Staffing agency back office software from shift fill to paid invoice.
A proposed system for light-industrial and skilled-trades staffing firms: fill tomorrow's shifts by text, turn approved timesheets into payroll and client invoices the same day, and see gross margin per assignment with the right workers' comp code behind it.
Reply within one business day · Written scope and fixed price before any work starts
A proposed product shown with illustrative designs and demo data. We deliver it today as a custom build on our engines.
Status as of November 2026. How we label products
Shifts ordered
186
Filled
171
Open
15
Offers sent by SMS
412
38% reply rate
Orders not yet filled
| Client · site | Position | Shift | Filled | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgeline Foods · Plant 2 | Sanitation tech | 10pm–6:30am | 8 / 12 | 2nd offer round sent |
| Crestway Logistics · DC East | Forklift operator (sit-down) | 6am–2:30pm | 5 / 6 | 3 replies pending |
| Ironbridge Contractors · Elm St | Journeyman electrician | 7am–3:30pm | 1 / 3 | No qualified matches |
| Sunvale Packaging | Machine operator | 2pm–10:30pm | 10 / 10 | Filled |
Replies needing a person
- "yes but only til 2" - Marcus T.Crestway · partial
- "need a ride" - Ana R.Ridgeline · confirm?
- STOP received - Devon K.Opted out, removed
Approved hours
38,420
Exceptions
27
Invoices ready
41
Gross margin
23.8%
By client
| Client | Hours (OT) | Pay rate avg | Bill rate avg | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crestway Logistics | 9,812 (1,140) | $19.40 | $27.16 | Invoice ready |
| Ridgeline Foods | 7,366 (402) | $18.25 | $25.55 | 9 missing breaks |
| Ironbridge Contractors | 3,120 (288) | $34.00 | $51.00 | Certified payroll needed |
| Sunvale Packaging | 4,905 (96) | $17.75 | $24.32 | Bill rate mismatch, 2 orders |
Active assignments
1,214
Burdened margin
17.1%
Assignments under 12%
38
Comp code to review
6
Assignments to review
| Worker · client | Job performed | Comp code | Burdened margin | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Alvarez · Crestway | Forklift operator | Warehouse (client class) | 16.4% | Matches order |
| R. Singh · Ridgeline | Sanitation, chemical use | Clerical | 9.8% | Code doesn't match duties |
| L. Moore · Ironbridge | Electrician | Electrical wiring | 14.2% | Matches order |
| T. Nguyen · Sunvale | Machine operator | Packaging | 11.1% | OT eroding margin |
In short
Agenbord Build for Staffing Agencies is proposed back office software for light-industrial and skilled-trades staffing firms. It would fill shifts by SMS (WhatsApp optional), collect and approve timesheets, apply bill and pay rates per assignment, generate payroll and client invoices, and keep workers' comp codes and I-9 records in order. It is a concept: shown with illustrative designs and delivered today as a custom build on our production ERP engine.
What slows light-industrial & trades staffing down today.
Filling tomorrow's shifts eats the whole afternoon
A client calls at 2pm for 14 pickers at 6am. Recruiters text workers one by one from their own phones, track replies in a notebook, and still find out at 6:15 that three didn't show. There's no record of who was offered what, and no consent trail for the texts.
Timesheets become invoices days later
Paper timesheets, client portal exports and kiosk punches arrive in different formats. Someone re-keys hours, applies overtime and shift differentials, and checks the bill rate. Invoices go out late, and every error is a credit memo and a delayed payment.
Margin and risk hide in the rate sheet
A worker paid $19 an hour on a forklift order billed at $26.60 looks fine, until overtime, payroll taxes and the workers' comp rate for that job class are counted. If the assignment is coded to the wrong comp class, the audit at year end costs more than the margin.
How the work flows through the system.
Each workflow runs on one shared record, so nobody re-types numbers between steps.
Shift fill by text
Client → recruiter → worker
- A client order is entered with job title, site, shift, headcount, pay and bill rates, and the required skills, certifications and PPE.
- The system shortlists available, qualified workers who have opted in to texts, ranked by distance, reliability and hours already worked this week.
- Offers go out by SMS (or WhatsApp where the worker prefers it); workers reply YES to claim a shift until headcount is filled, and the rest get a 'shift filled' message.
- Confirmed workers get the site address, start time and check-in instructions; a reminder goes out the night before, and no-shows are logged against reliability.
Timesheet to payroll and invoice
Worker → client supervisor → payroll → billing
- Hours come in from the mobile clock-in, a client kiosk export or a supervisor-approved timesheet.
