You’ve had your fingers on the pulse of your company from the beginning, but when the days are too short and you can’t find time to dedicate to the activities that need to be done in order to grow your organisation, it is the perfect time to consider outsourcing some business operations that can be done efficiently by professionals outside your company. When it comes to outsourcing payroll functions, it may be difficult at first for you to release the sensitive data of your company to others, but if you ask the right questions of a potential service provider, you can find experienced professionals who will handle your payroll tasks as if they were their own.
- When you begin to interview payroll companies one of the first questions that you should ask is how much in advance do they need your information so that payslips can be returned to you punctually. Also enquire about last-minute changes and how they are handled, and if this type of situation would delay the entire payroll for the period.
- What happens if your payroll reports are needed straight away? You need to know how fast you can access these reports should queries arise concerning an employee’s payslip or if information is needed for tax purposes by your accountant or solicitor.
- Enquire about the accreditations of the firm that you are interviewing; payroll companies should have experience and credentials to prove that they are experts at what they do. Ask about the technology they use, the security of their systems, and how long they have been in business.
- Who will be your contact at their company? The payroll company with which you partner should have a contact that is dedicated to your business account and also a back-up contact for when they are unavailable. This will streamline the communications
- Ask about the charges for their services and exactly what these cover. What is included in the price for each payslip that you receive? Will you have to pay extra for reports? Will they implement any legislation changes as they occur? Will they advise you of any software upgrades so that you can make sure your systems communicate more efficiently? Be wary of any hidden charges for using outsourced payroll services to handle your payroll tasks.
- Finally, enquire about disaster recovery procedures and security systems used by the payroll service provider. Find out if their systems are backed up properly, how they store your data in a protected format, and what happens should a disaster strike their company. Knowing the answers to these questions can give you peace of mind with your choice of outsourced payroll provider.
Finding the answers to your queries before you sign a contract will give you plenty of confidence in the ultimate choice of outsourced payroll provider that you make.