Case Study: 95% Reduction in HR Onboarding Time for a Dutch Scale-Up

Rapid growth is the goal for every Dutch scale-up, but it often introduces significant operational friction. Manual processes that were manageable for a team of 10 begin to fracture under the pressure of scaling to 50 and beyond.

This case study details how Manolakeris.com partnered with a fast-growing Amsterdam tech company to engineer a solution for one of their most acute scaling pains: new employee onboarding.

The Problem: Onboarding as a High-Friction, High-Cost Bottleneck

The client was scaling fast, hiring 4-5 new employees monthly. Their entirely manual onboarding process had become a severe liability. For every new hire, the HR and IT teams were collectively spending over 10 hours navigating a complex checklist.

This involved manually creating user accounts in Microsoft 365, assigning specific software licenses, adding new hires to dozens of Slack channels, and distributing policy documents. The workflow was not just inefficient; it was a consistent source of errors, leading to new employees being unable to access critical systems on Day One. This created a poor first impression and represented a significant drain on valuable internal resources.

The Discovery & Strategy Phase: Architecting the Solution

Before any code was written, a thorough discovery process was initiated, mirroring the strategic oversight provided through our Outsourced CTO services. We conducted in-depth workshops with their HR and IT stakeholders to map the entire end-to-end workflow.

This strategic analysis identified every manual click, data entry point, and system involved. The core issue was a lack of system integration; their HR platform, Personio, was a data silo, unable to communicate with operational tools like Microsoft 365 and Slack. The discovery phase allowed us to architect a solution that precisely matched their business logic, security protocols, and scalability requirements.

The Engineered Solution: A Custom HR Automation Engine

The solution was to engineer a robust piece of custom software that would serve as an intelligent, automated middle layer—the "SaaS glue" connecting their disparate systems.

Leveraging deep expertise in custom software development in the Netherlands, a resilient and automated workflow was built. The engine was designed to:

1. Listen: It constantly monitors the Personio API to detect when a candidate's status is changed to "Hired."
2. Provision: It automatically creates a user account in Microsoft 365 / Entra ID, assigning the correct licenses, security groups, and permissions based on the employee's pre-defined role and department.
3. Integrate: It simultaneously provisions a Slack account and adds the new user to all required public and private channels.
4. Confirm: It concludes the workflow by sending a success notification to HR and IT managers, confirming that all steps are complete and the new hire is ready for Day One.

This is a prime example of the targeted solutions delivered through our HR Automation-as-a-Service offering.

The Results: A Clear & Quantifiable Return on Investment

The impact of this business process automation (BPA) was immediate and transformative. By re-engineering a fragmented, manual process into a single, automated workflow, we delivered clear, quantifiable ROI.

• ~95% Reduction in Manual Work: The collective time required from HR and IT per new hire was reduced from 8 hours to less than 25 minutes of final review and confirmation.
• 30+ Hours Saved Per Month: Over 30 hours of high-value HR and IT time were reclaimed monthly, allowing the teams to focus on strategic, growth-oriented initiatives.
• 100% Provisioning Accuracy: The automation completely eliminated human error, ensuring a seamless Day One experience for every new employee.
• Enhanced Employer Brand: The new, efficient process reinforced the client's image as a modern, technology-forward company, improving the new hire experience from the very first interaction.

Engineer Efficiency Into Your Operations

This project demonstrates how the precise application of technology can solve the unglamorous but costly operational problems that inhibit a company's ability to scale effectively. The client's success was not about adopting a trendy AI tool; it was about a targeted investment in custom automation to solve a frustrating, expensive, and recurring business challenge.

If your scale-up is struggling with manual workflows in HR, finance, or operations, it's time to stop accepting them as an unavoidable cost.

Schedule a free consultation today, and let's discuss how a custom automation strategy can be engineered to fuel your growth.