Many small and mid-sized businesses have found a great deal of success outsourcing payroll for their business needs. Choosing the right partner for outsourcing can be difficult, though, especially when there are so many options available. Before you make a decision that will impact the future of your business, it’s a good idea to know what you’ll get from your future partner. For most, this means figuring out the right questions to ask a new payroll provider.
There are plenty of questions to ask a new payroll provider. You’ll want to make sure that you not only understand exactly why you should work with that particular provider but also what you should expect when you begin your business relationship. The more questions you ask up front, after all, the fewer problems you will have after you turn over your payroll processing duties. No matter where you are in the process of finding a payroll provider, it’s vital that you ask the following questions.
This is one of those very basic questions to ask when outsourcing payroll because it allows you to learn more about a particular service. Long before you decided to outsource the process, you should have come up with a list of services that you actually needed. When you sit down to talk to the provider, you should see if the list with which you came up matches the list of services that are actually provided.
Going in prepared is incredibly beneficial because it allows you to side-step marketing buzzwords and the selling process. Instead of allowing the provider the chance to convince you that you need specific services, you’ll require the provider to convince you that he or she can actually give you what you need. This gives you more control over the conversation and, more importantly, helps you to avoid signing up for services that you do not need.
This is one of those questions to ask a new payroll provider that tends to fly under the radar. After all, many assume that outsourcing payroll means that you won’t be handling anything on your own. Given the fact that you’ll still be interfacing with the other company in some manner, it’s wise to start asking about technology early. This will allow you to figure out if the business can work with the technology you already have and whether it has the ability to adapt to your needs.
It’s generally not the specific software or hardware that’s important here, but rather how user-friendly the technology will be for your employees. You should try to find something that won’t require you to engage in a lengthy training process, especially if you want to minimize the time your business has to spend dealing with payroll matters. The more effort you put into finding user-friendly technology, the better off your relationship should be with your payroll provider.
Of all the questions to ask a new payroll provider, this one might be the most important. While knowing about the product you’re buying is good, what you really need to know is how that product is going to stand up under pressure. For many business owners, it’s not how the payroll processor is going to respond when things are going well that is the most important, but rather how the company is going to handle an emergency.
The best time to ask about response times and communication methods is before you sign a contract. Get a good idea of when you’ll be able to talk to your payroll processor, who you point of contact should be, and what procedures you’ll follow in an emergency. You should also be able to get data concerning response times and worst-case scenario responses from the company. It’s vital that you know exactly how the company will be able to help you when something out of the ordinary occurs.
Data security has become an incredibly hot topic in recent years. As personal data breaches become more common and thieves get ever more clever when it comes to their avenues of theft, it’s the duty of any business to make sure that its employees’ information is kept safe. When you choose to outsource your payroll process to another company, you’re also choosing to give that company access to a great deal of sensitive data. It’s your job, then, to learn exactly how the company plans on securing that data and what it will do to ensure that breaches won’t be able to impact your company or your employees.
Cost is ultimately one of the most important factors in choosing your payroll processor. You’ll absolutely need to ask questions about pricing, but it’s wise to do a little bit of work before this question comes up. Take some time to learn exactly what your company needs from the payroll processor and measure that against what the processor is offering you in a package. Your goal should be to get a fair price on the services that you actually need while avoiding paying for services that won’t actually benefit your business.
This is an ideal question to ask of every payroll company with which you consider working. Make sure to compare not just the raw prices between companies, but also what you get from each company for the cost. You might be surprised by what you find when you run the numbers.
Finding the right questions to ask a new payroll provider is the best way to ensure that you start off your relationship with the right expectations. A company like PayTech can provide services as varied as payroll processing and human resources management, allowing you to focus your efforts on the areas of your business that can bring in the most profits. If you’re ready to work with the professionals, make sure to contact PayTech and to take a look at the company’s pricing and packages.
