New Zealand’s largest blue-collar staffing agency transforms candidate onboarding with Onboarded
AWF NZ has been connecting skilled and semi-skilled workers with jobs across Aotearoa for nearly 35 years. As the country’s largest staffing provider with offices spanning from Kaitaia to Invercargill, AWF is known for delivering quality placements across a wide range of blue-collar industries.
But with great scale comes complexity, especially when it comes to onboarding.
Location
New Zealand
Specialism
Blue Collar
Product
Onboarded
Challenge
- Manual, paper-based onboarding process created delays and extra admin for both recruiters and candidates.
- Candidates had to visit offices in person and staff had to double-handle data into the CRM system.
- The experience felt outdated and didn’t reflect AWF’s forward-thinking brand values.
Solution
- Sought a seamless, automated platform that integrated directly with AWF’s CRM to enhance recruiter and candidate experience.
- Onboarded digitised AWF’s entire onboarding process end-to-end, with a branded, compliant workflow candidates could complete remotely.
- The implementation process was smooth, with fast adoption across the team and strong support from Onboarded’s leadership and delivery teams.
Results
- 70+ recruiters now onboard over 500 candidates a month digitally, with 91% completing the process in under 72 hours.
- Candidate satisfaction surged, with 91% giving the experience a 5-star rating — despite the high compliance and WHS requirements.
- Recruiters are freed up to focus on higher-value tasks, while clients benefit from faster placements and improved service delivery.
The turning point: When manual just couldn’t cut it anymore
With hundreds of blue-collar workers onboarding each month, AWF’s team was spending far too much time on paperwork, manual data entry, and chasing candidates to come into the office.
“Work health and safety and compliance are critical at AWF. On top of the usual checks, qualifications and payroll information, we need to know about things like previous illness or injury that might put them at additional risk.”
The old way was slow, clunky, and required double handling. Worse still, it didn’t reflect AWF’s commitment to being a modern, progressive employer.
“It wasn’t always easy finding times candidates could physically visit the office. Then there was the double handling of data. It was time-consuming and challenging for everyone. It also didn’t align with our aspirations as a forward-thinking brand. It looked a little old school.”
The implementation: Fast, simple, and fully supported
Having heard of Onboarded before, Kerrie Gregory, General Manager of Operations at Accordant Group, reached out—and was impressed right from the start.
“Working with Onboarded was very, very easy from the very beginning. Raj and his team are excellent to work with... we felt supported every step of the way.”
Together, the teams digitised AWF’s entire onboarding process end-to-end: fully branded, fully compliant, and 100% mobile-enabled.
“Every recruiter at AWF is now using Onboarded, and adoption across the team was fast and stress-free — exactly what you want from a new technology."
The impact: Faster hires, happier candidates, and a more efficient team
✅ 500+ candidates onboarded monthly
All done digitally, with no office visits or paperwork.
✅ 91% of candidates onboarded within 72 hours
A massive leap forward from the delays of the past.
✅ 91% candidate satisfaction rating
Even with the WHS, legislative, and compliance requirements.
“With Onboarded, more than 90% of our candidates complete their onboarding process in under 72 hours. There’s no way our manual process could have ever delivered that.”
“Our consultants can now focus on adding value in other areas, and our candidates can get on the job sooner, which means we deliver for our clients. So it’s a win all around.”
What’s next: Scaling confidently with the right tech in place
The team of 70+ recruiters at AWF is now onboarding 500+ candidates a month using a streamlined, digital process that allows candidates to complete it anytime, anywhere, with just a mobile phone.
“We’ve worked with a lot of companies over the past three years, and there are certainly not many that I’d put in the same camp as Onboarded for the product, experience or support. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Onboarded to my network.”
With streamlined onboarding now a reality, Kerrie and the AWF team are focused on continuing to innovate their workforce delivery, powered by tech that works.
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