- Rules apply overtime, shift differentials, breaks and per-client billing rules; exceptions are listed for review instead of fixed silently.
- Approved hours produce pay lines for payroll and invoice lines for the client at the assignment's bill rate, in the same run.
- Invoices go out grouped the way each client wants - by site, department or PO - and gross margin per assignment is posted the same day.
Onboarding and I-9 records
Recruiter → onboarding → compliance
- New workers complete their application, tax forms and acknowledgements on their phone.
- Form I-9 Section 1 and 2 dates, document types and expirations are recorded, and reverification dates create tasks.
- Each assignment is tagged with the workers' comp class code for the actual job performed, not a generic code.
- Retention dates for each I-9 are calculated from hire and termination dates, so records are kept as long as required and no longer.
What's included in Agenbord Build for Staffing Agencies.
Clients & job orders
Clients, sites, job orders with headcount, shifts, skills, PPE and the bill and pay rate for each position.
Shift fill messaging
Offers by SMS with WhatsApp as an option, reply-to-claim, automatic 'filled' notices, reminders, and consent and opt-out records.
Worker profiles
Skills, certifications, availability, distance, reliability score and assignment history for each worker.
Time capture
Mobile clock-in with location check, client kiosk imports and supervisor approval of timesheets.
Pay & bill rules
Overtime, shift differentials, holiday rules and markups per client, applied to the same approved hours for pay and bill.
Invoicing & AR
Client invoices grouped by site, department or PO, with credit memos, aging and reminders.
Payroll export
Approved pay lines exported to your payroll provider, with job and comp code on every line.
Comp codes & margin
Workers' comp class code per assignment, burdened cost and gross margin by client, branch and recruiter.
I-9 & onboarding
Digital onboarding, I-9 dates and reverification tasks, and retention dates calculated per worker.
AI that does specific jobs and shows its work.
Every AI feature is tested on your own records before it's switched on, and a person approves anything that moves money or goes to a customer.
Shift reply understanding
Reads free-text replies like "yes but I can only do til 2" or "si, voy" and proposes the right action - confirm, partial, decline - for the recruiter to accept. Limits: unclear replies go to a person; it never confirms a shift on its own when the reply is ambiguous.
Timesheet exception review
Flags timesheets that look wrong: missing breaks, hours far above the worker's usual shift, a bill rate that doesn't match the order, or a worker clocked in at two sites. Limits: it flags; payroll staff decide.
Who it's for and who it isn't.
A good fit if you are
- Light-industrial, warehouse and manufacturing staffing firms placing 100-2,000 workers a week
- Skilled-trades staffing firms supplying electricians, welders, carpenters and laborers to contractors
- Branches that fill next-day shifts by phone and group text today
- Owners who want gross margin per client, branch and recruiter every week, not at quarter end
Probably not the right fit if you are
- Professional, IT or executive search firms whose work is mostly candidate pipelines and placement fees
- Healthcare staffing that handles patient-facing credentialing - scoped separately
- Firms happy on an all-in-one staffing suite and only need minor reports
Designed around the rules you work under.
Plain-English notes, not legal advice. Software supports your compliance process; it doesn't replace your attorney, CPA or compliance lead.
Form I-9 retention
Employers must keep each Form I-9 for three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later. The onboarding module calculates that date for every worker. 8 CFR 274a.2 (eCFR).
Shared safety duties with host employers
OSHA generally treats the staffing agency and the host employer as joint employers of temporary workers, and recommends that their contract set out who is responsible for training and each safety requirement. Job orders store the agreed responsibilities, required training and PPE per site. OSHA - Protecting temporary workers.
Consent for shift texts
Under the TCPA, automated texts to mobile numbers need the recipient's prior consent, and marketing texts need prior express written consent. Shift fill records each worker's opt-in, honors STOP replies and keeps job offers separate from promotional messages. A 2026 Fifth Circuit decision limited the written-consent rule in that circuit only; your counsel confirms the rules you follow. FCC consumer guide; Covington summary of the Fifth Circuit decision.
Illinois equal pay for temporary laborers
Illinois' Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, as amended in 2023, requires equal pay with comparable direct employees once a laborer has been assigned to the same client for more than 90 days within 12 months, with the count starting April 1, 2024. A federal court preliminarily enjoined the related equivalent-benefits provision in March 2024; that litigation is ongoing, so confirm the current position with counsel. Assignment tracking counts days per worker per client. Littler - preliminary injunction.
