Simplifi is expanding into Australia and says it will keep a human customer service team as it enters the market.
The New Zealand workforce management software company is targeting Australian healthcare, aged care, disability and retail organisations, where it sees strong demand driven by labour shortages and complex award systems.
Simplifi already supports more than 2,300 organisations in New Zealand, including Foodstuffs, and plans to build a local presence in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia by the end of 2026. It expects overall headcount to reach 25 by then, with staff focused on sales and customer support.
The move comes as Australian employers in several sectors face mounting staffing and compliance pressures. In disability services, the 2025 State of the Disability Sector Report found that 81 per cent of providers could not continue delivering services at current price caps, while nearly half reported a financial loss in the 2024-25 financial year.
The same report found that 77 per cent of organisations were forced to provide unfunded services at an average cost of AUD $500,000 per provider. In aged care, government investment rose to AUD $39.2 billion in FY25, but demand still outstripped supply, with a 41 per cent increase in people waiting for a home care package at their approved level.
Healthcare providers are also managing workforce gaps. Projections for 2026 suggest Australia will face a shortfall of more than 100,000 nurses, rising to 123,000 by 2030, adding further strain to hospital and community service rosters.
Human support
Simplifi is entering Australia as businesses weigh broader use of artificial intelligence in customer service and support. The company pointed to AI-linked job cuts at technology groups including Atlassian, WiseTech and Block, as well as reductions in customer service and call centre roles at Commonwealth Bank.
It is exploring ways to use AI in its software, but not as a replacement for customer-facing staff, arguing that organisations still want direct access to people who can answer operational questions.
Founder and managing director Rhys Greensill outlined that position in comments on the company's strategy.
"We're living through unprecedented times," Greensill said.
"On the one hand, our healthcare, aged-care and disability sectors are struggling to fill rosters amid staff shortages. On the other hand, AI is coming for our call centre jobs."
He said the company believed the issues it had addressed in New Zealand were also present in Australia, but on a larger scale.
"Simplifi has gained traction in the New Zealand market because we've listened to our customers. They wanted a system that minimises their compliance risk, eliminates manual work, and negates the need for unnecessary, expensive casual staffing. We see the same problems going unsolved in the Australian market at a much bigger scale."
Greensill said customers also wanted direct access to support staff rather than an automated process.
"More importantly they want someone who can answer their questions at the other end of the phone."
He said the company's software and service model allowed it to keep dedicated account managers for each customer.
"AI-powered customer service teams are the hallmark of a bad product. We employ humans because we've built a product that works."
Market focus
Simplifi's Australian push centres on sectors where rostering mistakes can create compliance and payroll risks. In healthcare, aged care and disability services, employers must navigate complex awards while trying to fill shifts in a tight labour market.
Those conditions can increase reliance on casual staff, raising costs for operators already under financial pressure. Simplifi is pitching its software as a way to manage permanent and casual workforces while reducing the manual administration tied to rostering, timesheets and payroll.
Founded in New Zealand, Simplifi describes itself as a cloud-based workforce management software provider. Alongside Foodstuffs, its customers include organisations across retail, hospitality, automotive and healthcare, including Mercure Prime Hotels, ViNZ, Masonic Villages and Presbyterian Support.
The Australian expansion is the company's first stated push beyond its home market, with customer support staffing a central part of its strategy to differentiate itself.