TriNet Group Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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April 26, 2023

Key Takeaways

  • In Q1, TriNet delivered 2% revenue growth at the top end of guidance, GAAP EPS of $2.17 (+$0.35 vs. guidance), adjusted EPS of $2.49 (+$0.29), $169 M in operating cash flow, and ended with 328 K worksite employees.
  • Customer retention increased by 3 points year-over-year and new ACV sales grew 20% driven by higher NPS, tiered customer service and expanded offerings like Clarus R&D tax credits (e.g., $300 K saved for Voyant Photonics).
  • Net customer hiring (CIE) was modestly negative year-over-year but small businesses continued hiring while larger clients pared back, and March saw the strongest net hiring since July 2022, prompting a lowered full-year hiring outlook but expected H2 improvement.
  • During the Silicon Valley Bank crisis, TriNet leveraged its scale processing over $70 B in payroll annually to ensure no missed payrolls for impacted clients through established banking relationships and alternative funding methods.
  • TriNet raised its full-year guidance, now forecasting 1–2% revenue growth, professional services up 1–3%, an insurance cost ratio of 87–88.5%, and GAAP EPS of $5.40–$6.35, driven by workers’ comp outperformance, higher interest income, and disciplined expenses.
AI Generated. May Contain Errors.
Earnings Conference Call
TriNet Group Q1 2023
00:00 / 00:00

There are 8 speakers on the call.

Operator

Afternoon, and welcome to the TriNet First Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call. All participants will be in listen only mode. After today's presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Please note, this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Alex Bauer, Head of Investor Relations.

Operator

Please go ahead.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator. Good afternoon. My name is Alex Bauer, and I am TriNet's Head of Investor Relations. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to TriNet's 2023 1st Quarter Conference Call. I am joined today by our CEO, Burton M.

Speaker 1

Goldfield and our CFO, Kelly Timanelli. Before we begin, I would like to address our use of forward looking statements and non GAAP financial measures. Please note that today's discussion We'll include our 2023 Second Quarter and Full Year Financial Outlooks and other statements that are not historical in nature or predictive in nature or depend upon or refer to future events or conditions such as our expectations, estimates, predictions, strategies, beliefs or other statements that might be considered forward looking. These forward looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are inherently subject to risks, Uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results to differ materially from statements being made today or in the future. Except as may be required by law, we do not undertake to update any of these statements in light of new information, future events or otherwise.

Speaker 1

We encourage you to review our most recent public filings with the SEC, including our 10 ks and 10 Q filings for a more detailed discussion of the risks, Uncertainties and changes in circumstances that may affect our future results or the market price of our stock. In addition, Our discussion today will include non GAAP financial measures, including our forward looking guidance for adjusted net income per diluted share. For reconciliations of our non GAAP financial measures to our GAAP financial results, please see our earnings release, 10 Q filings or our 10 ks filing, which are available on our website or through the SEC website. With that, I'll turn the call over to Burton. Burton?

Speaker 2

Thank you, Alex. I am particularly pleased with our Q1 financial results, which exceeded the top end of our guidance. Importantly, we delivered strong operating performance by making progress on several of the key TriNet initiatives. Customer retention increased by 3 points year over year. New sales improved 20% year over year.

Speaker 2

Disciplined expense management coupled with our revenue performance translated to outperformance in earnings. Additionally, I am proud of the TriNet team for their execution with respect to the regional bank crisis and Silicon Valley Bank Receivership. TriNet processes over $70,000,000,000 in payroll annually. We use our scale, including our long term banking relationships In service of our impacted customers, we did not miss a single payroll deadline. The TriNet team of over 3,000 colleagues is prepared for the unexpected, which benefits our customers And highlights the impact of our partnerships.

