High-volume payroll outsourcing: what to look for while shopping for an offshore partner

For organisations that need to process high volumes of timesheets every week, finding a reliable offshore partner is not an easy task. And, when you add intricate legislative and compliance issues to the mix, finding a reliable partner gets a lot tougher.

Whether you are a recruitment agency looking for a payroll outsourcing providers, or a large enterprise looking for centralised payroll services, you must look for the below points while choosing an outsourced payroll solutions provider.

1. High-volume payroll processing capability: There’s a big difference between processing a few hundred timesheets a month and processing thousands of timesheets on a weekly basis. If you choose a payroll services company that doesn’t have the people, processes, technology and experience of processing large volumes of timesheets, they may soon realise that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.
2. Process efficiency: Accurate processing is vital to keeping the end-clients happy. Employees and contractors want to get paid the right amount and they expect you to make the payment on time. Inaccuracy leads to a lot of problems; bad customer experience and time investment in query resolution being the key issues. Choose a payroll services company that has the process rigour to deliver high accuracy rates while dealing with large volumes.
3. Technology and software capability: The ideal offshore payroll processing company should have prior experience in working with the kind of software your company uses. Additionally, it would help if they had the capability to help you implement innovative software solutions to digitise and automate your payroll processing work.
4. Industry expertise: While it is not critical to the success of the project, it does help if the outsourced payroll services provider specialises in serving your industry. For example, as a specialist recruitment payroll service provider, we are able to provide highly effective services to agencies in the UK.
5. Overall experience: How long has the service provider been in business? For how long have they been involved in processing payroll? Do they have a history of successful projects? It is best to go for a provider that has proven its expertise in the field.
6. Client references: You want to make sure that any outsourcing company you partner with can actually deliver what they promise. Ask your shortlisted payroll outsourcing companies for customer references and case studies. Evaluate their response and compare the work they have done with the activities that you expect them to deliver on. Speak with their existing customers with similar requirements and find out if they are satisfied with the quality and delivery.
7. Transition and value additions: Does the service provider have the experience, team and processes that are needed to transition your payroll process? Are they able to provide a detailed breakdown of the activities with clear timescales? Can they help you with drafting the contract? What value additions can they provide for your process over the next 3 years through business transformation? Choose a provider that has what it takes to ensure that success of your project.
8. Qualified and experienced staff: While technology and processes are essential for the success of payroll outsourcing project, at the end of the day it is people who do the actual work. Ensure that the service provider you choose has access to qualified payroll professionals, has a strong recruitment program and has relevant retention and training programs for its employees.

Need expert advice?

With 14+ years of experience in delivering F&A and payroll services, QX is one of the leading payroll outsourcing companies serving UK clients. With over 100 payroll specialists working with some of the biggest recruitment agencies in the UK, we have proven capability in delivering world-class payroll processing. We process over 750,000 timesheets annually with 99.80% accuracy. Our payroll processing services and help you improve efficiency while reducing costs by up to 50%.

Please get in touch with us for a free consultation by filling out a short online form, or call our payroll expert Kunal Shah on 075 8465 1087.

Originally published Apr 10, 2017 10:04:24, updated Jul 23 2024

Topics: Finance & Accounting Outsourcing