Leading Gaming Company Hits the Jackpot with Streamlined Global HR

If you’ve ever stepped inside a casino and tried your luck on the slots, there’s a good chance that you played on a machine manufactured by AGS. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, the company creates state-of-the-art slot machines, table games, and online gaming solutions.

Kim Nasuta, Senior VP of Human Resources, explains: “We develop everything from the cabinet and buttons to the audiovisual components, the mechanisms inside, and the software that makes it all work. Our aim is to deliver an innovative, entertaining experience for players.”

Launched in 2005 in Oklahoma, AGS has grown to more than 900+ employees and scooped up many industry awards. And while two thirds of AGS employees are based across 40+ states in the U.S., the company now operates on a truly global scale, with teams located in Canada, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, and the U.K.

To support this international workforce, Kim leads a team of 15 dedicated HR professionals, working from the Las Vegas, NV, Atlanta, GA, and Oklahoma City, OK, offices and in Australia. Just two years ago, AGS implemented a new payroll platform, but quickly ran into issues with the quality of service.

“Implementing a new HR and payroll platform is always a daunting task, and no one wants to repeat the process after only two years,” explains Kim. “But that indicates how keen we were to move on from the provider. We decided to roll the dice once again, and this time we hit the jackpot with Paylocity.

The Challenge: Shuffling the Deck

After going all in on the previous provider, AGS was disappointed with the implementation experience and level of support. It was time for Kim and her HR team to decide: should they stick or twist?

Running an International Operation Creates Complexity

Inevitably, expanding globally has led to new challenges for AGS. For example, running payroll and maintaining compliance with local regulations was a demanding process. Kim notes: “We have to ensure accurate pay and tax deductions for many different employee groups, from assemblers in Oklahoma and software engineers in Atlanta to business support teams in Mexico and Australia.” Accessing consolidated data on workforce dynamics also proved difficult. “We had to pull data for individual locations one-by-one,” explains Kim. “It was a slow, manual process. If our CEO asked for an update on demographics or headcount, we couldn’t provide a quick, agile response."

Previous Provider Proves Underwhelming

From early on, AGS found that working with the previous provider fell short of expectations. During the implementation, the previous provider's project manager changed on multiple occasions, frustrating the AGS HR team. “We felt that we were having to start from scratch every time,” notes Kim. Following the go-live, AGS discovered the platform didn’t offer all that was promised. “We pushed back to say things weren’t working or to request technical support, but they would tell us they couldn’t help,” continues Kim. “We expect our vendor to step up and find a solution or at least give us a workaround.”

Running Separate Systems Increases Costs

To manage other key HR tasks, AGS relied on various systems and service providers, increasing costs and complexity. Running performance reviews, for instance, involved inefficient, manual steps, as Kim explains: “In Australia, Mexico, UK, Israel and Canada, we spent a lot of time creating PDF templates for employees to complete and sign.” While mandatory training was run by an external provider, the HR team still found themselves sending countless emails to remind employees to take courses. “If employees fail to complete mandatory training, we’re at risk of non-compliance penalties,” adds Kim.

The Solution: Placing the Bets

AGS kicked off the search for a new provider that could offer global payroll and enhanced reporting capabilities, dedicated customer support, and genuine ongoing partnership.

Having identified two potential options, AGS ran an in-depth assessment of the functionality and support available. “The commitment of the Paylocity team was the difference,” notes Kim. “While the other vendor was often unresponsive, Paylocity was invested in our success from the start.”

Achieving a Seamless Implementation

Following meetings with Paylocity focused on HR, payroll, data security, and IT integration, AGS went live on the platform inside five months. “Where the previous provider had one person trying to do everything on our implementation, Paylocity gave us three specialists who managed the process from start to finish. They are real experts, and the process was seamless,” adds Kim.

Reshaping Payroll and Performance Management

Currently, AGS is moving all its international employees into Paylocity, and has run several payrolls with the Global Payroll module. Kim explains: “Paylocity helped us to set up our locations as distinct entities in the system, and we can pull consolidated reports to identify big-picture trends.”

Next, AGS plans to use the Performance module to help managers to gather feedback from employees and run annual appraisals. “We will complete performance reviews for the whole company over the course of one month,” continues Kim. “Using Paylocity will simplify the process. Moving forward, we see the ability to run our 360 reviews in the platform, too.”

Similarly, AGS is using the Learning module to manage workplace harassment and anti-bribery training. “We have 175 workers out in the field servicing machines in casinos,” adds Kim. “With the Paylocity Mobile App, they can complete their training any time, any place.”

Streamlining and Automating Key HR Processes

In addition, AGS is using the Workflows & Documents module to streamline HR tasks, such as approving promotions and salary changes. And with Paylocity’s Integrations, the company has enabled seamless bidirectional data exchange with 401k, health, and dental plan providers. “With Paylocity, we will eliminate some of the manual work in benefits administration,” says Kim.

The Results: Counting the Winnings

As AGS continues its Paylocity rollout, the team already feels confident that the platform will help to improve efficiency and optimize HR and payroll operations.

Single Global Platform Simplifies HR and Payroll

With Paylocity, AGS has a single, central platform for managing the entire global workforce, helping to reduce complexity and drive operational efficiency. The platform ensures accurate, timely pay for employees and simplifies compliance across all six countries where AGS operates. Furthermore, the company can now generate reports on workforce trends such as demographics and turnover much faster with the Insights & Recommendations module. “We don’t pull individual payrolls or connect with local partners to get data anymore,” adds Kim. “With a few clicks, we can gain insights for our CEO and quarterly board meetings to help guide strategic decision-making.”

Modern Platform Improves the User Experience

By moving to Paylocity, AGS has also enhanced the day-to-day experience for employees and HR. For example, efficient approval workflows and single signon authentication make life easier for managers and executives. Kim continues: “We have a US HR team meeting every week, and a global HR session every other week. The feedback on Paylocity has been very positive. Our global teams are excited to work in one, central platform, and our HR Manager in Oklahoma loves the new system.”

Systems Consolidation Unlocks Savings

Managing training and performance reviews in Paylocity will enable AGS to consolidate its ecosystem of vendors and unlock valuable cost savings. Meanwhile, replacing manual steps with streamlined digital processes will save time for HR, and automated reminders to employees will help to boost completion rates for mandatory training and minimize the risk of non-compliance.

Looking ahead, AGS is excited about the ongoing partnership. “We’ll look to utilize Paylocity to its full potential in the coming months,” concludes Kim. “We’re interested in potentially rolling out the recruiting or surveys tools next. There is so much that we can do in the platform.”