What Questions Should You Ask Your Local Payroll Company?

What Questions Should You Ask Your Local Payroll Company?

Have you been looking for the right payroll service for your small business? Local payroll companies in Minneapolis, MN might seem to provide the same services. And, for the most part, they do. The real question is whether or not one is worthy of your trust and patronage.

There are close to a hundred local payroll companies in Minneapolis, MN. Granted, this number may not seem like a lot. Do your homework on each one, and you will see that the task becomes daunting.

Part of narrowing down your search and options involves seeing if the payroll service is the right fit for you. You need a way to distinguish between payroll services you can hire from the ones you should not. Indeed, “stalking” company profiles can yield results, albeit at the expense of time and effort.

Ask these questions to separate the right payroll service from the wrong one!

Question #1: “How Much Would I Need to Pay for the Full Features of Your Services?”

As a small business owner, you will likely be on a tight budget. Your budget is possibly one of the factors behind your hesitation to outsource some of your processes like payroll. And for this reason, a good starting point would be to ask the price for your payroll provider’s services.

For the protection of your expenses, do not fall into the trap of asking about just the price on the window (so to speak). You need to go deeper into some of the provider’s services or processes that may incur additional or hidden service charges.

Asking for the price of a payroll provider’s services can, therefore, reveal how much they say they charge and how much they actually charge. These two pieces of information not only enable you to budget in advance but also allow you to test the company’s transparency.

Question #2: “What are the Perks of Hiring Local Payroll Companies in Minneapolis, MN, Like Yourself Over a CPA?”

Indeed, the thought must have crossed your mind. In Minneapolis, MN, two types of firms can help you with processes that involve payroll: payroll companies and certified public accountants.

On the surface, not many responsibilities separate a payroll service from a CPA. This is where a payroll company has to market the additional advantages provided by his or her service. By asking this question, you put a payroll company at odds with CPA firms.

As a result, a payroll company would have to do its best to advertise to you the additional pros of their service. For instance, they can guarantee cloud storage of your payroll database for data protection.

Also, asking this question implies that you have the option to hire a CPA. By suggesting this, you put a payroll company in a position where they need to deliver the results they have guaranteed. All in all, you get your money’s worth.

Question #3: “How Do You Protect Data?”

Everything is done online these days. And, in 2021, payroll is no exception. However, like anything that relies on data storage and access, data security is a pressing matter. Data that is leaked for whatever reason can be used against you, your business, or your employees.

Whether you are hiring a CPA or a payroll service provider, the confidentiality of your payroll data is paramount. For this reason, part of your research should be how a payroll service protects the data of clients.

What you should ask about are the following:

  • Software solutions the company has
  • Layers of security (e.g., limited personal access, password, or biometric verification)
  • Log-in notifications sent to certain people in your company
  • Security infrastructure like firewalls
  • An experience of a security breach

Question #4: “What Kinds of Mobile Technology Do You Use?”

If you are going to invest in a payroll service provider, you might as well get one that adds to your convenience. Nothing spells convenience in business better than mobile technology.

Nowadays, how well entrepreneurs leverage mobile technology can make or break a business. This is especially true for startup owners like yourself. A payroll service provider that recognizes this must have mobile apps you can sync with to check on your payroll and receive notifications.

If the service provider lacks any form of mobile integration, they belong in the history books and not fiddling around with yours.

Question #5: “Who are Some of Your Past Clients?”

Asking this question might seem intrusive, or even rude. On the contrary, you as a paying customer have a right to ask.

Any company can claim to have served hundreds of customers in Minneapolis. However, you want more than a headcount of companies that make up a payroll company’s portfolio. You want a payroll service that has actually led to a company’s improvement. Why? This is because improvement and efficiency are the purposes for which you hire such companies.

One way to gauge a company’s successful track record is to ask about some of its clients. Also, you want to check if the client was satisfied with the services of the provider. After getting a response, you can check for reviews to confirm the level of satisfaction clients have experienced with the service.

Question #6: “What are the Requirements Needed to Integrate My Company into Your System?”

Asking this question has two concurrent purposes:

The first reason is obvious. You want to know what you need to prepare (W2s, 1099s, and social security numbers).

Another reason you may want to ask this question is to establish what your payroll service covers. Some local payroll companies in Minneapolis, MN enter historical data and retain the payroll information of past employees. Others do not.

For this reason, you need to establish what a payroll service provider does and what one does not do. This can help you determine what to prepare and whether the service is worthy of your investment.

Question #7: “Does Your Company Have Insurance or Safety Bonds?”

It is best to outsource your payroll to a company that has professional liability insurance. A company that is insured can quickly cover you for unexpected problems like:

  • Security breaches
  • Any damage to your payroll as a result of the payroll companies’ shortcomings

In short, choose a payroll service provider that can easily present you with its professional liability insurance certificate.

Final Thoughts

Asking these seven questions can help you determine the right payroll service provider for your small business in this part of Minnesota. As you establish the pedigree of different providers, you will likely find that not all companies can give you good answers to each. Some may not have responses at all.

We at ICOMP would be more than happy to give you honest answers. Our responses will also make you wonder why you had not considered our payroll services sooner.

Do you have a question about payroll? Or are you looking for a reliable payroll service? Look no further than ICOMP!

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