joiners, leavers and salary changes handled?
They are pulled from the HRIS automatically and merged into the payroll file, so a new starter is never missed and a leaver is never paid twice. If a manager submits hours for someone who has already left, the entry is flagged for HR to check before the file is compiled.
What happens when a manager misses the deadline?
Managers who have not submitted get escalating WhatsApp reminders as cutoff approaches, and HR sees one board showing exactly who is still outstanding. On cutoff day the validated inputs are compiled into a clean payroll file and sent to the accountant in the format they already use.