“Abandon all hope ye who enter here.”
That famous line from Dante’s Divine Comedy makes for great storytelling but hardly what you want to experience with a payroll provider. Unfortunately, it’s all too common.
Over the past 55 years, we have had numerous clients from the larger payroll companies come to us frustrated and angry. Worst of all, they have bank accounts with a few less zeroes due to undisclosed fees and IRS penalties from late or missed filings.
Here are the three most often heard complaints about the so-called “leaders” in the outsourced payroll service industry:
Horrendous Customer Service
Our clients have told us of being placed on hold for as long as an hour or being promised a prompt return call and waiting three weeks! Most common is being shuffled from person to person or department to department with the client’s name not remembered and the nature of the call… lost! The client’s fear is one that his business is not important enough to be recognized and acknowledged.
Hidden Charges
This is especially common because the giant payroll chains offer bundled services that often don’t fit the client’s needs. Clients have turned to us after being charged for services they don’t want or need including expensive software upgrades. When they tried to get to the bottom of the unexpected charges, they were given such an annoying run around they eventually gave up.
Haphazard or Missed IRS Filings
Clients have also come to us frustrated with a large payroll company that has missed, incorrectly processed, or not filed a tax return at all. Remember horrendous customer service? When they tried to rectify the problem, they were placed on hold indefinitely. When they finally spoke to someone, the representative either blamed the client for the provider’s mistake or ignored the proof that it was their fault and refused to correct the problem at no cost to the client.
This is not how the payroll processing business is ever supposed to work. There is absolutely no excuse for this sort of careless customer service. Worse yet, no employee should ever be subjected to an error-ridden paycheck or a provider who can’t answer a reasonable question about how their payroll was processed.
We want you to stay focused on your core business, since ultimately, that’s how you produce payroll.
Whether it’s the ease of online payroll processing, on-time tax filing, comprehensive custom reporting or retirement and pension plan set up, we’ll create a custom solution for your business that gets the job done.
Abacus payroll specialists use a secure, customizable payroll software solution that includes both payroll and human resource capabilities and would be difficult and costly to duplicate in your own business. It provides a full range of tax services and offers extensive error detection, online data validation techniques, pre-processing controls and report editing to increase accuracy and reduce errors. It also allows your Abacus Payroll specialist to stay up to date on changes in the tax code no matter when they happen.
Abacus Payroll, Inc. is backed by Alloy Silverstein, a powerhouse accounting firm in business in the Philadelphia Region since 1959. Alloy Silverstein’s highly trained team of CPAs and business advisors means Abacus has instant access to the kind of invaluable expertise your business needs. Whether its verifying tax laws, communicating immediate notification of tax changes or offering supporting tax planning services, being part of The Alloy Silverstein Group means we’re capable of taking the worry of payroll off your shoulders.
With laws changing daily (and sometimes what seems like, hourly) a lack of communication in this business is a veritable nightmare. At Abacus Payroll, Inc., communicating with our clients is where we shine. If your own personal payroll specialist can’t answer your question, you’ll get an expert solution from a CPA advisor who knows your business and industry.
Transparency may be a popular buzzword these days, but in reality, it can be in seriously short supply.
At Abacus Payroll Inc., we value your trust and take transparency very seriously. When it comes to your individualized payroll services quote, there are no surprises and no hidden fees. Because our services are fully customizable, we won’t try to sell you a bundled package you don’t want or need. You’ll get services and pricing specific to you and you alone.