Speaker 2

During the Q1, revenue remained healthy. Professional service revenues Grew 6% year over year and total revenues grew 2% year over year, both at the top end of our guidance. In the Q1, GAAP earnings per share declined 2% year over year, outperforming guidance by $0.35 While adjusted net income per share also declined 2%, outperforming guidance by $0.29 Finally, we finished the Q1 with 328,000 ending WSEs. As outlined on our last call, our WSE volume is driven by 3 factors: retention, New sales and hiring in our installed base. Beginning with retention, we saw a 3 point year over year improvement In our retention rate in the Q1, this was driven by a few factors.

Speaker 2

The large company attrition trend we experienced last year Has abated. NPS scores continue to improve in part driven by the rollout of our tiered customer service offering, which contributes to the reduced attrition. Finally, the scale of TriNet, Including our incremental product offerings, offers value in ways that ultimately improve retention. These products, including Clarus R and D, our in house tax credit service, are gaining traction. A good example of this value is embodied in a tax study done for our PEO customer, Voyant Photonics.

Speaker 2

Voyant Photonics is a company that creates chip scale LiDAR 3 d sensing technology used for a variety of applications, Including autonomous vehicles, drones, robotics and factory automation. This company has allocated significant capital Voyant leveraged TriNet Clarus R and D To complete a study which yielded a tax credit greater than $300,000 in Q1, Since adding the Clarus R and D product to the TriNet product offering, the average size of the tax credit Captured on behalf of our customers has increased by 92%. We are expanding the Clarus R and D market reach to include our dynamic verticals such as technology and life sciences. In summary, we are very pleased with our customer retention in Q1 and expect this improved retention to continue throughout 2023. Turning to new sales, we grew net new ACV by 20% year over year in the quarter.

Speaker 2

This is particularly exciting due to the fact that Q1 historically represents approximately 40% of our overall net new business for the year. As previously discussed, we have prioritized spend to drive new sales growth In our core verticals for 2023 and beyond, this includes investing today to expand our sales organization To drive growth in future years, this decision to invest now is based on increased rep productivity, Success and scalability of the lead generation and lead scoring processes as well as an increased win rate on quotes delivered to prospects. Returning to new sales in the quarter, our improved overall sales performance

Speaker 3

Sourced

Speaker 2

closed opportunities. I am confident that the investment in our sales organization As well as our vertical strategy, we'll continue to deliver strong results. I look forward to updating you on the progress With respect to sales on the Q2 call, the 3rd element of our WSE volume algorithm is CIE Or change in existing, sometimes referred to as customer net hiring. In the Q1, This metric was slightly down quarter over quarter and down significantly year over year. The difficult economic environment, particularly in the technology vertical, continued in the Q1, dampening our overall net Customer hiring.

Speaker 2

I want to make 2 important points about the customer hiring or CIE. First, We chose to pursue customers in very specific verticals across a broad range of key industries. We do this with the knowledge that these customers generate the highest customer lifetime value, which include higher than average CIE over the long term. We believe that when the business cycle recovers, we will benefit from strong Customer net hiring. The second point is that while net hiring is down in the quarter, we do not see uniform pressure Across all companies in any specific vertical.

Speaker 2

An example specifically related to our technology sector Is that when you unpack the net CIE performance, about half of our technology customers are Still hiring, while the other half have reduced staff. Tech companies between 10 50 employees Are on average growing, while larger companies are not. I believe what we are seeing is VCs and management teams Rationalizing their investments with respect to employees in the face of a challenging economic environment. This will ultimately lead to stronger, faster growing companies in the future. Additionally, As we reviewed CIE performance in the month of March, we saw stronger net hiring across our installed base.

Speaker 2

In fact, hiring in March was the strongest month we have experienced since July of 2022. 1 month's performance does not make a trend and we will continue to watch closely as the CIE picture becomes clearer throughout the year. We believe that now more than ever, SMBs need help from TriNet Based on the economic, legal and regulatory environment, in support of our growth aspirations, TriNet recently launched Our new brand identity in conjunction with our People Matters marketing campaign. Our new brand identity Underscores our commitment to the growth and innovation of SMBs and the people behind them. This omni channel marketing campaign will include TV, radio, digital and out of home, Primarily focused in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.

