From Payroll to Connection: How Fingercheck Integrated In-App Chat to Streamline Team Communication

Managing payroll and HR is a common challenge many businesses face today. Business owners often find themselves juggling multiple systems and struggling to keep up with the complexities of workforce management. This was the challenge that Fingercheck set out to solve a decade ago.

Founded with a vision to simplify workforce management, Fingercheck has emerged as a transformative force in the Human Capital Management (HCM) space. Competing alongside industry giants like ADP, Paychex, and Gusto, they've carved out their own unique position by offering a comprehensive platform that brings together every aspect of employee management under one roof.

Their platform seamlessly integrates critical functions - from payroll processing to scheduling systems, benefits management, and other hiring solutions. With approximately 7,000 companies now relying on their platform, and capabilities extending across multiple states, Fingercheck has established itself as a trusted partner in business growth and efficiency.

What started as a common pushback - "Nobody's going to use team communication from us, they'll just use Slack or something else" - soon evolved into a compelling business necessity for Fingercheck. The turning point came when their product team noticed an interesting pattern emerging from their user feedback channels. Their customers, who were already using Fingercheck's scheduling features, were consistently voting up one specific request on their product roadmap: integrated team communications.

The challenge became clear through their customers' daily operations. While employees were being scheduled through Fingercheck's platform, the actual communication about availability and shift coordination was happening elsewhere - through WhatsApp, Slack, or other messaging platforms. This fragmented approach was creating friction in what should have been a smooth workforce management process.

For Fingercheck's customers, this meant their staff had to constantly switch between their scheduling platform and various communication tools, making simple tasks like checking employee availability or coordinating shift changes unnecessarily complex. The need for a unified solution became increasingly apparent - why should users have to leave the Fingercheck ecosystem to handle these essential communications?

By integrating chat functionality directly into their platform, Fingercheck saw an opportunity to:

This realization marked a strategic shift in Fingercheck's product vision - team communication wasn't just an add-on feature, but a critical component that could make their platform more valuable and indispensable to their users.

When Fingercheck decided to integrate chat functionality, they began evaluating various solutions that could match their complex requirements. As a SaaS platform serving 7,000 customers with diverse needs, their primary concern was finding a solution that could handle their multi-tenant architecture effectively - ensuring that communications remained strictly segregated between different companies using their platform.

CometChat emerged as the ideal choice, particularly given its proven track record of powering in-app chat for numerous successful SaaS platforms. With implementations across diverse solutions like TurboTenant, Bitdefender, IMA Schelling, Boatyard, and TransMedics, CometChat demonstrated the reliability and scalability Fingercheck needed. The platform's experience in handling multi-tenant architectures and its ability to seamlessly embed into existing applications made it a natural fit for Fingercheck's requirements. Here's how different aspects of the platform are making an impact:

Multi-tenant Architecture

Fingercheck’s chat system uses CometChat’s multi-tenant architecture, with a dedicated CometChat app for each of their customers. This setup ensures that each company, whether a small business or a larger enterprise, has its own secure communication space. Sensitive workplace conversations stay within organizational boundaries, providing privacy and security for all users.

One-on-One and Group Messaging

With the implementation of messaging capabilities Fingercheck makes it easy for team members to connect directly. Employees can chat one-on-one or join group chats set up by managers for specific departments or projects. This feature helps their customers handle shift coordination and team collaboration more smoothly. When schedule changes come up, supervisors can reach team members right in the platform where they manage schedules, making coordination simple and quick.

Advanced Administration Console

The platform's administrative capabilities give organizations complete control over their communication environment. Through a comprehensive moderation dashboard, company administrators can monitor conversations while remaining invisible using the 'silent observer' feature. This allows them to maintain professional standards without disrupting natural team dynamics. When needed, administrators can quickly address issues through content flagging and moderation tools, ensuring a professional communication environment.

Smart Notification System

Fingercheck uses an enhanced notification system to keep teams informed without overwhelming them. Employees receive mobile push notifications and email alerts for urgent messages and important updates, while company-wide announcements keep everyone aligned. Each user can set their own notification preferences, including the ability to mute certain conversations. Integration with their virtual assistant also enables automated alerts for critical events, like payroll deadlines or late payments, ensuring key tasks stay on track.

Content Sharing and Security

The platform supports secure file sharing, allowing teams to exchange schedules, documents, images, and voice notes while maintaining high security standards. Using Token-Based File Access, only authorized users can view shared files and media, ensuring secure access. Content moderation tools also help filter profanity and maintain professionalism in shared images, creating a safe and appropriate environment for workplace communication.

Support Integration Capabilities

Fingercheck has seamlessly integrated chat functionality with their existing systems. While team communications happen within the main application, they've maintained a separate support channel powered by Intercom for customer service needs. The virtual assistant bot integration enables automated communications, creating a smooth blend of human and automated interactions that keeps business operations running efficiently.

Integrating CometChat has made Fingercheck’s platform a more complete workforce management solution. With both desktop and mobile apps, users can receive message notifications and log in to chat on either device, keeping all communications within the Fingercheck ecosystem. This setup has reduced the need for external messaging apps, simplified team coordination, and improved the user experience. The success of this integration not only meets their current needs but also supports future growth, helping Fingercheck remain competitive in the HCM market.