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customers, and retain the personal relationship and understanding that customers are crying out for. As an industry, if we don’t give these three areas equal importance, there is a real risk that the managed payroll services market will diminish, and individual providers will become lost in a sea of “same as” service offerings. The services we deliver will undoubtedly change over time, but how we deliver these services - this will be the real differentiator. Looking Forward Despite the doom-mongering, the story of managed payroll services isn’t ending; it’s just evolving. If anything, the profession is entering a new, exciting phase where technology will allow the profession to eliminate waste and inefficiency and force us to look toward enhanced delivery of value beyond transactional processes. And, with any evolution, there will be casualties. But those who embrace changes, developing new value propositions and delivering services that complement and enhance AI, will be the ones to write the next chapter in the story of managed payroll services.
The Human Element After twenty-plus years in this industry, serving clients from FTSE 100 companies, through the public sector, to small charities across the UK, I’ve learned that technical capabilities are only part of the equation. It is the human interaction, relationship building and trust built up with customers that really sets the modern payroll professional apart. As software developers push customers towards SaaS style solutions and as technology homogenises the service offering, how do organisations choose their providers? In my experience, the decision increasingly hinges on factors beyond technical specifications and price points. And this can be a winning strategy for service providers. Cultural alignment between provider and client organisations can often determine success more than feature lists. How providers approach problem-solving and client relationships becomes a critical differentiator beyond the technological solution To differentiate, survive and succeed, managed payroll providers will need to combine technological excellence, strong values that align with their
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GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 11
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