Speaker 2

C. And Boston markets. We are aggressively marketing the full impact of TriNet's value, including our broad suite of products. This is not the time to slow down. A year ago, we acquired Zenefits and have now completed the full integration, which includes this new brand identity.

Speaker 2

As we reflect on the acquisition after 1 year, we are pleased with the progress being made. We added a talented team who share our passion for the SMB market. The legacy Zenefits team is playing an On January 1, we went live on boarding new customers to our TriNet integrated open market product. This product pairs the PEO model with open market benefits and leverages the legacy Zenefits, Benefit administration and digital brokerage tools. This is an example of a product release combining the best Offer a barbell of products and services with HRIS on one end and PEO on the other, which we will continue To expand over time, we continue to work on our go to market strategy with respect to our HRIS product, but in general, We feel optimistic about its future in the context of our suite of products.

Speaker 2

Over the last 3 years, The velocity of changes in the workplace has accelerated. This fast pace is difficult to navigate For small and medium sized businesses who are focused on their own important mission, Before passing the call to Kelly for a review of our financials, I would like to talk to you about the McCartan Foundation. Their growth and change over the past 3 years is nothing short of phenomenal, and their story will show you how TriNet uses its Scale for the benefit of our customers. The McCartan Foundation is a New York based nonprofit organization on a mission to change the course of lives. They bring exceptional early treatment And therapy to children with autism living in underserved communities.

Speaker 2

With TriNet, The foundation has grown from 3 employees to 200 plus employees. Their growth over the last 3 years Has been anything but linear. During the pandemic, we helped the McCartan Foundation furlough workers, TriNet helps secure a PPP loan, providing the foundation with critical liquidity when it was needed the most. We then went to work to ensure that their loan would be forgiven. Additionally, our unique recovery credit program As Whitney Moy's CEO, McCartan Foundation said, without TriNet, we would not be in business.

Speaker 2

The fact is TriNet would not be in business without incredible customers like the McCartan Foundation. TriNet is different. We are prepared for the unexpected and provide unparalleled value. Our positive impact on our customers like the McCartan Foundation is energizing and motivating For every single TriNet colleague, we will continue to focus on our passion, invest in the future And deliver profitable growth for our shareholders. Kelly?

Speaker 3

Thank you, Burton. The first quarter allowed TriNet to prove our ability to well across our business and continue to support our customers during this changing macroeconomic environment. In the areas we controlled, we did very well. During the quarter, TriNet prioritized its spend on our growth agenda And our customers driving both outperformance in new sales and improved overall customer retention. This discipline ultimately resulted in strong earnings performance and cash flow generation.

Speaker 3

I was very pleased That we delivered on the strong Q1 financial performance in the face of 2 distinct challenges. Number 1, the regional banking crisis and number 2, the overall macro headwinds. I've been with TriNet now just over two and a half And in my time here, I've been impressed with our customers and how the TriNet team puts our customers at the center of everything we do. Part of this ethos is managing the unexpected on behalf of our customers and the regional bank crisis and Silicon Valley Bank Receivership Represented just that opportunity. The immediate risk for our impacted PEO and HRIS customers With access to their corporate funds and making their payrolls, the TriNet team leveraged our banking partners, Assisted with alternative funding methods and helped our customers navigate the situation, the end result Was none of our impacted customers missed a payroll or were asked to double fund a payroll across our PEO and HRIS platforms.

Speaker 3

I'm extremely proud of the team. The second distinct challenge we faced in the quarter was our customer net hiring was modestly negative overall. This represents the 2nd consecutive quarter where existing employment shrunk versus grew. The impact in the Q1 from the lack of hiring Exacerbated the normal Q1 volume dip. As we described when we laid out our full year guidance, we did expect 1st half customer hiring performance to be subdued before picking up in the second half of twenty twenty three, But we had not anticipated the negative CIE in the quarter when we initially set that guidance.

