By the numbers
- Grew from 4 to 14 corporate locations across 3 states in less than 3 years
- Reached milestone of 150 franchise locations in 2025
- 5x employee headcount since implementing BambooHR in 2020
Challenges
DECENTRALIZED HR PROCESSES: HTeaO’s multiple entities and locations called for one centralized system that could house HR processes and consolidate scattered, underused platforms.
“When you have a lot of entities, you want to centralize and streamline processes and procedures. You need somewhere that can house all of your important confidential and legal documents, and can integrate with other systems. We had some people in an HRIS that wasn’t really being used, so we said, ‘Hey, we’re going to unlock BambooHR’s full potential with the Pro features and just migrate everyone onto there.’” —Walter Hoffman, HR Talent Acquisition & Employee Relations Manager at HTeaO
MANUAL, INCONSISTENT PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: HTeaO’s performance management process had no dedicated software behind it, leaving reviews dependent on inconsistent manager follow-through.
“Our performance management was pretty manual—really no type of software. It was, ‘Hey, we’d like to do these quarterly things. If your manager gets to you and has time, let’s do it.’ And if not, you kind of had to be your own advocate. Not so much because no one cares, but that’s just business, right? Things get busy. Things fall through the cracks.” —Walter
PULLING VALUE FROM HTEAO’S HR INVESTMENT: Because HR tends to be a cost center, HTeaO’s team faced pressure to cut spending—raising the challenge of finding an HRIS that meets that budget-conscious reality without hidden add-on fees.
“HR isn’t a revenue generator, it’s a cost center. Our role is to manage risk, cut unnecessary costs, and act as responsible stewards of the business. We view an HRIS as a strategic investment. Too many other HRIS vendors treat it like a flat, bulk charge and they nickel and dime you with hidden add‑on fees.” —Walter
Solutions
TRANSPARENT COST STRUCTURE THAT MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE: HTeaO’s per-person HR costs scale down as the company grows or adds features, thanks to BambooHR's transparent, headcount-based pricing.
“If you start adding up HR department salaries, the amount of time BambooHR has saved my team is invaluable. I think it’s tremendous that BambooHR charges based on headcount. The more features you add or the more you grow, the more the per-person cost decreases. BambooHR billing is very transparent. You’re not paying for anything you don’t need. The product meets you where you are, whether you’re just starting out or you’re rapidly growing like us.” —Walter
A BEST-IN-CLASS HRIS BUILT FOR GROWTH: BambooHR Pro gave HTeaO an established HRIS that was able to support the company as it doubled, tripled, and quadrupled its headcount across the US.
“When I started at HTeaO, it was refreshing to find out we already had a best-in-class system in BambooHR, and the decision to move to BambooHR® Pro was a relatively simple one. As we continued to double, triple, and quadruple our headcount across the US, it was nice to have an established HRIS that allowed us to scale.” —Heath
GAME-CHANGING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: Real-time feedback across hourly and corporate staff became the norm at HTeaO once BambooHR Pro performance management tools replaced ad hoc reviews.
“The Performance Management piece of BambooHR Pro is great. It’s really been a game-changer for our hourly members all the way up to corporate staff, to get live, real-time feedback. Performance management is now a more streamlined, efficient process that helps us hold our leaders accountable to push away the keyboard and have meaningful conversations with staff.” —Walter
A USER-FRIENDLY, ACCESSIBLE LIFELINE FOR ALL HR PROCESSES: BambooHR gives HTeaO’s HR team an accessible, user-friendly platform for everything from hiring to offboarding, available across web and mobile for every level of staff.
“I do a little bit of everything, whether that’s hiring, recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, disciplinary stuff, audits, you name it. And BambooHR has definitely been a critical piece and a lifeline in doing all of that effectively. It’s so accessible—you can log in on your web browser or the mobile app. For all levels of our staff, whether they’re in the stockroom, at a store, or in the boardroom, BambooHR is easily accessible, user-friendly, and direct.” —Walter
RESPONSIVE SUPPORT: The BambooHR Support Heroes give HTeaO timely, responsive human support whenever it’s needed.
“The BambooHR help desk has always been super responsive and timely. In an age where everyone’s on a phone or on a computer all day, it goes a long way having a nice, human interaction with BambooHR—you’re there to support us if we need it.” —Walter
TIME-SAVING INTEGRATIONS: BambooHR integrations with HTeaO’s learning management, background screening, and time clock systems streamline HR workflows and connect directly with payroll.
“You can really take BambooHR and tailor it to the needs of the business. Our learning management system is integrated with BambooHR, and it’s been a great experience. We have another integration for background screenings that’s very easy to maneuver and operate. And the time clock functionality—the clock-in, clock-out feature—and how it talks to payroll is seamless and easy, too.” —Walter
