Fit Books Accounting, located in Boise, Idaho, provides outsourced accounting and tax services for early stage and established entitles. It serves a range of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations with 1 to 50 employees, all located in Idaho. This includes contractors, manufacturers, attorneys, a global travel company and a number of companies in the service sector. QTS has worked with Carmen for many years in serving her clients. We sat down for a conversation with Carmen to talk about her work.
How do you use QTS payroll for your clients?
The way I use outsourced payroll is not unusual for accountants today. Many CPAs used to process payroll in-house for clients as a regular part of business. Now, with cloud-based payroll, clients can easily process their own payroll. I work with the data coming from the payroll company and enter it into the accounting system and help my clients monitor labor costs. QTS has reports so I can easily import the payroll details in the accounting system each pay period. I am able to minimize transactional work and spend more time working with clients on managing costs and cash flow.
I recommend to all my clients that they outsource payroll processing. The payroll provider and services they provide to me and my clients are important to timely payroll processing, accurate tax filings, reliable customer service and accounting efficiencies. I’ve been working with QTS for many years, starting in 2015. I recommend QTS to my clients. There is no incentive program for me to do so. They are great to work with and have excellent customer service.
Why do you recommend an outsourced provider?
Precision in payroll and related issues are so important that I require my clients to use a professional outsourced provider, rather than doing it in-house. Payroll is very complex and the risk of error is high, especially if the company is multi-state as each jurisdiction has different filing requirements. Every state has a minimum of two government agencies that require registration, for example. This is a big mystery for many clients and the penalties which can be levied for errors often exceed the cost of the outsourced provider, not to mention the headaches and time needed to handle these issues.
Outsourced payroll with a high-quality provider provides a solution to what otherwise can bring huge problems to a company.
Are there differences between payroll companies?
Big name brands don’t mean that it’s the right provider or the right services. Some companies use the payroll component that comes built into their accounting software. It requires integration which can be a nightmare. Clients call me if they have a problem with their payroll companies so I know what issues they’re having and who it’s with. Hold times of more than 2 hours to talk with someone for logging an issue are not unusual.
There is definitely a difference between payroll providers. Some of the biggest names in payroll have smoothly-operating, glossy-looking software, but it is expensive, even with the free services usually offered. There is also very poor customer service. QTS is a smaller provider which makes it ideal for many of my clients. The service and support is outstanding, combined with a price that is really good.
For example, I’ve never been put on hold when calling QTS. The service by phone or by email is extremely responsive. Even by email, I get a response within 15 minutes. I absolutely love them. Their very fast response is worth so much to me. I don’t have time to be on hold for 30 minutes or more. With the other companies, my issue often gets elevated to another level which means more time on hold. With QTS, my problems usually get addressed on the first call. I really like that I – or my clients – can call and someone actually answers the phone. It’s rare.
What is one of the biggest payroll challenges for small business?
The focus of most company owners is on growing their business. They’re not knowledgeable about payroll nor the complexities of integrating software. With the labor shortage, accounting departments are struggling to find staff. Outsourcing relieves them from these headaches and the risk of costly errors due to lack of experience. With an outside payroll company, I can make a journal entry between payroll and accounting and be sure the imported data is correct.
Another problem for businesses is that they often don’t know if something is wrong until it is too late. One of the biggest issues is local, state and federal filings. If done incorrectly, it can cause a lot of misery. QTS has systems in place to handle this and they know what they’re doing. Not only is it much more efficient, both the business and I know it’s done right.
Bottomline, QTS services and its excellent customer service helps to solve the payroll problems of small employers.
What else?
My clients get frustrated that the big payroll companies are now into other types of products and services, which they are continually upselling. Small companies usually don’t need those services. In addition, it adds to the baseline cost. QTS is very focused on doing payroll and doing it well, and finding the right solution for their clients with stable pricing. Adjustments are modest when they do occur. The name brand services are expensive plus the prices increase frequently.
Why do you recommend QTS to your clients?
In my business, I focus on providing value-based outsourced accounting services and financial and operational strategy, working in collaboration with company management and any in-house accounting staff. The focus is helping company owners accelerate results and achieve business objectives. Maintaining focus on what is important in their overall finances is essential. Bottomline, QTS helps me do my job better in serving my clients. Thank you, QTS.