Speaker 3

At the highest level, Customer net hiring was bifurcated between those companies with fewer than 50 and those with greater than 50 worksite employees. Consistent with the survey data we received last fall, the smaller businesses were more optimistic than, and in aggregate, they did continue to hire. Digging into our verticals, Technology experienced a net hiring decline of approximately 1% of our starting base as did our Main Street vertical. Financial Services also experienced a small net decline in the quarter. Life Sciences, Nonprofits and Professional Services saw positive net hiring, but down when compared to Q1 2022.

Speaker 3

To underscore Burton's comments, across our business, greater than 50% of our customers with more than 5 worksite employees Hired employees in Q1. On average, the classic PEO target sized customer hired workers. In technology, It was slightly less than half of those clients greater than 5 worksite employees that continue to hire. We are seeing a rationalization By investors and management teams, investors are being more discerning, supporting those companies that have stronger prospects. Larger SMBs are behaving more conservatively, managing their labor force cautiously given the broader economic environment.

Speaker 3

While these market dynamics are out of our control in the short term, what we do control is pursuing business in our core verticals. Given our extensive work on customer lifetime value, we believe staying in our core verticals will yield Strong financial performance over time. Now let's turn to our Q1 financial performance. Total revenues grew 2%, In line with the top end of our guidance, total revenue growth was supported by pricing and higher health participation rates. We finished the Q1 with approximately 328,000 worksite employees down 6% year over year With an average WSE count for the quarter of over 327,000 down 5%.

Speaker 3

WSE volumes were lower in the 1st quarter, largely due to the seasonal attrition we experienced in January and a significant decline year over year in customer net hiring. As Burton noted, we did see a 3 point improvement in retention year over year and we do expect to continue with strong retention over the course of 2023. Professional services revenue grew 6%, in line with the top end of our guidance. Professional services revenue offset the WSE volume decline through strong contributions from rate, mix and HRIS revenues year over year. Insurance revenue grew 2% year over year due to an uptick in participation and annual inflationary rate increases Offsetting our overall volume declines, insurance costs grew 4% year over year, reflecting increased and more normalized health utilization.

Speaker 3

The growth in health costs was partly offset by continued strong workers' compensation performance. Taken together, Our insurance cost ratio was 82%, 1 point lower than the high end of our guidance, all driven by the outperformance on workers' compensation. Turning to operating expenses. We were very deliberate in the quarter to focus our incremental spend on supporting new sales and customer service. We did so by managing all other expenses.

Speaker 3

As a result, we were very pleased with the efficiency with which we managed our business. Overall, operating expenses grew 18% in the quarter, representing a decline from recent run rates, but reflecting the fact that we acquired TriNet's benefits Mid quarter 2022. As we look to the balance of the year, our comparisons will begin to normalize. We also benefited from the current higher rate environment in interest income on investments and our operating cash. The strong workers' comp, expense management and higher interest income translated to solid earnings performance.

Speaker 3

In the quarter, we earned $2.17 in GAAP net income per share, exceeding the top end of our guidance by $0.35 And we earned $2.49 in adjusted net income per share, exceeding the top end of our guidance by $0.29 We had $169,000,000 of corporate operating cash flow during the quarter and ended the Q1 with $707,000,000 in Cash on our balance sheet. The sequential growth in our cash was driven by our corporate operating cash flow and drawdowns on our credit facility. At the outset of the regional bank crisis, we drew down our credit facility in full to ensure access to liquidity in the event the crisis Proved to be far worse. We returned $200,000,000 on the facility in March, leaving $295,000,000 of borrowings still outstanding, which was Fully repaid during April, but after we closed the quarter. On the capital allocation front, we repurchased $90,000,000 or approximately 1,200,000 During the Q1, we still have $455,000,000 remaining in our share repurchase authorization and repurchase will remain a capital priority for TriNet.

Speaker 3

Now let's turn to our financial guidance. Our revised Full year guidance includes our updated estimates for lower customer hiring. While March customer hiring showed signs of improvement, The continued challenging economic environment drove us to be more prudent and lower our full year CIE estimate. We continue to expect strong new sales and significantly improved retention, but the changed CIE assumption has a direct impact on full year revenue guidance. In recognition of our strong workers' compensation performance, we are lowering our insurance cost ratio.

