Data-Gravity

Client Background 

The client, a mid-sized retail chain with over 5 stores across Tasmania, operates in a highly competitive market. With a large workforce of casual and part-time staff, the company faced frequent payroll complexities, particularly around back pay claims due to delayed award updates, shift corrections, and contract amendments.

Challenge 

The client’s Human Resources and Payroll departments were overwhelmed with managing back pay requests. These claims were manually submitted via email, tracked in spreadsheets, and resolved inconsistently. The lack of a centralised system led to: 

  • Lost or delayed claims. 
  • Inconsistent processing times. 
  • Lack of visibility into claim statuses. 
  • Compliance risks with Fair Work requirements. 

The client needed an automated, trackable, user-friendly solution to efficiently manage and process back-pay tickets.

Solution by Data Gravity 

Service Provided: Automated Back Pay Ticketing System
Technologies Used: Microsoft Power Automate, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Outlook, Power BI 

Process Overview: 

  1. Requirement Gathering: Data Gravity collaborated with the client’s HR and IT teams to understand workflows, pain points, and business rules around back pay approvals. 
  2. Design & Architecture: 
    • A central SharePoint Online list was created to act as the ticket database. 
    • Fields included: Employee ID, Store Location, Date Range of Claim, Claim Reason, Status, HR Comments, and Final Outcome. 
  3. Automation Development: 
    • Power Automate was used to build the ticketing workflow. 
    • When an email with a subject containing “Back Pay” arrived in a monitored Outlook inbox, a new ticket was automatically generated in SharePoint. 
    • If the email referenced an existing Ticket ID, the system updated the relevant ticket with appended comments. 
    • Automated status changes (e.g., “Under Review,” “Approved,” “Paid”) were triggered based on HR team actions. 
    • Notification emails were sent to relevant stakeholders at each stage of the process.
  4. Reporting & Insights: 
    • A Power BI dashboard was integrated to track:
      • Ticket volumes and status trends 
      • Processing times by store or department
      • Bottlenecks and unresolved claims

Results 

  • 85% reduction in email-based claim communication. 
  • 60% faster resolution of back pay claims. 
  • Improved compliance through audit-ready ticket trails. 
  • Centralized dashboard for HR leadership to monitor trends and performance. 
  • Significant reduction in payroll processing errors and manual workload.

Client Testimonial 

“Data Gravity helped us turn a chaotic, manual process into a streamlined system we can trust. The automation has saved us time, reduced errors, and ensured we stay compliant with evolving payroll legislation.”
— HR Manager, National Retail Client 

Key Takeaways 

  • Efficiency Boost: Automation cut processing times and reduced manual tracking.
  • Transparency: Real-time dashboards improved visibility and accountability.
  • Scalability: The solution is easily adaptable for other HR workflows.
  • Compliance: Enhanced auditability aligned with Fair Work standards.

Skills

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