Published on the 20/12/2017 | Written by Donovan Jackson

Take good care of employees and they will take good care of business…

Back in 1993, two Australian brothers spotted a need in the market for accurate and relevant local phone directories, and Queensland-based business Localsearch was born. During the 24 years it has been in operation, online and mobile technologies have revolutionised the way businesses engage with their customers – and Localsearch has successfully transitioned into the digital landscape. From its beginnings as a phone directory in Rockhampton, the company has since grown into a search provider, driving more than 2.4 million online searches of regional businesses across Australia each month. The company offers a range of online tools, including a mobile app and online search, custom websites, SEO strategies and Google AdWords campaigns.

Essential to its evolution is the adoption of enabling technology, including a modern payroll solution from MYOB. “We’re passionate about connecting local people with their local customers,” said Localsearch co-founder and co-chief executive officer Adam Hargraves. “Our success is driven by our dedication to accurate, localised content – both in print and online. We’ve offered our advertising services online for years, allowing Australians real-time access to our phone directories from their laptop, iPad or mobile device, anywhere and at any time, in thirty-eight regional areas.”

A team of more than 230 people helps make that happen; the owners have examined internal processes to identify opportunities for efficiency and performance improvement, including how personnel are managed and paid. “We’d been on Xero for three years and MYOB Access Edge for more than seven years, which was fine for simple management tasks. But as we grew it became apparent we needed a richer set of tools to help us administer our growth,” said chief of operations Daani Limann.

Localsearch turned to MYOB for advice on how its software could help take the business to the next level.

“We decided the best approach was to consolidate Localsearch’s many different processes, utilising our PayGlobal product as the centre of their payroll,” said MYOB general manager of enterprise solutions Carolyn Luey.

“The Localsearch market coverage is growing rapidly. It requires technology that can scale up with it and cover off the increasing complexity that comes with an expanding team. MYOB PayGlobal solution allows the owners to pay staff accurately and on time, quickly and efficiently online. We’re also able to easily manage the team’s leave balances and superannuation funds, which significantly reduces the burden of business compliance by automatically sending data down the line. The technology gives Localsearch the ability to calculate pay runs using real-time information for time-worked and deductions,” said Luey.

Next up for Localsearch?

“We recently launched in Toowoomba, and we’re focused on continued expansion across Australia. The challenge will be maintaining quality and control of our leave-loading, overtime and penalty rates of our staff, which is why PayGlobal is the perfect solution for us,” added Limann.

“It allows us to establish standard business practices across our payroll system. That’s important for ensuring the whole business is well-managed and means a faster time-to-market as each new sales location is established.”

Limann said PayGlobal provides the technology to accommodate current and future expansion. “I can easily add a new staff to a single payroll system as our territory grows, removing the need for paperwork and manual inputs. This significantly reduces our risk of inaccurate payments.”

Luey agreed, noting that PayGlobal is suitable for helping businesses improve operational capabilities and gain efficiencies as they grow. “This is not just about a change of systems, it’s about a company that is maturing and laying the foundations for serious expansion. By investing in PayGlobal, Localsearch can have confidence that the solution will scale as their business grows and evolves.”