From ATS to Full HRIS
How Stricklands Automart Transformed HR with HR4
Quick Summary
Stricklands Automart relied on a patchwork of disconnected tools — an applicant tracking system (ATS) for recruiting, a digital signature tool for contracts, another HRIS for minimal employee tracking, and even an HR call centre. This setup failed to meet their needs, leaving HR dependent on spreadsheets, manual processes, and outdated punch clocks. This resulted in missed data, inefficiencies, and wasted time across all rooftops.
With HR4, Stricklands replaced multiple systems and introduced one consistent platform to manage the full employee lifecycle. Managers now spend less time on paperwork, employees have better visibility, and HR finally has everything in one place.
“My priority is really to make managers’ and employees’ lives easier. HR is just a small portion of their day-to-day, so if I can make it seamless, they can focus on everything else.”
An ATS is not enough, everything became Manual.
Meet Andrea Draker
Andrea is the Human Resources & Payroll Administrator at Stricklands Automart, overseeing HR and payroll across five rooftops. When she stepped into the role, she inherited a patchwork of disconnected tools, complex and manual spreadsheets, and outdated punch clocks.
The ATS solved recruiting — but stopped there. For a five-rooftop organization like Stricklands, an ATS-only approach created more problems than it solved — leaving HR and managers stuck with manual, error-prone processes.
- Recruiting Gaps: Candidate emails went to spam, managers relied on phone calls, and data never flowed into onboarding.
- Onboarding Inefficiencies: Every hire meant multiple spreadsheets, external contracts, and hours of repetitive orientation.
- Payroll Blindspots: Old punch clocks required managers to manually calculate hours, adding unnecessary time to an already busy workload.
Making the Decision to Find a New Solution
Stricklands Automart realized their existing ATS wasn’t enough. It covered recruiting but left managers and HR juggling spreadsheets, punch clocks, and multiple logins for everything else. What Stricklands needed was one platform to manage the entire employee lifecycle — and HR4 delivered it.
Why Stricklands Moved Beyond an ATS:
- The ATS only supported recruiting — nothing carried into onboarding, time, or payroll.
- Managers were losing hours to manual admin, while HR was stuck redoing work.
- Consolidating systems meant eliminating redundancies and saving $20–30K annually.
“The ATS we used was only for hiring. Everything else was still on me.”
How Stricklands Rolled Out HR4
- A dedicated Implementation Specialist guided the process from start to finish.
- HR4 was rolled out in phases — starting with managers and timecards, then expanding to all employees.
- Andrea and her assistant visited each rooftop, helping staff download and adopt the HR4 mobile app.
“Having one dedicated specialist who knew our history made it so much easier. I didn’t have to repeat myself.”
One Platform for the Entire Employee Lifecycle, Built for Automotive.
With HR4, Stricklands unified their disconnected tools into one seamless system — bringing recruiting, onboarding, time, and overall employee management together under a single login. Managers gained autonomy in managing their teams, while HR can now oversee everything across all rooftops with ease.
All-in-One HR Platform
Recruiting, onboarding, time, payroll, compliance, performance, and reporting — HR4 delivers everything in one place.
Consistency Across Rooftops
Standardized processes mean every dealership follows the same steps for hiring, onboarding, and employee changes. Managers submit forms directly in HR4, reducing errors and back-and-forth.
Time Saved, Clarity Gained
Employees manage time off and schedules through the HR4 mobile app. Managers save hours each week on timecards, contracts, and approvals. HR gains visibility into activity across all five rooftops.
“Everything’s in one spot now, and that has definitely helped the HR department.”
“Execution is a lot faster now. I’m not rewriting and resending things over and over.”
“It’s given me more time to focus on what really matters instead of redoing forms or updating spreadsheets.”
From Manual to Modern in 90 Days on HR4
75% Faster Orientation
New hire orientation was reduced from three hours to just 30–45 minutes.
Managers and employees save valuable time, and HR no longer repeats the same manual training for each new hire. Employees walk in day 1 with majority of the documentation already completed.
4 Systems Consolidated into One = 20-30k Annual Savings
HR4 replaced an ATS, an HRIS, a digital signature tool, and an HR call centre.
By eliminating redundant systems, Stricklands saves $20–30K each year. Consolidation created both direct financial savings and indirect efficiency gains.
Time Gained Back
Managers and HR finally have time to focus on what is most important.
With less admin, managers now focus on people and operations while HR can concentrate on strategic priorities instead of spreadsheets and forms.
The power of having one platform for the entire employee lifecycle.
For Andrea, HR4 is more than a short-term solution — it’s the foundation for consistency and growth across all five rooftops. Over the next year, she plans to dig in further to the capabilities within the Reports & Analytics app, giving leadership visibility into HR metrics and creating a stronger employee experience through self-service tools.
Most importantly, Andrea sees HR4 as the system that will continue saving time for both HR and managers, letting them focus on their people instead of paperwork.
“If another dealer group asked me about switching to HR4, I’d say do it hands down. It’s more user-friendly than past systems I have used, has way more configuration, and supports the full employee lifecycle.”
Ready to modernize HR at your dealership?
