New Zealand workforce management software company Simplifi is expanding into Australia, targeting the healthcare, aged care and disability sectors as providers grapple with workforce shortages, rising compliance pressures and growing reliance on casual staff.
The cloud-based SaaS company announced plans to establish teams across Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia by the end of 2026, with overall staff numbers expected to grow to 25 as part of its Australian rollout.
Founded in New Zealand, Simplifi supports more than 2,300 organisations with rostering, timesheets and payroll management, including major brands such as Foodstuffs.
The company said Australia’s complex awards system and ongoing labour shortages were creating significant challenges for providers, particularly in highly regulated sectors such as aged care, disability services and healthcare.
Simplifi founder and managing director Rhys Greensill said the company saw a strong opportunity in Australia, particularly as organisations sought to reduce compliance risks and staffing inefficiencies.
“We’re living through unprecedented times,” Mr 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,” he added.
Simplifi said it would continue investing in human-led customer support despite broader industry trends toward AI-driven service models and automated ticketing systems.
Mr Greensill said customers increasingly valued direct access to account managers and responsive support teams.
“Simplifi has gained traction in the New Zealand market because we’ve listened to our customers,” he said.
“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 on a much bigger scale.”
He said the company was exploring AI tools to enhance the platform experience but would maintain a human-centric approach to customer service.
“AI-powered customer service teams are the hallmark of a bad product,” Greensill said.
“We employ humans because we’ve built a product that works.”
Simplifi’s platform is used across the retail, hospitality, automotive and healthcare sectors in New Zealand, with customers including Mercure Prime Hotels, Vehicle Inspection New Zealand, Masonic Villages and Presbyterian Support.
