Strategic Steps to Follow When Hiring a Payroll Processing Company

Payroll processing service providers offer services levels of varying quality. Certain payroll processing service providers are super customer service oriented, and others teach their customers how to use their system and are not much help to speak of after that when problems arise. Here are a set of positive payroll processing attributes businesses and organizations like county governments need to seek and find in place when choosing a payroll processing provider.

• Payroll Processing Service Level Components: In addition to managing your company’s FICO taxes, FICA taxes, workmen’s compensation, and payroll processing, factor in if the company provides payroll debit cards, paper payroll checks, and a selection of payroll payment choices. You will also want to know if the company provides services that include several payroll wages rates, management of unemployment insurance and quality payroll reporting reports.
• User-Friendly: Payroll services should be easy to use for its users. The
  dashboard should be intuitive where payroll processing and other functions are straight forward, including running reports and adding new staff onto the system.
• Price Affordability:  Logically companies desire finding a service that fits into their budget. On top of price, learn if the service requires a long-term contract. These days many payroll processing agreements offered by payroll service providers are not set up as long-term contracts, but as month to month. Be sure to confirm if you pay for the service monthly, or on a pay period basis. The payroll payment frequency will affect a business directly financially.  This could impact how much it will cost the business per year to pay for payroll processing services.
• Good Standing: Locate a payroll processing provider with a solid business record and a positive set of reviews online from more than one review source. By doing your due diligence on the companies you are considering you will know the company you choose has been doing a great job for the companies they do payroll processing for and that they have a good reputation.  

• Payroll System Integration: If the payroll processing service provider integrates the system they offer via direct integration or by open API, you must have a system that works with your company’s bookkeeping, time keeping and accounting system.
• Customer Service: Seek out a system has a reputation for providing excellent ongoing personal customer service. Check with the company’s you are interviewing to hire for to be your payroll service provider will assign a dedicated customer service representative to your business.  
• Downtime & Maintenance: Payroll service providers today are online which means they are cloud-based. If your payroll service provider’s system goes down, you will not be able to do payroll for that payroll period. Ask the payroll service provider you are considering hiring to do your payroll how often their system does down, and how many times they go down due to scheduled maintenance.
• Employee Online Payroll Dashboard: Online payroll service providers offer a employee online dashboard that gives them access to prior period paycheck stubs, year-end W-2s, paid time off totals and sick leave information.
• Supplemental Services: Many payroll service companies provide a suite of services that include benefits management, human resources management and government timekeeping services.

Take the time to do your due diligence when making the decision to hire a payroll processing provider. Be sure to create an outline of the list of services your company needs such as payroll processing, benefits management, timekeeping, human resources. From there make a list of companies to consider hiring for the services your company needs. Check out each on using the list provided here, make notes about each one and then use your notes to make a relative comparison of the companies to make a smart choice for your company’s payroll service provider.