28-30-fbt 14/12/09 11:21 Page 28
FAVOURITE BUSINESS TOOLS
This month in FBT we look at the pros and cons of payroll outsourcing,
designing a website that reflects your brand, avoiding costly
recruitment blunders and managing currency volatility
HR
TECHNOLOGY
WEIGHING UP ONLINE
THE COST
PRESENCE
Outsourcing can dull Four entrepreneurs discuss
the payroll pain how their website reflects
their brand
F
or many companies that use a
payroll service, it is one of the
great outsourcing no-brainers.
‘It’s been very cost effective, a few
pounds per employee,’ says Piers Carey,
founder of IT reseller Teneo, which
employs about 30 staff. ‘When you’re a
small company, keeping up with changes in
legislation, tax rates and so on is very
difficult, and there is always the worry that
you’ll get something wrong. So it’s much ROSS WILLIAMS, CO-FOUNDER OF
easier to get specialists to do it.’
‘I’ve seen cases where
ONLINE DATING SERVICE PROVIDER
Ann Bevitt, a partner at law firm GLOBAL PERSONALS
the first payroll run after
Morrison & Foerster, says that companies We run the dating services for brands like
dipping their toes in the water when it
outsourcing is implemented,
Cosmopolitan and FHM as well as for some
comes to outsourcing tend to start with
people don’t get paid’
specialist sites, such as FriendsOfYours,
payroll and recruitment. For small to mid- which is for older couples. For me, the most
sized businesses in the UK, she observes, important thing has been to test the website.
there are plenty of good providers and it’s On the whole, though, outsourcing payroll On Google Analytics you can see how
unlikely you’ll run into any problem. tends to reduce the likelihood of mistakes, as people are using the site and you can use
That might change as your company well as allowing those running the business that to improve every part of it. Companies
becomes more complex. ‘Problems do arise time to do exactly that. According to Clive can waste tens of thousands on marketing,
with larger, multi-jurisdictional organisations,’ Lewis, head of SME issues at accountancy but if only 5 per cent of the people who
Bevitt adds. ‘I’ve seen cases where the first body the ICAEW, ‘Payroll procedures can visit your site are buying something, you
payroll run after the outsourcing is quickly get very complicated, particularly should be looking at a redesign.
implemented, people don’t get paid. That’s with things like statutory sick pay. An You don’t need to make your website
usually as part of a bigger deal, where you outsourcing company can help you avoid different for the sake of it. Be unique with
thought payroll would be the easy bit.’ getting caught up in all those issues.’ ■ your brand, with your proposition, but be
28 BUSINESS XL
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