Vehicle Inspection New Zealand (VINZ)
From Paper Timesheets to Full Visibility: How VINZ Brought Clarity to Attendance Across Branch and Contract Sites
About VINZ
Vehicle Inspection New Zealand (VINZ) is an independent vehicle inspection and certification specialist and an appointed agent of the NZ Transport Agency. Founded in the early 1990s as a co-operative by a group of New Zealand motor industry people, VINZ provides Warrant and Certificate of Fitness inspections, entry certification for imported vehicles, pre-purchase inspections and vehicle appraisals for everyday motorists, fleet operators, dealers and importers.
VINZ has over 140 staff working across its own branches, its Auckland Head Office, and sites where it supplies inspection labour on-site at businesses it does not own or operate. All team members except salaried employees use Simplifi daily.
The Challenge
Before Simplifi, timesheets at VINZ were entirely manual. Branch team members filled out paper timesheets, Branch Managers reviewed and approved them, and the sheets were scanned and emailed to the payroll officer every fortnight.
This created several operational challenges:
- Branch Managers spent productive time reviewing entries, making corrections and sending sheets to payroll
- Timesheets were often inaccurate, and the payroll officer regularly had to go back to Branch Managers for clarification
- There was no reliable oversight of when people arrived and left, particularly at contract sites
"The biggest cost to us as a company was a lack of oversight of when our people were arriving at work and leaving. We have team members working under contract in businesses that are not VINZ owned and operated. This places a high level of trust in people to turn up on time and stay until their day has finished if a manual system is used. We know that was costing us in unproductive time that we were paying for."
Grady Stevens, NZ Country Manager, VINZ
The need to change became clear as VINZ increasingly found team members arriving late or leaving early without their manager's knowledge, especially at the off-site locations where they supply inspection labour under contract.
The Solution
VINZ moved to Simplifi, whose geofenced time capture gave the business visibility of exactly when each team member arrives on site and leaves.
"Simplifi is geofenced, which put all team members immediately on notice that we had complete visibility on their arrival and departure time."
Grady Stevens, NZ Country Manager, VINZ
The implementation was supported by a dedicated Account Manager who knew the platform well and kept the process running smoothly.
"Simplifi has been largely positive from the start. The key was that the Account Manager we were assigned was very knowledgeable, and made the process seamless for us. There were a few teething issues at the start of the implementation, but these were resolved quickly and efficiently."
Grady Stevens, NZ Country Manager, VINZ
The Results
- Full visibility of when every team member arrives and leaves, including at contract sites
- Managers can address late arrivals or early departures immediately
- Punctuality is less of an issue, because the team knows that visibility exists
"We now know exactly when a team member arrives at work. If they are not on time or leave early, their manager can address this issue immediately."
Grady Stevens, NZ Country Manager, VINZ
Advice to Peers
"If you are running a manual system you are very likely losing productive time. Even the very best of team members can at times not be as punctual as they should be. With a system like Simplifi, you have the visibility you need, and your team knows that you do, so punctuality is not as often an issue."
Grady Stevens, NZ Country Manager, VINZ
"Your Branch Managers' time should be spent on driving branch performance, not admin. Any system that makes the admin side of their role more efficient is an investment, not a cost."
Grady Stevens, NZ Country Manager, VINZ
Still running timesheets on paper?
Book a 20 minute conversation with our team and we will show you what full visibility of arrivals and departures looks like across every site you operate.