What exists today and what's being built.
Reused from our production engines
Capabilities of the engine this edition is built on.
- Labor attendance and daily-wage payroll calculations
- Customer ledgers, invoicing and mobile approvals
- WhatsApp messaging and a shared inbox (from our recurring billing engine)
- AI copilot over company data
Built for your project
Scoped and delivered as a custom build.
- Job orders with bill and pay rates and shift fill by SMS
- TCPA consent and opt-out records
- Timesheet rules for overtime, differentials and client billing
- Payroll export to U.S. payroll providers
- Workers' comp class codes per assignment and burdened margin
- I-9 dates, reverification and retention tracking
Connects to the systems you already run.
Systems we integrate with
Named platforms are examples we build against through their public APIs - not partnership claims.
How it compares - honestly.
Established products are often the right answer. Here's when each one is the better choice.
| Product | What it is | The better choice when |
|---|---|---|
| Bullhorn | A large staffing and recruitment platform with ATS, CRM, and front- and back-office products used by firms of many sizes. | You want a widely adopted staffing suite with a big marketplace of add-ons, and you're ready to configure and pay for the modules you need. |
| Avionté | Staffing software for clerical, light-industrial and professional firms, combining recruiting, time and attendance, payroll and billing. | You want an all-in-one front- and back-office staffing package focused on light-industrial work, ready to use without a custom build. |
| JobAdder | Recruitment and applicant tracking software popular with small and mid-sized agencies. | Your firm is mostly permanent or contract recruitment and needs a strong ATS, with payroll and billing handled elsewhere. |
Detailed comparisons: Bullhorn alternatives
What it costs, up front.
This edition is a concept, so it is delivered as a custom build on the Agenbord Build engine at a fixed price. The first staffing firms to commission it shape the product and get a reduced build price. SMS and WhatsApp message fees are paid to the provider at cost.
Timesheet-to-invoice
From $25k
Job orders, time capture, pay and bill rules, client invoicing and payroll export, with margin by assignment.
8–12 weeks
Full staffing edition
$60k–$150k
Adds shift fill by SMS/WhatsApp, worker app, onboarding and I-9 records, comp-code reporting, AR and data migration.
4–8 months, phased
Multi-branch or multi-state
$150k+
Many branches or brands, state-specific rules, client VMS feeds and consolidated reporting.
Phased
Light-industrial & trades staffing: common questions.
Is this staffing software available today?
No. It is a concept shown with illustrative designs. It reuses the attendance, payroll calculation, invoicing and messaging parts of our production engines, and is delivered as a custom build for the firms that commission it.
Does it replace Bullhorn or our ATS?
It doesn't have to. Many firms keep their ATS for recruiting and use this edition for the back office: job orders, shift fill, time, pay, billing and margin. If your recruiting needs are simple, the worker profiles here may be enough.
Why SMS first and not WhatsApp?
In the U.S., most hourly workers answer texts fastest, so shift fill leads with SMS. WhatsApp is offered as an option for workers who prefer it, which is common in some immigrant communities. Either way, opt-in, opt-out and quiet hours are recorded per worker.
Does it run payroll?
It calculates pay from approved hours and exports pay lines - with job, client and comp code - to your payroll provider, such as ADP or Paychex, which handles tax filing. Running U.S. payroll tax in-house is a separate decision we can scope.
Can it store I-9s electronically?
It can track I-9 dates, document expirations, reverification tasks and retention dates. Electronic I-9 storage has specific federal system requirements, so we scope that part with your immigration counsel or use an established electronic I-9 provider.
What does it cost?
From $25k for timesheet-to-invoice, and $60k-$150k for the full edition with shift fill, onboarding and margin reporting, at a fixed price agreed before work starts. Message fees go to the SMS or WhatsApp provider at cost.
Sources
- eCFR - 8 CFR 274a.2 Verification of identity and employment authorization
- OSHA - Protecting temporary workers
- OSHA - Policy background on the Temporary Worker Initiative
- FCC - Stop unwanted robocalls and texts
- Covington Inside Global Tech - Fifth Circuit on prior express written consent (Mar 2026)
- Littler - Preliminary injunction against Illinois equivalent benefits law
Regulatory notes are plain-English summaries, not legal advice.
Concept
Want Agenbord Build for Staffing Agencies built for your business?
Send us your workflow and the systems you use. We'll reply within one business day, then a free 30-minute call, then a written scope with a fixed price - including an honest view on whether an off-the-shelf product would serve you better.
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