ISAT AFRICA
How ISAT AFRICA integrated Zoho PEOPLE & ZOHO BOOKS with Payroll Master Solution to streamline staff salary payments for their Nairobi, Kenya and Lusaka, Zambia offices.
THE CLIENT
iSAT Africa is an integrated communications services provider specializing in broadcasting & rural connectivity, fixed & mobile satellite solutions, MPLS in Africa and Middle East. iSAT Africa’s various solutions including Terrestrial and Satellite Solutions, are backed by powerful Satellites, African Teleports and Headend infrastructure.
iSAT Africa has its POP, integrated with fiber and satellite services, in more than 30 countries in Africa connecting to the rest of world. Its innovative solutions and resilient network are used by different verticals including Governments, TELCOS, media, multinationals, network companies and ISPs.
iSAT has it’s HQ in Dubai, UAE and other offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Lusaka, Zambia; among others.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
"Managing payroll across our Kenya and Zambia offices had become a logistical nightmare. Without seamless integration between our HR system, payroll solution, and accounting system, we were trapped in a cycle of manual data transfers, errors, and inefficiencies, creating a major bottleneck that slowed down our entire HR and finance workflow. However, with the seamless integration of Zoho People, Payroll Master, and Zoho Books, we've achieved what once felt impossible: centralized, error-free data management across our UAE, Kenya, and Zambia offices. Our processes are now faster, compliance is automatic, and our teams can focus on driving our mission forward. This solution has transformed our operations, bringing efficiency and clarity to every part of our business!"
- Juvenalis Gitau, CFO, ISAT AFRICA
PROBLEM STATEMENT
ISAT Africa, with a HQ in Dubai, UAE as well as some of its offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Lusaka, Zambia had one central ZOHO PEOPLE instance (domiciled in the Dubai office). They wanted to implement a payroll solution for the Kenya and Zambia offices, and the payroll solution needed to automatically pick the employee details form their centrally managed Zoho People instance. At the same time, ISAT Africa also wanted to automatically post the relevant payroll costs to the respective general ledgers on their books of accounts, forming a complete end-to-end loop: HR Management-Payroll-Accounting
With a spatially distributed team, the challenge was actualizing a setup that would help HR maintain central control while still giving the country offices leverage over payments for jurisdictional reasons.
PROPOSED SOLUTION(s)
Because ISAT Africa’s setting was unique, Mediacent Interactive advised that the central ZOHO PEOPLE account be integrated with Independent ZOHO BOOKS for Kenya and an independent ZOHO BOOKS for Zambia; separated for jurisdictional tax and accounting compliance purposes. The payroll solution, Mediacent’s Payroll Master, would sit in between (as shown on the development schema further below) pulling country-specific data from ZOHO PEOPLE and posting country-specific accounts information to each respective country’s ledgers on ZOHO BOOKS.
Mediacent recommended ZOHO BOOKS as the best accounting and finance platform for ISAT Africa because of the below Key Functionalities of Zoho Books:
Automated Accounting: Tracks expenses, revenues, and taxes with precision, reducing manual errors.
Seamless Integrations: Connects with HR and payroll systems for a unified workflow.
Customizable Invoicing: Simplifies invoicing with templates, multi-currency support, and payment reminders.
Bank Reconciliation: Automatically matches bank transactions for accurate financial reporting.
Tax Compliance: Built-in tax calculations and regional compliance support, including VAT and GST.
Comprehensive Reporting: Provides real-time financial dashboards and customizable reports.
How Zoho Books would solve Key Challenges that ISAT AFRICA was facing:
Manual Data Entry Errors: Automated syncing reduces human errors in financial data management.
Time-Consuming Reconciliation: Simplified bank and ledger reconciliation saves hours of manual effort.
Decentralized Systems: Centralizes data from payroll, HR, and operations into one platform.
Compliance Complexity: Ensures adherence to local tax laws, minimizing cross-jurisdictional risks.
Limited Financial Insights: Advanced reporting tools empower data-driven decision-making giving ISAT full visibility of their Payroll payments data.
IMPLEMENTATION
Duration it took to implement the solution(s):
The project took a total of 2 and a half Months, with a phased approach that saw KENYA setup go first followed by the Zambia setup.
Bottlenecks, and how they were mitigated
At the initial project phase, there was a bit of mis-understanding as to the role of the super admin / admin account in facilitating relevant configs. Once this was clarified, the ISAT team promptly shared admin-level credentials with the Mediacent Team and the project got underway.
Additional services provided- e.g. migration, customization & integration
ISAT AFRICA required:
1.Migration of it’s old payroll data from the previous system to the new one. This was effectively handled with correct mapping from old to new system.
2.API Integration between Zoho People-Payroll-Zoho Books (for Kenya and Zambia)
RESULTS: BENEFITS & ROI
The Business Impact to ISAT Africa after Implementing the Zoho People-Payroll-Zoho Books Integration was:
Centralized Data Management: Unified HR, payroll, and accounting systems streamlined data handling across offices.
Enhanced Accuracy: Reduced errors with automated data flow between Zoho People, payroll, and Zoho Books.
Cost Savings: Optimized payroll and accounting processes lowered administrative costs for ISAT Africa.
Improved Decision-Making: Real-time financial insights enabled data-driven strategies and budget optimization.
Boosted Team Efficiency: Seamless communication between HR and finance teams enhanced collaboration.
Compliance Confidence: Automated tax calculations and ledger updates ensured adherence to regional regulations that differ by jurisdiction.
Achieved Goals Faster: Time saved in manual tasks allowed HR and Finance teams to focus on strategic initiatives, accelerating organizational objectives.
Client Team Onboarding & Training: We believe ultimate success when it comes to systems is "not in implementation, but rather in adoption of the system". As such, Mediacent Interactive, through its mantra of "walking with the client team every step of the journey", provided thorough team training to relevant system users, ensuring they not only grasped, but became prolific in the use of the implemented solutions.