Don McLoughlin specializes in providing payroll and business solutions for businesses with fewer than 50 employees. ADP offers RUN Powered by ADP Payroll for Accountants®. He was interviewed by AICPA Editor-At-Large Rick Telberg.
Q: What criteria should be applied to make an intelligent decision to outsource or in-source?
A: Outsourcing and in-sourcing are strategic decisions that can have a great impact on the productivity of your company. Consider the following when making a decision about whether to outsource your payroll function:
1) What resources do I have available? Is this the best use of my resources as an accounting firm?
2) How will this benefit the firm and the employees responsible for this function? How profitable will this be for me?
3) How much of the payroll function can I outsource? Can I have a happy medium?
4) What vendors are out there that I can rely on to be a trusted partner in managing payroll?
5) Can these services quickly adapt to the growth of the department and/or firm?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be able to make a decision that’s right for your payroll needs and circumstances.
Q: How do ADP’s solutions work after the outsource vs. in-source decision has been made?
A: When making the decision to outsource your payroll you can have peace of mind knowing that ADP, the world’s largest payroll provider, will effectively handle all of your payroll needs. ADP makes it easy for clients to manage their payroll, whether it’s fully outsourcing the payroll function or a do-it-yourself without doing all the grueling back-end work or headaches that come with it. We also give clients the ability to add offerings beyond payroll, thus becoming a one-stop-shop for them and helping them concentrate more on their business.
Q: How does ADP help prevent errors and protect firms?
A: The regulatory and compliance laws are constantly changing and accountants need to focus on protecting their clients in this turbulent regulatory environment. If the accountant performs this function poorly, it can mean hefty fines for their clients. ADP payroll experts are there to help keep them compliant and on the right track to prevent such issues from occurring. We also offer an accountant portal at accountant.adp.com that provides accountants with access to content from CCH and BNA, such as the U.S. Master Tax Guide and certain BNA portfolios. In addition, as a national service bureau and global payroll industry leader, ADP maintains the highest levels of security.
Q: What can we expect from future ADP technology?
A: Here at ADP, we work to enhance the user experience to make accountants’ lives easier by delivering a more comprehensive user interface that provides flexible tools and options to help streamline numerous tasks and processes. Over time, accountants should expect to see more online tools and enhanced reporting functions as well as more flexible access to client payroll data.
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