Executive Summary
Sprints.ai, a fast-growing EdTech leader in AI skills training, faced huge HR roadblocks as its team rapidly expanded from 30 to 90 employees in just months. Manual spreadsheets, inconsistent approvals, and poor visibility were creating inefficiencies and risking compliance.
Partnering with PyramidBITS for a tailored Zoho HR Implementation, Sprints.ai digitized its entire HR cycle — from recruitment to onboarding, attendance, leave, payroll, and offboarding — all customized to meet Egyptian tax and social insurance rules.
The result? A systemized employee database, automated processes, error-free payroll, and a dramatically better employee experience.
Company Snapshot
Industry: EdTech, AI & Skills Training
Headcount: 30 at project start, now 90+ and expanding
Vision: Empower the next generation with in-demand AI and digital skills for the future of work
Region: Egypt, with plans to expand regionally
The Challenge: HR Roadblocks Before Zoho
Before partnering with PyramidBITS for a structured Zoho HR Implementation, Sprints.ai’s HR team faced growing pain points that threatened operational efficiency:
Leaves & Approvals: Managed via Google Sheets, with manual request and approval cycles that often caused confusion and delays.
Attendance Tracking: Not implemented at all, making it difficult to monitor remote or hybrid work accurately.
Onboarding & Offboarding: Relied on emails and unstructured manual checklists, which led to missed steps, inconsistent experiences, and wasted time.
Performance Reviews: Ran in Google Sheets without any workflow automation or notifications.❌ Lack of insights for future workforce planning
For a company doubling its team size, this meant data errors, inconsistent processes, compliance risks, and a poor employee experience.
“We knew manual spreadsheets weren’t going to support our vision of scaling and delivering a standout culture. We needed a modern, automated HR system built for our reality.” — HR Manager, Sprints.ai
Why Sprints.ai Chose Zoho HR Suite & PyramidBITS
After evaluating other HR tools, Sprints.ai decided on Zoho HR because it’s:
- Flexible enough to grow with them.
- Localized for Egyptian payroll, tax, and social insurance compliance.
- Bilingual, supporting both Arabic and English self-service for staff.
Equally important was choosing the right implementation partner. PyramidBITS stood out with:
✅ Deep expertise in Zoho HR products.
✅ Proven success with local compliance workflows for SMEs in Egypt and the MENA region.
✅ A clear approach to change management — helping teams adopt the tools confidently.
The Zoho HR Implementation Journey
Sprints.ai’s Zoho HR Implementation was planned in three clear phases:
📅 Total Timeline: 2 months from pilot to full rollout.
📍 Pilot Phase: Started with 20% of the workforce to test core processes, integrations, and adoption challenges before scaling up.
👥 Joint Team: PyramidBITS consultants worked alongside Sprints.ai’s HR, IT, and finance leads, ensuring every detail fit the company’s specific structure and workflows.
Key project milestones included:
- Migrating all legacy data from Google Sheets into Zoho People.
- Configuring modules for leave, attendance, onboarding, offboarding, and document control.
- Connecting Zoho Payroll to automate local Egyptian tax and social insurance deductions.
- Rolling out Zoho Recruit for seamless applicant tracking and a public careers portal.
The Solution: Modules & Custom Workflows
PyramidBITS didn’t just install standard modules — they customized Zoho HR to fit Egypt’s unique compliance environment:
✔️ Zoho People:
Systemized the employee database, added multi-level approvals for leave and attendance, automated onboarding steps with timely notifications, and ensured offboarding was documented and consistent.
✔️ Zoho Recruit:
Enabled a robust applicant tracking system (ATS) with clear hiring stages, candidate filtering, and a self-service careers portal — speeding up talent acquisition for new AI instructors and support staff.
✔️ Zoho Payroll:
Integrated seamlessly to handle Egyptian tax calculations, social insurance deductions, absent day adjustments, and payslip issuance. Custom workflows ensure every payroll cycle complies with local laws, avoiding risks during audits.
Custom Workflows Example:
PyramidBITS built a workflow that takes a candidate’s application all the way through interviews, hiring, onboarding, and offboarding — minimizing manual hand-offs and human error.
Overcoming Roadblocks: Change Management Wins
No digital transformation works without buy-in. Sprints.ai’s biggest challenge was shifting a team used to spreadsheets and manual approvals to a fully digital HR system.
How they made it work:
- Guided Demos: HR admins and managers received hands-on demos for every module.
- Step-by-Step SOPs: Written in both Arabic and English, so no one was left behind.
- Employee Training: Short videos and Q&A sessions made the new self-service portal simple to adopt.
- Continuous Support: PyramidBITS provided hyper-care during the first payroll cycles, solving minor issues fast and building user confidence.
This human-centered approach boosted adoption rates dramatically.
Measurable Results & ROI
📊 Impact at a Glance
| Metric | Before Zoho | After Zoho HR Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll Accuracy | Manual errors common | 100% accurate payroll |
| Leave Requests | Slow manual cycle | Automated, 24-hour turnaround |
| Onboarding | Inconsistent & manual | Automated, standard across roles |
| Employee NPS | Untracked | +40% increase |
| Compliance | Risk of non-compliance | Fully compliant with Egyptian tax & insurance laws |
“Automating tax and insurance compliance alone saves us hours every payroll cycle. Our HR team can now focus on strategic growth.” — HR Manager, Sprints.ai
Employee Experience Spotlight
The real test: do employees actually use it
✅ With the bilingual self-service portal, 85%+ of employees are submitting leave requests, updating records, and accessing payslips themselves.
✅ Automated reminders and a mobile-friendly interface make self-service easy for non-desk workers too.
Managers now spend less time chasing approvals and more time coaching their teams.
Future Roadmap & Lessons Learned
What’s next for Sprints.ai?
- Adopting Zoho Analytics for deeper people insights.
- Launching Zoho Learning to deliver on-demand upskilling to AI instructors and support teams.
Key Lessons for Peers:
✔️ Don’t skip the pilot — it uncovers the hidden snags.
✔️ Define clear KPIs — time saved, error reduction, compliance metrics.
✔️ Invest in training — people need to trust the system.
✔️ Choose a local Zoho partner — PyramidBITS’ compliance know-how made all the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How long did the Zoho HR Implementation take?
From pilot to full rollout, the project took 2 months.
Q2: Did the system handle Egyptian tax and social insurance correctly?
Yes! PyramidBITS customized workflows to ensure local compliance with every payroll cycle.
Q3: How quickly did employees adapt?
Over 85% of staff used the self-service features within the first month, thanks to clear SOPs, demos, and mobile-friendly tools.
Ready to Transform Your HR?
Sprints.ai’s success proves that the right Zoho HR Implementation makes growth smoother, compliance simpler, and people happier.
Let PyramidBITS help you unlock the same results — with local expertise for Egypt and the MENA region.
Book your free HR discovery call with PyramidBITS today and reimagine your HR for the future.