Speaker 3

Our expense reductions, higher interest income, along with our workers' comp outperformance, all contribute to raising our earnings guidance for the year. Operationally, this was a strong quarter for TriNet, one in which we can raise earnings guidance and still invest in our business to drive growth. Now let's turn to our expectations for the Q2. Given our Q1 volume performance and strong benefits participation, We are forecasting 2nd quarter year over year total revenues to be flat to up 1%. We expect Professional services revenue to be down 3% to flat as our year over year compare now includes our HRIS revenues and reflects our for 2nd quarter PEO volumes.

Speaker 3

We expect our insurance cost ratio in the range of 88.5% to 87% As health utilization continues to normalize, our 2nd quarter estimate of GAAP net income per diluted share Is in a range of $0.72 to $0.96 while our 2nd quarter estimate for adjusted earnings per diluted share Is in a range of $1.15 to $1.40 The year over year decline in our earnings per share estimates is primarily driven By our expectation for higher insurance cost ratios in the quarter. Now let's turn to our full year financial guidance. Regarding total revenues, after 1 quarter's performance and better visibility into our volume trends, we are tightening our range. We are raising the low end of our guidance by 3 points, while keeping the top end of our range unchanged And now expect full year total revenues to be up 1% to 2%. For professional service revenues, We are lowering the high end of our range to reflect our expectations that full year customer net hiring will be at the low end of our initial Full year 2023 forecast.

Speaker 3

As a result, we now expect full year professional service revenue growth in the range of 1% to 3%. Turning to our insurance cost ratio. We are lowering our full year ICR by 50 basis points to 88.5% to 87%. This reduction in our ICR is primarily driven by workers' compensation outperformance, which we expect to offset the normalization in health utilization we are beginning to see. We now are forecasting an increase to interest income to approximately $50,000,000 given the renegotiation of certain contracts and our expectation that rates persist at higher levels longer.

Speaker 3

As a result of these changes, coupled with our strong disciplined expense management, we are raising our GAAP net income per diluted share forecast by We are raising the range by $0.63 at the midpoint to $5.40 to $6.35 per share. We've included share repurchase to offset dilution from stock compensation, but we have not included any benefits from additional share repurchase in our expected EPS range given the variability of repurchase timing and price. We are encouraged by our Q1 performance during what has proven to be a difficult economic environment. We are driving new sales, Keeping our customers longer, investing in our business for growth and managing our expenses in a disciplined manner. As a result, our full year financial outlook has improved and we look forward to building on this momentum.

Speaker 3

Now, I'll turn it back to Burton for his final remarks. Burton?

Speaker 2

Thank you, Kelly. Our first quarter financial and operating performance Set TriNet up for a strong year. In the face of unexpected crisis, we delivered unparalleled value to our customers. We continue to expand our products and services in ways that are different from other HCM providers. Clarus R and D is a good example of this.

Speaker 2

We are investing in sales and sales force growth, And we expect to leverage our new brand identity to drive growth. As always, we manage our company for profitable growth, Proving that you can invest in growth without sacrificing profitability. We are well positioned to build on our Q1 momentum throughout the year. Operator?

Operator

Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. And the first question will be from Tien tsin Huang From JPMorgan, please go ahead.

Speaker 4

Hey, Tien Tsin.

Speaker 5

Hey, Burton and Kelly. Alex, I guess, Burton, I'll ask if you don't mind on the new sales front, 20% growth in ACV. Can you give us a little bit more of what's selling well? Is there anything to share or anything that was surprising there? And generally speaking, how does that Translate into the P and L, I know we have to assume some assumptions going ahead.

Speaker 5

So any thoughts on the pipeline on top of that?

Speaker 4

Absolutely, and thanks for the question, Tien Tsin. So first, our decision to continue to invest in sales Is due to increased rep productivity is holding, which has been really good. Success and scalability Of the marketing lead generation and scoring process is also very good. And we're also seeing an Increase in win rates from quote to win in terms of WSEs. And as you realize, we've spent a lot of years Understanding this customer base and we believe over the long term they're going to deliver tremendous value.

