How we helped an Indian skincare brand run HR on Zoho People
One HR and payroll platform for 300+ employees across four locations, replacing Keka, email and WhatsApp approvals, and scattered spreadsheets.
See the resultsHR was running on email threads, WhatsApp messages and spreadsheets.
A fast-growing Indian natural skincare and baby care brand had 300+ employees across Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Haryana. HR ran on Keka, but attendance was still consolidated by hand, leave requests came in over email and WhatsApp, and employee records were spread across sheets and inboxes.
Every payroll cycle meant chasing attendance, reconciling leave and correcting input errors. There was no clean approval trail, and onboarding each new hire involved a different mix of documents and follow-ups. HR, managers, finance and leadership all felt the friction.
The goal
Move HR and payroll onto Zoho People and Zoho Payroll, bring every location under one policy-driven system with India compliance built in, and connect HR with the rest of the company's Zoho stack.
Project details
A phased rollout built around how the company works.
Before configuring anything, we mapped every HR policy, approval chain and payroll input across all four locations, so the system matched the business rather than the other way round.
Processes and priorities mapped
Workshops with HR, finance and leadership documented current processes and pain points, then confirmed the modules, integrations and migrations in scope.
Rules for every location
Leave, attendance, shift, holiday and payroll rules for each location were turned into configurable policies, including state-wise Professional Tax and holiday calendars.
Built, connected and moved over
Zoho People, Payroll and the connected apps were configured, 300+ employee records were moved from Keka, and Google Workspace mail and files moved to Zoho.
Tested, launched and handed over
HR tested real scenarios through a full payroll run, all four locations went live together, and employees and HR admins were trained to run the system.
One HR platform, connected to the rest of the business.
Employee database & org structure
A single record for every employee across all four locations, with departments, reporting lines, designations and role-based permissions so each person sees only what they should.
Attendance, shifts & timesheets
Attendance captured through [biometric integration / web and mobile check-in], shift schedules set per location, and project timesheets for teams that log time. Attendance now flows straight into payroll.
13 leave types with clear rules
Leave types set up with accrual, carry-forward and encashment rules, plus state-wise holiday calendars. Requests moved off email and WhatsApp into a tracked approval workflow.
Onboarding, offboarding & exit
Structured checklists for joining and exit, covering document collection, asset handover, IT access and clearances, so every hire and every exit follows the same process.
Performance management
KRAs, goals and appraisal cycles configured so reviews run on schedule with a clear record for every employee.
Custom forms, Deluge & dashboards
Custom forms, Deluge functions and approval workflows handle company-specific needs, and dashboards give HR and leadership live headcount, attendance, leave and payroll data.
Employee self-service & mobile app
Employees apply for leave, check in, view payslips, raise requests and update their details themselves, from desktop or phone.
HR letters & e-sign
Templates for offer, appointment and experience letters are generated from employee data and signed through Zoho Sign.
Zoho Payroll with India compliance
Payroll runs on Zoho Payroll with attendance and leave data feeding in automatically. PF, ESI, Professional Tax, LWF and TDS are handled, along with Form 16 and statutory reports.
Connected Zoho apps
Zoho People connects with Zoho Recruit for hiring to onboarding, Zoho Books for payroll accounting, and Zoho CRM for a shared view of people across the business.
Google Workspace to Zoho migration
Company mailboxes moved to Zoho Mail, and Google Sheets and Docs moved to Zoho WorkDrive, so the whole team works inside one ecosystem.
Training for HR, managers & employees
End users were trained on self-service, check-ins and approvals, and the HR team was trained to manage policies, run payroll and maintain the system on their own.
Less chasing. Faster payroll. A process people trust.
The new setup changed how HR runs day to day across all four locations.
Reduction in manual HR work
Attendance, leave and payroll inputs now flow automatically instead of being compiled by hand every month.
Saved every month
HR and managers spend less time on follow-ups and corrections, and more time on people.
Faster payroll processing
Payroll inputs are ready as soon as the month closes, with no spreadsheet reconciliation between attendance and pay.
Before and after Zoho People implementation.
| Before implementation | After implementation |
|---|---|
| Keka used alongside manual spreadsheets | Zoho People and Zoho Payroll as one HR system |
| Attendance consolidated by hand every month | Attendance flows directly into payroll |
| Leave requested over email and WhatsApp | 13 leave types applied and approved in a tracked workflow |
| Payroll input errors every cycle | Payroll built on validated attendance and leave data |
| Employee records scattered across sheets and inboxes | One employee database across four locations |
| No approval trail | Every request and approval logged |
| Onboarding handled differently each time | Standard onboarding and exit checklists |
| Mail and documents on Google Workspace | Zoho Mail and WorkDrive in one Zoho ecosystem |
| HR data disconnected from finance and sales | Zoho People connected with Books, CRM and Recruit |
From scattered HR processes to one connected people platform.
By moving from Keka, email and WhatsApp approvals, and spreadsheet-based processes to Zoho People and Zoho Payroll, the brand gained one consistent way to manage employees across Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Haryana. With 300+ employee records migrated, India payroll compliance built in, and HR connected to the rest of its Zoho stack, the team cut manual HR work by 70% and gave leadership a clear, real-time view of the workforce.
Ready to simplify HR and payroll?
Datahikes helps growing businesses implement Zoho People and Zoho Payroll, migrate from Keka, spreadsheets and other HR tools, and connect HR with the rest of their Zoho stack.
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