Mistakes companies make while hiring a payroll provider

Outsourcing payroll services is a great option for a lot of small and medium sized businesses, but getting pay, tax and pensions right is critical for the business and its employees, and making the right choice of provider is vital. It is important you follow a careful evaluated approach to hire an experienced and competent payroll provider where you will get piece of mind, and ongoing save money and time receive timely, accurate information, great systems and reports, and professional advice. We suggest being conscious in searching for a payroll specialist and making a proper, well-thought decision.

Here are the mistakes companies commonly make, and you need to avoid them altogether.

• Not evaluating the credentials and certifications of the payroll providers. 

Understand the types of Payroll Companies in UK and the kind of services they offer. You should speak to the provider to evaluate their credentials such as experience, expertise, memberships and associations, qualifications, and others. You have to check their reviews and ratings on other platforms and note that they have genuine, favourable reviews.

While reviewing, you should check their certifications. Companies are not required to have qualification by law and properly trained and certified companies will be happy to provide evidence of their competence.

• Not checking the payroll software they use.  

In this digital age, the right software makes work easy, provides secure and instant shared information. The most up to date payroll software will give online payslips and other information to employees, with bespoke reports and data being shared with management or other trusted employees

It is often a very costly option to buy good software in house, and if factoring in the cost of training and recruitment, with some staff turnover, outsourcing becomes the  obvious solution for the business.

• Ignoring the customer service of the company. 

When you engage a payroll provider, you will be frequently dealing with the payroll staff as you would do with staff in your own organisation. You should ensure that their staff are friendly and prompt to answer your queries and understand your requirements, and fit well within your business.  Again, looking at reviews and testimonials will give you comfort that the payroll team are efficient and professional as well as approachable.

• Not comparing the payroll charges with other companies. 

In discussion and review of the service be careful for hidden extras. Not all companies are clear on their charging structure. It is usually better to use a company with a flexible charge structure so that you don’t end up paying fixed fees and over the odds if your payroll numbers fall.

Although you should make sure that the charges represent good value, and it is worth looking at a few quotes, be wary of any fees and charges which are significantly lower than others as it may indicate that the service levels, qualifications or software or not as you would need for such an important and sensitive part of you business.