How The Cookie Box Cut Payroll to 30 Minutes Across 4 Stores With Connecteam
As The Cookie Box grew from 2 stores to 4 and nearly 30 staff, spreadsheets and handwritten timesheets became harder to manage. Connecteam brought scheduling, time tracking, payroll, food safety records, and team communication into one system, cutting payroll processing to around 30 minutes.
“I wouldn’t even imagine doing rosters on a spreadsheet. With the integration, it’s beautiful and seamless. It takes me half an hour to pay everyone.”
Key Results
- Payroll for 28 staff completed in around 30 minutes – employee time flows from Connecteam into Xero instead of being entered manually from handwritten sheets
- External payroll costs eliminated – Gwen brought payroll in-house instead of relying on an accountant to process employee hours
- One system supports operations across four stores – scheduling, time tracking, food safety records, and team communication now run through Connecteam
- Paper food safety records replaced with searchable digital forms – fridge temperatures, product temperatures, and other daily checks are completed and stored in the app
The Challenge: Growth Was Outpacing Spreadsheets and Paper
The Cookie Box grew from two stores and fewer than 10 employees to four locations and 28 casual staff. But the systems behind the business had not kept pace. Rosters still lived in spreadsheets, employees wrote their hours on paper, and payroll depended on manually turning those records into usable data.
For Gwen, who manages operations across the business, those manual processes created unnecessary work every pay cycle and became harder to maintain as the team expanded.
- Employees recorded their own hours by hand: every timesheet had to be reviewed and reconciled before payroll could be processed
- Rostering depended on spreadsheets: schedules had to be built manually and then communicated to employees across multiple locations
- Payroll was outsourced: the business paid an accountant to handle a process Gwen wanted to bring in-house
- Operational records were fragmented: food safety checks, stock information, and team communication were managed through separate processes
“They were still doing rosters and everything on spreadsheets. People were writing their time on a sheet and then we had to record all that.”
How The Cookie Box Built a More Efficient Multi-Location Operation With Connecteam
Gwen introduced Connecteam to digitize the workflows creating the most administrative work. Scheduling and time tracking came first, followed by payroll integration, food safety records, stock data, and team communication.
As The Cookie Box doubled its store count and nearly tripled its workforce, those workflows stayed in the same system instead of creating more spreadsheets, paperwork, and disconnected tools.
- Employees clock in and out digitally: recorded hours flow into Xero through Connecteam’s integration instead of being copied from paper timesheets
- Rosters are built and shared in the app: staff can see their schedules without relying on manually distributed spreadsheets
- Food safety checks are completed through Forms: fridge temperatures, product temperatures, and other daily records stay searchable in one place
- Stock data feeds into Power BI: information collected through Connecteam Forms can be used in the company’s reporting workflow without adding a separate stock management tool
“With the integration, it’s beautiful and seamless. It takes me half an hour to pay everyone.”
The Results: 30-Minute Payroll and One System Across Four Stores
Payroll Takes Around 30 Minutes for the Full Team
- Time data moves directly into Xero: Gwen no longer has to rebuild payroll records from handwritten timesheets
- Payroll stays in-house: the business no longer needs to pay an accountant to handle the process
- The full 28-person payroll run takes around half an hour: a process that previously required manual data entry is now handled through connected digital records
Four Stores Run on the Same Operational System
- Schedules live in one place: Gwen can manage rostering across locations without maintaining separate spreadsheets
- Team communication stays centralized: staff can ask questions and receive updates through the same app they use for their shifts
- Processes and troubleshooting guides are available to staff: employees have one place to check when questions come up during a shift
Food Safety Records Are Digital and Searchable
- Daily checks no longer depend on paper logs: temperature records and other food safety information are submitted through Connecteam Forms
- Records stay in one searchable location: managers do not have to sort through physical paperwork when they need historical information
- The same forms support broader operational reporting: stock data can be captured in Connecteam and sent into Power BI for analysis
“They’re always super impressed that everything is in one place. All the processes, troubleshooting. It’s all in one place and that makes things a lot easier.”
Before vs. After Connecteam
| Aspect | Before Connecteam | After Connecteam |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Rosters built in spreadsheets and communicated manually. | Digital rosters are built and shared with staff in the app. |
| Time Tracking | Employees wrote their hours on paper timesheets that required manual reconciliation. | Employees clock in digitally and recorded hours sync into Xero. |
| Payroll | Handled externally by an accountant using manually prepared time data. | Gwen processes payroll in-house for 28 staff in around 30 minutes. |
| Food Safety Records | Paper logs with no single searchable record. | Daily temperature and safety checks are completed and stored digitally. |
| Team Communication | No single place for staff questions, updates, and operational information. | Team chats, processes, and troubleshooting information are available in one platform. |
| Stock Control | Stock data required separate software or manual tracking. | Stock information is captured through Connecteam Forms and sent into Power BI. |
Why Connecteam Worked for The Cookie Box
The Cookie Box needed systems that could keep up as the business added stores and employees. Adding separate tools for scheduling, payroll, food safety, stock tracking, and communication would have created even more administration for a lean operation.
Connecteam let Gwen bring those workflows into one platform. The Xero integration made it possible to move payroll in-house and process the full team in around 30 minutes, while digital rostering and time tracking removed two of the company’s most manual processes.
The broader value is that the same platform now supports operations across all four stores. Staff can find schedules, communicate with the team, access troubleshooting information, and complete daily records without moving between disconnected systems.