Streamlining to Success – Portacool Transitions to Paylocity

Portacool, a manufacturer of evaporative coolers based in Center, Texas, has exhibited resilience and ingenuity in the face of adversity. Since its founding in 1990, the company has grown from a small business in a town of 5,100 to an organization with key operations and products distributed globally. Yet, even a company with a history of innovation and growth faces challenges that test its strength and require strategic transformation.

Two years ago, a catastrophic fire destroyed one of Portacool’s manufacturing facilities, forcing the company to lay off 350 employees. The company quickly moved part of its operations to other leased facilities while working on the rebuilding process. These moves resulted in a disjointed workforce located in 6 different areas. This tragedy turned into a pivotal moment for the HR team. “Portacool urgently needed a paperless system, as we no longer had a physical office to store employee records,” said Jennifer Wyatt, Vice President of Human Resources. 

The team began a search for a scalable, modern HR solution that aligned with their efforts to rebuild operations and support their employees. What they found in Paylocity was a people-centered platform that helped them streamline processes, enhance employee engagement, and empower strategic growth.

 

The Challenge: Disjointed Processes Were Costly and Ineffective

After a devastating fire and struggling with fragmented, inefficient HR systems, Portacool needed a modern, integrated solution to rebuild and support its workforce.

Rebuilding After a Catastrophic Fire 

The fire marked a turning point for Portacool. Beyond its immense operational, financial, and emotional impact, the event spurred an evaluation of all processes - including their HR systems and processes. Bianca recalls, “Our HR/payroll system was so inefficient we had manual work arounds and external systems that did not talk to each other. It wasn’t intuitive, and the cost structure was burdensome. We knew we needed an HR solution that would bring them all together and streamline all our processes while supporting our employees through this transition.”

Fragmented Systems and Inefficiencies 

Our legacy system required manual workflows that often created inefficiencies. For example, employees relied on the HR team to serve as the middleman for basic data access, like pay stubs or PTO balances. Meanwhile, processes like benefits enrollment lacked seamless integration, resulting in double entries and errors.

“Whether it was a life event, benefit enrollment or a 401k contribution change, employees had to notify HR, which increased the risk of mistakes. On top of that, there were multiple logins to manage across systems, and audits became an enormous time sink,” Jennifer explains.

Limited Self-Service 

Portacool’s workforce was split between desk-based, remote, multiple locations along with a mixture of Salary, hourly and seasonal employees. Ensuring accessible, seamless communication and self-service functionality was a persistent challenge. There was a constant struggle to stay connected with key company updates, leaving engagement and buy-in inconsistent across the organization.

 

The Solution: Streamlined Systems Improve the Employee Experience

Portacool discovered a comprehensive partner in Paylocity, whose technology and integration capabilities addressed both their immediate needs and long-term goals.

A True All-in-One Solution 

The most significant driver behind the decision to adopt Paylocity was its ability to consolidate multiple HR functions into a single, unified platform. With features for payroll, training, time tracking, onboarding, and integrated benefits, Portacool eliminated the need for disjointed systems.

“No one wants to log into 10 different systems to manage HR tasks,” Bianca says. “Paylocity offered a true all-in-one solution. Everything from time and attendance to benefits updates happen smoothly.”

Enhanced Onboarding and Training 

Portacool leveraged Paylocity’s tools like the Learning Management System and onboarding automation to create a more consistent and streamlined employee experience. Employees could complete essential trainings and paperwork in advance, freeing up time for high-impact onboarding activities.

“With Paylocity, employees arrive on day one with most of their paperwork complete, giving us more time to focus on their growth and development,” Bianca says. “It also ensures they are familiar with Paylocity right from the get-go.”

Community Platform Inspires Engagement 

Paylocity’s Community feature addressed Portacool’s need for strong communication, even among field employees. Through mobile notifications, employees receive important updates, policy changes, and celebratory messages, such as birthday announcements and event news. 

Payroll Simplicity and Accuracy 

Payroll, once a cumbersome process under the other payroll system, transformed overnight. Paylocity’s intuitive payroll workflows allowed the HR team to complete payroll processing in just 10 minutes, compared to the two to three hours it took with their previous system. The platform’s built-in checks also reduced errors and streamlined compliance reporting.

“When we were using the other system, payroll was a time-consuming process riddled with frustration and inefficiencies. Now, with Paylocity, it’s easy and quick,” Bianca shares enthusiastically.

 

The Results: Portacool Builds For the Future

With Paylocity’s support, Portacool has achieved transformational results that are helping the company grow stronger and more agile.

Significant Time Savings 

Portacool’s payroll and PTO processing time dropped dramatically, saving several hours each pay period. Automated workflows and integrated benefits also reduced administrative duplications, freeing up Bianca’s capacity to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine tasks. 

For example, Bianca says, “Year-end PTO reconciliation used to take days. Now, it’s fully automated and accurate.”

Improved Communication and Employee Self-Service 

Community and the Paylocity mobile app have connected deskless employees with vital information and provided more self-reliance to the workforce. Employees no longer rely on HR for basic needs like PTO requests or accessing pay stubs, significantly reducing inbound HR inquiries. 

Scalability for Growth 

Paylocity’s flexibility and scalability have laid the foundation for Portacool’s future growth. “The platform gives us room to expand without complications,” Bianca explains. “Whether we’re managing 160 people or scaling back up to 500, we feel confident Paylocity will grow with us.” 

Strategic HR Transformation 

By reducing time-consuming manual processes, Portacool’s HR department transitioned from an administrative role to a strategic one. Bianca now has the bandwidth to focus on training, employee engagement, and forward-looking projects aligned with the company’s rebuilding efforts.

“Before we implemented Paylocity, it felt like our job was data entry,” Bianca reflects. “Now, we can truly focus on supporting the workforce and planning for the future.”

A Promising Road Ahead 

Portacool has used Paylocity not only to streamline its HR operations but also to empower its workforce and strengthen its connection to employees. The platform has proven essential in helping the company rebuild with resilience and optimism, paving the way for further growth and success.

“Paylocity has been an invaluable partner throughout this process,” Bianca concludes. “I am confident that it is not only a solution well-suited for our current needs, but also a strategic platform for the future