How PetScreening's Comp Cycle Scaled With Active Comp AI

The Company

Company: PetScreening
Industry: Property Technology
Employees: 174 (growing to 224)
Challenge: Transitioning from Excel to manage compensation cycles for a rapidly growing company

The Challenge: Spreadsheets Breaking Down at Scale

Ellen Sondee, CFO at PetScreening, was managing compensation reviews for 160+ employees in Excel. As the company grew 30% year-over-year, the manual process was becoming unsustainable.

"We had 130-some people the prior year and did it all in Excel, and it just became so hard to make sure we were in the right version, that we captured what people were saying," Ellen explained.

She needed a solution that could scale, without requiring additional headcount on her two-person HR team.

Active AI: When Software Actually Does the Task

Ellen had over 20 conversations with Aeqium Assist while setting up her compensation cycle. But unlike typical AI chatbots that just provide suggestions, Aeqium's AI actually executed the work.

"The best part was when I had to add columns or whatever, I did, and it would say 'do you want me to do it for you?'"

This was the breakthrough moment. The AI wasn't just telling Ellen what to do. It was offering to do it.

"When I first did it on Friday, it [the AI] said, 'would you like me to create those columns for you?' And I said, yes. And so it did."

The AI went from conversation directly to execution, creating the columns in her live compensation cycle without Ellen needing to navigate settings or figure out the platform.

Real Time Savings on Real Tasks

The AI didn't replace Ellen's judgment or strategic decisions. Instead, it handled the tedious implementation work that typically consumes hours.

When Ellen needed to set up formulas for her compensation calculations:

"I figured out my formula with the help of AI. So that works."

The AI helped her get the formula right without trial and error or digging through documentation.

AI-Powered Analysis and Reporting

Beyond cycle setup, the AI helped Ellen generate the analyst reports she needed for executive review. When it came time to extract insights and present to leadership, Shea, PetScreening's HR Director, found the reporting capabilities just as valuable:

"The report coming over from you guys was exactly what I needed. It did take a lot of work off my plate as far as not being as time consuming as it usually is to make all those changes."

The AI didn't just build the cycle structure. It also delivered the analysis and reporting outputs that would have required hours of manual Excel work.

Ellen's assessment after her first cycle: "I loved it. It helped me so much."

The Results: Moving From Advice to Execution

PetScreening successfully completed their compensation cycle for 160+ employees with Aeqium. The AI didn't automate everything, but it did execute specific tasks that would have taken Ellen, Shea, and the team significantly longer to do manually: creating columns, building formulas, configuring cycle settings, and generating reports.

As PetScreening grows to 224 employees this year, Ellen knows the platform will handle the increased complexity:

"If we're doing a comp cycle with over 200 people, thank God I have this tool."

Why This Matters: AI That Does, Not Just Advises

Most compensation software treats AI as a helpful assistant that answers questions. Aeqium's AI actually performs tasks: creating columns, building formulas, configuring settings, and generating reports through conversation.

PetScreening's experience shows what becomes possible when AI moves from passive advice to active execution. Ellen still made the strategic decisions, but the AI handled the implementation work that typically slows down comp cycles.

This is Active AI. Software that understands what you're trying to accomplish and executes it for you.

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Test drive more manageable, more flexible compensation planning with Aeqium.

‍Compensation teams trust Aeqium for:

✅ Designing total compensation strategies
✅ Automating the prep work that goes into compensation planning
✅ Making data-driven decisions about employee compensation
✅ Seamlessly connecting information from across your people data ecosystem

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