Paris Smith LLP is one of the largest independent regional firms of solicitors in central southern England. Based in Southampton, its lawyers provide local, national and international clients with a full range of legal services.
Until recently, Paris Smith had kept its payroll in house but in the last quarter of 2010 it took the decision to change. Practice Accountant Ann Barbour explains why.
“It made sense in so many ways. We’re a law firm. Running payroll isn’t what we wanted to spend our time doing. We’re not payroll specialists so resolving issues would take us longer. Accuracy would be more difficult to achieve, and deadlines tended to roll which meant we’d find ourselves having to make changes and then run the payroll again.”
Finding a new payroll services provider
Ann began the search for a payroll provider who could offer the service Paris Smith LLP needed. Trace won the contract, but other providers were being considered.
“I felt more comfortable with Trace. We needed a provider who would not only process our payroll but help us when we were struggling with our inputting. We did talk to other providers – one of whom would have been a ‘lower cost’ option – but we felt they were all rather faceless. I was concerned the other solutions would require us to resolve our own problems. That would have left us in exactly the same position – and wouldn’t really have been lower cost at all.”
Paris Smith chose Easipay Plus, Trace’s easy to use, web-based system with the additional Employee Self Service module. “Trace gave a much better account of itself. It was clear there would be far more handholding. The software was much friendlier. The people were too. Choosing Trace meant our exposure to risk was reduced.”
Reducing risk through your payroll services provider
“We’ve always had one person handling our payroll. When required I’ve acted as backup but resolving problems without that depth of experience couldtake a long time. One of the additional factors affecting our decision to outsource was business continuity and disaster recovery. What would happen if no one here was available to process payroll?”
“Trace hasn’t just taken over the running of our payroll; it’s reduced the risk associated with it. I still cover my colleague in her absence, but Trace covers me. I feel like they’ve got my back. The support is there which means that, from a business continuity perspective, there’s one less thing to worry about.”
The benefits of outsourcing
Ann has seen the benefits of outsourcing stretch far beyond business continuity.
“We’re far more efficient now. There’s a strict deadline in place, a cut-off that means we only enter payroll once. Employee Self Service means our people view their payslips and details online so there’s no manual sorting and delivery of paper payslips.”
“There’s a second set of eyes looking at what we’re doing which has improved the accuracy of our payroll. We still face the odd fiddly bit’ we’ve not come across before, but Trace does this day in, day out which means our problems are resolved much more quickly.”
“It’s a combination of benefits that makes the whole process much more cost-effective.”
Partnership in practice
One of the reasons Paris Smith chose Trace was the user-friendliness of its system, but Ann is keen to stress that technology could only ever have taken them so far.
“The system, good as it is, isn’t why we chose Trace. We chose Trace for the service. What makes the difference is the level of personal attention you’re given to make the technology work for you.
“A few weeks ago I had to make a few last minute changes to our payroll. I needed help with a couple of points and I called our regular contact at Trace. ‘It’s no problem,’ she said, ‘I’ll do it.’
“That level of care really matters. Having someone I know at the end of the line, who knows our business and understands our payroll, makes my life easier.”
“It’s the people who make the difference, and that’s why I would recommend Trace Payroll Services.”
