Simplifi expands to Australia, shuns AI

SECTOR UPDATE - Simplifi 

Workforce management software company Simplifi is expanding to Australia with a pledge to maintain a human customer service team in the face of AI job cuts.

Simplifi is NZ’s leading cloud-based SaaS platform dedicated to transforming workforce management. Founded in New Zealand, the company supports over 2,300 organisations including NZ’s largest company, Foodstuffs, to manage their permanent and casual employees.

Australian organisations face two overlapping challenges; complex awards systems mean rostering errors and compliance risk, while labour shortages increase reliance on expensive casual staff. 

Meanwhile, Australia has seen major AI redundancy rounds at Atlassian, Wisetech and Block (previously AfterPay), as well as cuts at companies like Commonwealth Bank focussed on customer service and call centres. Experts say a 16 per cent collapse in customer service roles in the US thanks to AI could be a harbinger of what’s to come in Australia .

Simplifi is initially focussing on sectors with complex awards such as the healthcare, aged-care, disability and retail sectors. The company expects to have staff in the Queensland, NSW and Western Australian markets by the end of 2026 to grow sales and handle customer queries. Simplifi’s overall headcount is expected to rise to 25 by the end of 2026.

Simplifi Founder and Managing Director Rhys Greensill said the company is exploring AI solutions that can enhance experience within the platform. But adds Simplifi would remain a human-centric organisation, as incumbent platforms rely on ticketing systems and significant manual override by the customer.

“We’re living through unprecedented times,” Greensill said. “On the one hand, our healthcare, aged-care and disability sectors are struggling to fill rosters amid staff shortages. On the other hand, AI is coming for our call centre jobs.”

“Simplifi has gained traction in the New Zealand market because we’ve listened to our customers. They wanted a system that minimises their compliance risk, eliminates manual work, and negates the need for unnecessary, expensive casual staffing. We see the same problems going unsolved in the Australian market at a much bigger scale.”  “More importantly they want someone who can answer their questions at the other end of the phone”.

Greensill said Simplifi’s superior platform meant they could maintain dedicated account managers for each of their customers.

“AI-powered customer service teams are the hallmark of a bad product. We employ humans because we’ve built a product that works.”

Source: Simplifi media release

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