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Customer Success Story

How a Fast-Growing SaaS Company Reduced Time-to-Hire by 40%

This 250-person company streamlined headcount approvals across 8 departments, saved 15 hours per week in admin time, and gained complete budget visibility.

40%
Faster approvals
15hrs
Admin time saved per week
100%
Budget visibility
8
Departments aligned

Company Overview

Industry

SaaS / B2B Software

Company Size

250 employees

Growth Stage

Series B, High Growth

Hiring Velocity

30-40 hires per quarter

The Challenge

a fast-growing SaaS company was experiencing rapid growth, expanding from 150 to 250 employees in just 12 months. As the company scaled, their headcount planning process became increasingly fragmented:

  • No Single Source of Truth

    Hiring managers tracked requisitions in spreadsheets, finance had their own budget tracker, and HR used yet another system. This created constant version control issues and confusion.

  • Slow Approval Cycles

    Requisitions required approval from hiring managers, department heads, finance, and HR. Email chains often took 2-3 weeks to resolve, causing delays in competitive hiring markets.

  • Limited Budget Visibility

    The CFO had no real-time view of headcount spend vs. budget. By the time finance compiled monthly reports, departments had already overspent or missed hiring opportunities.

  • Manual Administrative Work

    The HR operations team spent 15+ hours per week manually tracking approvals, sending reminder emails, and updating stakeholders on requisition status.

The Solution

After evaluating several headcount planning tools, this company chose HeadcountHQ for its intuitive interface, flexible approval workflows, and real-time budget tracking capabilities.

Implementation Highlights:

  • Week 1: Onboarding and Setup

    Set up 8 departments, defined custom approval workflows for different role types, and imported existing budgeted roles. The team was up and running in under 5 days.

  • Week 2: User Training

    Conducted role-based training sessions for hiring managers, finance team, and HR. The intuitive interface meant minimal training was required.

  • Week 3-4: Full Rollout

    All new requisitions and offers now flow through HeadcountHQ. Set up automated notifications to keep approvers informed without manual follow-ups.

"HeadcountHQ transformed how we manage hiring across our departments. What used to take weeks of back-and-forth emails now happens in days with clear visibility for everyone. Our finance team finally has the real-time budget tracking they've been asking for."
SC

Sarah Chen

VP of People Operations

The Results

After 6 months of using HeadcountHQ, this company saw measurable improvements across their entire hiring process:

40% Faster Approval Times

Average requisition approval time dropped from 14 days to 8 days. Automated notifications and clear approval chains eliminated bottlenecks and manual follow-ups.

15 Hours Saved Per Week

HR operations team reclaimed 15+ hours previously spent on manual tracking, sending reminder emails, and compiling status reports. They now focus on strategic initiatives.

100% Budget Visibility

Finance team now has real-time visibility into headcount budget vs. actuals across all departments. Monthly budget reviews became data-driven conversations instead of guesswork.

Improved Cross-Team Collaboration

Hiring managers, finance, and HR now work from the same platform with shared visibility. Reduced miscommunication and improved alignment on hiring priorities.

Key Takeaways

  • Centralization is critical: Having a single source of truth eliminated version control issues and reduced confusion across teams.

  • Automation saves time: Automated notifications and approval routing freed up 15+ hours per week for strategic work.

  • Real-time data enables better decisions: Finance team could now make proactive budget decisions instead of reactive adjustments.

  • Fast implementation drives adoption: Being operational in under 2 weeks meant minimal disruption and quick time-to-value.

Ready to streamline your headcount planning?

See how HeadcountHQ can transform your hiring process