REWARD
l good organisation skills l the ability to work well within a fast- paced environment l the ability to work well within a team. What should also be explained in job descriptions is your relationship with the clients and what importance you bring to their business operation. You are the person who: l explains tax codes. l describes the pay as you earn (PAYE) process l communicates with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the client’s behalf l handles over and underpayments with third party providers l communicates with stakeholders, such as The Pensions Regulator (TPR) l communicates payroll information following General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidance l communicates with third parties such as The Department for Work and Pensions and local councils when applying attachment of earnings l acts as the client’s point of contact for legislative updates l handles software compliance, such as an online portal for clients’ employees to access their data. These factors all contribute to building a strong relationship with the client as you are supporting their business by keeping their payroll knowledge up to date. Building strong client relationships within the bureau Building strong, positive relationships with clients is key for business growth. Not only do you want to achieve ultimate customer satisfaction, but one of the best ways to attract new business is through a good reputation and reviews, which can be generated from providing an excellent service. In a payroll bureau, we have a payroll process which is followed for each client to ensure that the payroll is carried out to the highest standard. However, the process is adapted to create a bespoke package to meet the client’s needs. This process begins from the initial client meeting and discovering what services they require. This can vary from a basic, director-only payroll to a payroll with more than 100 weekly staff that requires an automatic enrolment pension and written statements along with online portal access.
Communication is key when handling client affairs, whether they are new to running a business or have experience in the field. The main goals for processing payroll are ensuring the payroll run is completed accurately and in a timely manner, on or before the pay date. However, it is the step-by-step guidance of the payroll service where the relationship begins to build. “Reassurance and trust are key with all clients, as they need to feel comfortable and From talking the client through the first time they need to report PAYE information to HMRC, to setting up the online secure portal to remain GDPR compliant, these are all important aspects to providing an informative, positive payroll experience. Within the bureau, we value the time spent with the client to ensure they understand what is required by them as an employer. We follow our motto that no question is a silly question and ensure that the client feels comfortable with the payroll process by covering areas step by step. When gaining a client who has come from a previous payroll provider, trust is the most important feature to build the client relationship. Gaining a client this way can present more challenges are you are evaluating a company’s payroll based off your payroll process to ensure all legal requirements have been met. Reassurance and trust are key with all clients, as they need to feel comfortable and confident that their business needs are in safe hands. Maintaining strong client relationships within the bureau To maintain strong client relationships, we regularly ask clients for feedback on the services they receive. This allows us to continuously improve the payroll department to ensure we are offering the best service. We keep a spreadsheet of client feedback and often use the content as testimonials on our website to help promote the business. confident that their business needs are in safe hands”
This is a great way to hear positive feedback about the service, as most payrollers usually only hear from a client if something has gone wrong! We ensure that clients are kept up to date on legislative changes by calling and emailing them with any information that may affect their business. We also review PAYE online accounts for clients monthly, inform them if there are any credits on their account and claim these back on their behalf. We keep regular tabs on payrolls to ensure that if the business status changes – for example, they go from having a director- only payroll to taking on their first employee – that employment allowance is claimed, TPR is informed and that an automatic enrolment pension scheme is set up, based on the employer’s decision. Clients may not be aware that tasks like this need completing. However, having regular contact keeps them in the loop with regards to their business needs, as well as builds trust between the client and the bureau because the client understands that the bureau is looking out for the business and has their affairs in order. Growing the payroll portfolio As of April 2024, we are now a standalone payroll bureau. All team members within the bureau share the same passion, enthusiasm and excitement about growing the business and taking it to the next level. We all follow our business values that we are your ‘payroll pal’. The ‘p’ stands for positivity, passion and personable, the ‘a’ for ambitious, attentive and achieve, and the ‘l’ is for loyal, logic and leadership. The team believes in the same goals allowing business growth potential, using each other’s ideas and a variety of skills to market the business. From flyer delivering to digital marketing and networking, we are trying to attract new clients offering a unique outlook on payroll, which is often known as a small, additional service needed alongside accounts. At the time of writing, we are about to have our very first stand at the Northeast Expo, an exciting opportunity to network, market and showcase our capabilities. We value our Payroll Assurance Scheme accreditation gained with the CIPP in March 2023 and it is now used as a unique selling point for the business. It demonstrates our determination to represent payroll in its own right. n
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 107 | February 2025
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