Sachin Goklaney: Thinking about the payroll calendar, we are using technology to focus on how to bring the calendar back to the payroll operator. If you give back an extra day or two to the client, that’s a gold mine. Technology improves the data validation that goes into payroll. That might take a bit of quality control time, but the extra checking can give a day back in the life to the client. We find focusing on that first mile data validation piece is important, and then, of course, the last mile piece, which includes payment of salaries and taxes and submitting the forms. Someone has to work that all out. Artificial intelligence is great. It helps. But I don’t think AI is going to replace a payroll engine fully. AI can make your services more efficient, and that is where the real value is. GPA: What would you tell a client to help them understand what they need to be aware of when undergoing a payroll transformation? Sachin Goklaney: First, that the client’s data set is not as good as they thought it was. And you don’t want to realize at implementation that “my stuff is crap.”
Implementation makes sure what is put in is in the right format, the right manner, the right accuracy. The payroll engine itself is gross to net and will calculate accurately input to output. But if your input’s wrong, don’t blame the payroll engine. It’s the input.
Second, there will be problems. Clients need to understand that the provider who’s either directly or indirectly responsible for a challenge or delay is also emotionally destroyed when that happens. If most clients could just recognize that everybody is going through the pain, and it’s not that the service company has actually given up on you. Far from it. So that’s something I wanted to say as an EQ part that clients should recognize. GPA: From your perspective, what’s the future for payroll services? Sachin Goklaney: Complex changes that happen regularly in payroll don’t happen in finance, yet proposals for financial systems
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ISSUE 24 GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE
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