Zoho People Implementation
Most of an HR system rollout is deciding your own rules. The software part is shorter than people expect.
This page sets out how we run a Zoho People implementation from the first call to the first trusted month: what you need to prepare, what each stage produces, how long it takes for teams of different sizes, and what changes the cost. It is the HR-specific version of our general Zoho implementation process.
Last reviewed — prices, plan details and other figures on this page were checked then.
What to have ready
None of this needs to be tidy. We would rather see the real spreadsheet than a cleaned-up version, because the exceptions are what the configuration has to handle.
Your employee list with joining dates, departments, designations, reporting managers and locations.
The leave policy as written, and a note of where managers actually apply it differently.
Shift timings for each team, and how weekly offs and overtime work today.
Opening leave balances as of an agreed cut-off date.
A list of attendance devices at each site, with model and how they connect.
The documents you collect at joining and the steps you follow when someone leaves.
Four stages, each with a sign-off
Nothing moves to the next stage until the current one is signed off, so problems surface early instead of at the first payroll.
- 1
Discovery and plan choice
We review policies, devices and headcount, recommend the Zoho People plan, and agree scope and dates in writing.
- 2
Configuration
Organisation structure, roles, leave, shifts, holidays, onboarding and offboarding are set up, and devices connected.
- 3
Migration and testing
Employee data and balances are loaded and reconciled, then real scenarios are tested end to end with your HR team.
- 4
Go-live and parallel month
Staff are trained by role and one month runs alongside your old method before payroll depends on it.
What makes a Zoho People project bigger or smaller
Our fee is one-off and quoted against a fixed scope. The Zoho licence is separate and paid to Zoho. These are the factors that move the implementation fee.
| Factor | Smaller project | Larger project |
|---|---|---|
| Locations | One office | Several branches, each with its own shifts and holidays |
| Attendance | Web or mobile check-in | Biometric devices at each site, some needing an API bridge |
| Leave policy | A few leave types applied uniformly | Different rules by grade, location or tenure |
| Data | One clean spreadsheet | Records spread across files or an older HR system |
| Payroll | Zoho People only | Zoho People and Zoho Payroll together, with a parallel pay run |
| Custom rules | Standard options are enough | Custom Deluge functions, such as automatic leave expiry |
What you have when we finish
A written configuration record
Every leave type, shift, rule and approval chain documented, so the next HR manager can see why the system works the way it does.
Clean roles and permissions
Admin rights limited to the people who need them, and managers who see only their own teams.
Trained users
Separate sessions for HR, managers and staff, with short guides for the tasks each group does every week.
Support after go-live
A 30-minute response SLA with 24×7 support, and help with the first policy changes, new branches and year-end leave resets.
Zoho People rollouts we have delivered
- SWA DiamondsZoho People & Zoho PayrollMulti-store jewellery retailer, 215+ employees. Biometric attendance across stores, mobile check-in with GPS for field staff, department-wise shifts, loss-of-pay calculated from attendance, state-wise statutory compliance, and a custom Deluge function that expires unused compensatory leave automatically.
- Diya and Thomas CompanyZoho People & Zoho PayrollManual attendance, leave and salary calculation replaced with one system: employee records migrated into Zoho People, shift schedules and leave policies configured, salary structures built in Zoho Payroll, and a self-service portal for leave, attendance and payslips.
- Ayn Musk Furniture LLC (BOSQ)Zoho PeopleFurniture manufacturing and trading business moving HR off spreadsheets: centralised employee records, automated attendance, shift schedules and holiday calendars, leave approvals, and HR reporting that no longer has to be compiled by hand.
Zoho People Implementation — common questions
How long does a Zoho People implementation take?
Two to three weeks for a single office of up to 50 people; four to six weeks for 50 to 200 people across a few sites; six to ten weeks for larger, multi-branch rollouts, usually phased by location. Adding Zoho Payroll adds one parallel pay run.
How much does Zoho People implementation cost?
Our fee is one-off and quoted against a fixed scope after the first call. It depends on locations, attendance devices, how varied your leave rules are, the state of your data and whether payroll is included. Zoho licences are separate; our Zoho pricing guide sets the two side by side.
Do we need to clean our data before you start?
No. Send it as it is. Cleaning it is part of the migration, and seeing the real spreadsheet tells us which exceptions the configuration has to handle.
We already set up Zoho People ourselves. Can you fix it?
Yes, and that is a common request. We review the existing setup, list what is causing wrong balances or attendance, and fix those parts rather than starting over.
Can we start with leave and add attendance later?
Yes. Leave and employee records work on any plan, so some businesses start there and move to the Professional plan when they are ready for attendance and shifts. We plan the first phase so the second does not need rework.
Related pages
- Zoho PeopleWhat Zoho People covers, the plans, and what each one includes.
- Shift and leave managementThe configuration decisions behind accurate attendance and balances.
- Biometric attendance integrationConnecting the devices at each site.
- Zoho PayrollSalaries and statutory compliance, fed by Zoho People.
- Zoho implementationHow we run Zoho projects across every app.
- Zoho Partner in KeralaZoho People rollouts across all 14 Kerala districts.
Plan your Zoho People rollout
Tell us your headcount, number of locations and how attendance works today. We will send back a scope, a timeline and a fixed implementation fee.
- A fixed-scope quote, not open-ended hourly billing
- Named, Zoho People certified consultants throughout
- Sign-off at each stage, so surprises surface early
- 30-minute response SLA after go-live
We implement Zoho People and Zoho Payroll for businesses across India and the GCC, and for Kerala and its fourteen districts from our base in Malappuram.