How a North West full‑fibre telecoms provider cut repetitive HR admin by 50% with YouManageHR

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CASESTUDY

From Spreadsheets to Strategy:

How a fast-growing North West telecoms provider transformed HR with YouManageHR

Delivered by PeopleFirstHR — UK HR software implementation specialists

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Results at a glance

50% reduction in repetitive HR admin by replacing manual spreadsheets with structured workflows

2–3 day go-live (delivered across a couple of weeks), avoiding a long implementation project

Employee self-service introduced for holidays/absence and core people admin, reducing HR inbox traffic

Absence + holiday tracking centralised with clearer entitlements and fewer manual checks

Scalable HR foundation to support rapid headcount growth and future modules (e-learning, performance)

HR team time freed up to focus on workforce planning, engagement, and people strategy (not admin)

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BACKGROUND

Client Snapshot

Sector – Full-Fibre Telecoms

Organisation Size at Go-Live – 50 employees (rapidly scaling)

Location – North West of England

Primary Challenge – Manual HR admin consuming strategic capacity

Solution Implemented – YouManageHR (cloud-based HRIS)

Implementation Partner – PeopleFirstHR

Go-Live Date – April 2021

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THE CHALLENGE

Growing Fast, Bogged Down in Admin

Rolling out affordable full-fibre broadband infrastructure across the North West is exactly the kind of mission that demands a focused, agile team. But for this telecoms provider’s HR Manager, agility was in short supply.

From day one, the business was on a steep growth curve — hiring rapidly, onboarding constantly, and managing an increasingly complex workforce from a patchwork of spreadsheets and manual processes. With every new hire, the administrative burden grew. Holiday requests, absence tracking, and employee records were all handled manually, consuming hours of the HR team’s week that could have been spent on people strategy, culture, and talent development.

Three clear requirements emerged:

• A centralised, cloud-based HR system that could consolidate all employee data in one place
• Employee self-service functionality to reduce the volume of routine queries hitting the HR inbox
• A scalable platform that could grow with the business as headcount increased over the coming years

The company had heard about PeopleFirstHR through a recommendation from a former client — a testament to the kind of word-of-mouth reputation that comes from consistent, quality delivery. From the very first conversation, the engagement was straightforward, transparent, and well within budget.

“The sales process was very straightforward and the costs were well within budget. The HR Manager liked the look of YouManageHR and was keen to implement as soon as possible.”

— HR Manager, North West Telecoms Provider

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THE SOLUTION

YouManageHR — Up and Running in Days, Not Months

YouManageHR is a cloud-based HR software platform built specifically for UK SMEs that need to automate core HR administration quickly, without months of complex implementation. For this telecoms provider, it was an ideal fit.

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IMPLEMENTATION

Fast, Structured, and Disruption-Free

PeopleFirstHR provided a structured set of data import templates for the HR team to populate — making data migration straightforward and eliminating the risk of information being lost in translation. The system was live within just 2–3 days, spread across a couple of weeks in April 2021.

Training was delivered across four dedicated two-hour sessions, covering both system administration and day-to-day HR administration. Within days of go-live, the HR team were confident users of the platform.

Key Point	YouManageHR was live in 2–3 days — a fraction of the 3–6 month industry average for comparable HR systems.

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THE IMPACT

Immediate, Measurable, and Strategic

Overnight Reduction in Admin Time

The results were felt immediately. Processing absence requests and managing holiday bookings — previously a significant time drain — became near-automated through the employee self-service portal. Staff could submit requests, check entitlements, and manage their own data without raising a single HR ticket.

The HR team freed up significant capacity overnight. Rather than spending the majority of their time processing routine admin, they could now focus on the work that actually moves the business forward: workforce planning, employee engagement, and strategic HR.

A Platform That Grew With the Business

YouManageHR wasn’t just a quick fix — it became the foundation for the company’s evolving HR infrastructure. Later in 2021, the business expanded its digital HR capability further:

• Astute e-Learning Platform: Rolled out through PeopleFirstHR’s partnership with VinciWorks, enabling structured online training and compliance tracking — directly integrated with YouManageHR employee records for seamless reporting.
• Performance and Development Module (2022): Implemented to digitalise performance reviews, streamline appraisal processes, and improve the link between employee development and business outcomes.

Each new module built on the last, creating a joined-up HR ecosystem rather than a collection of disconnected tools.

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WHY YOUMANAGEHR?

Key Capabilities That Made the Difference

 

Employee Self Service	Employees manage their own holiday requests, personal data, and documents – reducing HR queries by up to 70%.
Absence & Holiday Management	Automated workflows eliminate manual processing; managers get real-time visibility of team availability.
Cloud-Based & Scalable	Accessible anywhere, and designed to scale as headcount grows — no expensive upgrades or migrations required.
Astute e-Learning Integration	Seamless connection to the VinciWorks training platform keeps compliance training and HR records in sync.
Performance & Development Module	Structured appraisal workflows replace ad hoc review processes, supporting employee growth and retention.
Fast Implementation	Typical go-live in 2–4 weeks; this client was operational in under three days.
UK GDPR Compliant	All employee data stored securely with bank-grade encryption and full UK GDPR compliance built in.

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Is Your Organisation in a Similar Position?

This case study will resonate if your organisation recognises any of the following:

• You’re a growing UK business with 20–500 employees spending too much time on manual HR admin
• Your HR team is reactive rather than strategic — buried in requests rather than building your culture
• You need a HR system that can scale alongside rapid headcount growth without a lengthy or costly implementation
• You want employee self-service, absence management, e-learning, and performance reviews on one integrated platform
• You’ve received a recommendation or are evaluating YouManageHR or People Inc. HR

PeopleFirstHR works with SMEs and mid-sized organisations across the UK, including sectors such as telecoms, retail, professional services, manufacturing, and construction.

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About PeopleFirstHR

PeopleFirstHR is a UK-based HR software implementation and support specialist with over two decades of experience helping organisations streamline their people processes. Formerly known as AgathonHR, we have supported more than 200 clients across the UK and Gibraltar with HR systems, e-learning, recruitment software, and time-and-attendance solutions.

Our core product portfolio includes:

• YouManageHR — Cloud-based HRIS for UK SMEs
• People Inc. HR — On-premise HR solution for larger or more complex organisations
• Astute e-Learning — Compliance and staff development training via VinciWorks partnership
• hireful ATS — Applicant tracking and recruitment integrated with YouManageHR
• Time & Attendance — Accurate workforce tracking for multi-site and hourly-paid teams

We don’t just sell software. We guide you through every stage: from choosing the right solution and migrating your data, to training your team and supporting you long after go-live.

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Ready to transform your HR function?

Talk to PeopleFirstHR today about implementing YouManageHR for your organisation.

☎  0330 223 6180	✉  enquiries@peoplefirsthr.co.uk

www.peoplefirsthr.co.uk

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