Speaker 4

Specifically to your question about what's going to happen in the future, I will say to you now that Given my visibility into the pipeline for the 2nd and third quarters, and given the fact that Deals are closing at a higher rate. I believe that we're on track to continue the growth that we are seeing in a year over year basis From a sales standpoint.

Speaker 5

Great. And then just using that KPI, is there a way to think about the impact So on midterm revenue growth, I'm just trying to I know there's a lot of moving pieces retention you went through that CIE, but in isolation, Thinking about new sales, is there a rule of thumb to use on impact to revenue growth?

Speaker 4

Yes. Look, they're all Right now retention is another really great story. As Kelly said, it was up 3 points in the Q1. And that will have a big impact as well. From a sales standpoint, Kelly, I don't know if you have a percentage, but it's still a Smaller percentage of this year's revenue where it's really important is as it goes into 2024.

Speaker 4

So We will keep growing the sales force as long as productivity stays high. We're seeing high retention of the reps, And we're seeing a pretty good market even in the impacted areas related to the Bay Area And California, despite the Silicon Valley Bank failure. So that's a whole other discussion I'm happy to have. But Kelly, anything specifically we can give Tien Tsin on this increased sales run rate?

Speaker 3

Not really, Burton. And Tien Tsin, I'll think about that as we think about the KPIs that we publish and how to think about in terms of revenue. It is fully Baked into our guidance, we haven't changed our view on sales. We do expect to have really strong sales. We have moderated our assumptions around CIE a little bit just given what we saw in the Q1 And have improved our retention assumptions, just seeing really good results there.

Speaker 5

Look, it's encouraging. Glad to hear the new sales coming through. I'm sure you all are happy about it.

Speaker 4

We are really proud of this quarter, Timson.

Speaker 5

Yes. No, I'm sure that's the case. So my quick follow-up, if you don't mind. Just on the EPS raise, the $0.63 Kelly, is there a way to maybe unpack it a little bit more in terms of what the elements are? We obviously can calculate the BEAT, the $0.29 BEAT.

Speaker 5

You mentioned higher interest income And then the lower ICR with the workers' comp outperformance, I don't know if there's any change in OpEx outlook either. Is there any way to just maybe unpack that or decompose it for Thanks.

Speaker 3

Well, you got all the elements right there Tien Tsin, so you're right on. We did improve our interest income forecast About $50,000,000 that was about a $19,000,000 increase from where we were at before. On the OpEx side, we rationalized our G and A costs so that we can invest in sales. So we absolutely baked in Cost savings and efficiencies there. And related to the ICR, health is right on track.

Speaker 3

And what we're really doing is we just built in the favorability from workers' comp. So not much of a change there. The other thing we What we did is we're seeing stronger participation rates, not by a lot, by about 1%, but we did Build in that the benefit participation rates at about 1% higher, which also contributed to the benefit.

Speaker 5

Got it. That's good stuff. Well done. Thank you, guys.

Speaker 4

Thank you. We appreciate it.

Operator

The next question is from Andrew Nicholas from William Blair. Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

Hi, good afternoon. Thanks for taking my questions. I want to follow-up on a few of your hey, Bert. I want to follow-up a little bit on some of your answers there. I guess the first one, Just in terms of kind of SVB fallout, obviously, operationally, everything went really well.

Speaker 6

I think it sounds like you were very proud of your efforts Were there any changes to kind of the sales cycle within March or even what you've seen in April? Obviously, 20% Sales growth in the quarter would indicate you had some momentum anyway, but just given some of the commentary from a competitor of yours this morning, just curious What if any impact that had on the sales cycle?

Speaker 4

So it's a really good question. And let me break it down a little bit for you. So Clearly, SVB failure had an impact on the Bay Area tech ecosystem and obviously other areas. But interesting, we're not seeing it. We actually have a higher year over year win rate from quote to win In terms of WSEs as well as ACV, so we're selling value.

