COMPLIANCE
PT: I think it has brought to the forefront the calm and composed nature that generally exists within our industry, and I feel our customers have appreciated that even more than usual. As our customers wrestle with the challenges, the quality of the end results have to remain. This is always the case, but even more so during times when pay may be lower than usual for a large proportion of the population. KT: In my 25-years-plus career I have never seen changes happen so quickly, and clients expect the world. Payroll professionals are used to saying yes and finding solutions, but the furlough schemes tested this to the highest level. There were just some things we couldn’t do, either due to resource and being unable to recruit or not having the right data. One example is knowing when someone worked their hours, as most systems just record paid hours unless linked to a time and attendance system. This caused great confusion to clients who just wanted us to take care of it all. However, despite the extreme pressure put on our industry, I am proud to say we have come through it. Good luck to all my peers. And don’t forget to join the CIPP Specialist Interest Group so we can learn from and, more importantly, support each other. AV: We are seeing customers place increasing value on the expertise and solutions of their suppliers to help them navigate the complex government subsidy schemes. At the core of any resilient payroll and HR department is strong, flexible, and reliable technology. As a result, we are seeing customers accelerate the digitisation of their operations, with a particular focus on moving to cloud-based solutions to assist with remote working, implementing more process automation to create efficiencies, and using data analytics to better understand key trends and challenges. Unsurprisingly, we are also seeing cost reduction go straight to the top of the agenda for customers. So, it’s now more important than ever for suppliers to demonstrate how their solutions and services can help customers optimise the major cost centre that is payroll and HR. Cost effectiveness can be achieved not only by creating process efficiencies, but also by using payroll and HR data strategically to help organisations make smarter and more profitable business decisions. n
for resolving the issue, providing regular updates and looking for alternative solutions to help the customer in the meantime. PT: Transparency, ownership and clear action plans for immediate recovery are key. I’m a big believer in honesty. If mistakes have been made the right (and only) thing to do is to communicate what’s gone wrong and what you’ll do to resolve it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. This goes back to communication; if you have a good relationship with the customer and can honestly communicate then you can work through any issues together and agree KPIs that are measurable. KT: In my experience, when you are honest with a client and explain what has happened then most, if not all, will be understanding. Fixing the mistake quickly is a priority, but never hide it! If a client is dissatisfied, it is important to understand why. It might be they do not understand why information has to be provided in a certain way, or it could be they don’t enjoy the checking or authorisation of the payroll. So often it is about talking and seeing where compromises can be made to ensure a smooth customer relationship. AV: You need to really listen and get to the root cause of the dissatisfaction.
Is it performance, or is it behaviours? In my experience, the latter can make a challenging situation much, much worse. Once the root cause is understood, the supplier must take rapid action to address it. This could include, for example, providing the team with additional customer service training, making staff changes where the relationship has broken down; or, if the problem is performance related, proposing a rapid service improvement plan to address it in a sustainable way. It’s important that when required, you pull out all the stops to deliver on what has been promised to the customer. How much has Covid-19 changed the landscape of customer and client fulfilment for payroll and HR providers? SP: The industry has had to adapt payroll and HR systems very quickly. As a result of the situation, we are no longer able to truly prepare for any legislation change, going from a few months’ awareness previously to having to change processes almost daily. This has, of course, made work more difficult for providers to ensure the correct legislation is in place at dramatically reduced notice, so it’s been more important than ever that these changes are communicated immediately to customers.
...more important than ever for suppliers to demonstrate how their solutions and services can help customers optimise the major cost centre that is payroll and HR.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | December 2020 - January 2021 | Issue 66 26
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