Speaker 4

We're not discounting. And in fact, our new sales in the Bay Area Tech vertical have remained strong. As I said in the prepared remarks, what you have to do is look under the covers. It's not a general tech malaise, Andrew, what we're seeing is half of our tech customers are hiring and half of them are not. And then the other thing that is sort of a big question mark in my mind, which Kelly mentioned, if you look at March CIE, It is the highest CIE month we've had since July of 2022.

Speaker 4

So I feel like we're coming back, but it doesn't obviously, 1 month doesn't make a trend. I'm excited to see what April brings. So January was bad. It's always bad, but it was worse. February was better and March was darn good compared to the last 9 months.

Speaker 4

I think we're in the right verticals. And obviously, as Kelly said, the bigger customers were impacted further. But the growth was between $550,000,000 and it was pretty dramatic, which leads me to believe that The funded companies have a mission going after the product and they were not disrupted by the SVB or any other ecosystem issue. The bigger customers 100 plus certainly were. And the question is, was it lack of access to capital?

Speaker 4

Or was it a great time To rationalize the current employee base as we move forward. But there's no question in my mind over the next couple of years, we're in the right verticals and they will recover. But we did not see a significant impact From SVB, in fact, the Bay Area was strong.

Speaker 6

That's helpful. Thank you. And then for my follow-up on your CIE assumption, Sounds like the professional services revenue line item is assuming a bit lighter CIE than what you had previously. Is the assumption still that you see a decent bit of growth in the second half or just maybe unpack what that lower assumption looks like relative Until last quarter. Thank you.

Speaker 4

Yes. Thank you. Kelly?

Speaker 3

Yes. I'm happy to take that Burton. And Andrew, thanks for the question. When we look at last quarter, CIE was negative overall. We are expecting positive hiring, particularly as we Look towards June and you get college grads going into the workforce and we see interns and seasonal workers coming on board.

Speaker 3

So we're expecting positive CIE for the remainder of the year, but what we're really expecting is significantly lower than What we saw last year, what we've seen historically, the low end of our range is about the lowest we've seen over a decade.

Speaker 6

All right. Thank you very much.

Operator

The next question is from Jared Levine with TD Cowen. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Thank you. I wanted to dig in a little bit more on the PO bookings. So you previously cite January bookings growth of 35% year over year and now With 20% overall in 1Q, was there a notable deceleration in March? Or was it pretty even in terms of that, I guess, let's call it softer Back half of the quarter there?

Speaker 4

Yes. There wasn't a notable deceleration. The fact is and this is an operational issue. We changed territories and teams on February 1. January is actually the last month of the Sales year.

Speaker 4

So as we reorganize and put the new teams in place, February March are usually Relatively slower, so there was no surprises there. But as I said to Tien Tsin, from my vantage point, we have A pipeline to continue that growth at least through Q2 as it looks right now.

Speaker 7

Okay, great. And then in terms of the sales force and your intentions to add headcount there, can you update us on the staffing levels of the sales force, how that Compared also the beginning of the year and then any change in terms of your hiring expectations over the year or even the timing of some of those headcount additions within the sales force?

Speaker 4

The goal right now is to end the year significantly higher in total rep count. That will be based on 2 things, which is both retention. Obviously, there's a lot of momentum around the sales force and they won big in Q1. So that certainly helps. And then the second is hiring of new reps.

Speaker 4

I would say by At the end of the year, my expectation is roughly 20 plus percent growth in sales But it is not on board yet. It will impact next year because I'd like to continue this momentum.

Speaker 7

Great. If I could sneak in one quick one here on Zenifits. Your 1st revenue contribution and are you still expecting around $50,000,000 for the full year?

Speaker 3

For Xenopus?

Speaker 7

Yes.

Speaker 3

Yes, right around that level is exactly our expectation.

Speaker 7

In the 1Q performance?

Speaker 3

And 1Q was right around 12.

Speaker 7

All right. Thank you.

Speaker 4

Thank you.

Operator

Take care.

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