There aren’t many HR tasks as emotionally tasking as payroll processing.
Whether due to looming deadlines or the high costs associated with making payroll mistakes, stress levels are usually very high for employees involved in payroll disbursements.
Now, if your organization processes payroll without efficient software, the mounting stress can quickly make your payroll staff hate their job and eye the exit longingly.
That’s why it’s a good thing that you’re here. If you’re searching for the right software to make payroll easier and relieve pressure on your team, you’re in the right place.
A payroll processing system has many benefits. The right software can save your team up to 10 hours of complex calculations monthly; these are hours that can be channeled into more strategic tasks.
You can save up to 80% on payroll processing costs. Plus, 76% of companies not using payroll software admitted to frequent errors during payroll processing.
Put simply, a reliable payroll solution will make your organization better.
Ready to discover the perfect system for your organization?
In this guide, you’ll find out:
- What exactly a payroll processing system does,
- A simple 3-step process for picking the right software for your organization.
What is payroll software?
A payroll processing software system is designed to manage, maintain, and automate payments to your workforce.
Ensuring accurate payroll and staying compliant with federal and state regulations can be a real handful every month. That is why it is crucial to pick a payroll system that makes handling these tasks a breeze.
Some of the most important features you should watch out for include:
How do you choose the best payroll software?
A quick Google search of the term “best payroll software in Nigeria” will return a host of names, both popular and less widely recognized.
Not every payroll software is the same, similar to how not every building material is suitable for building a skyscraper.
Payroll software systems come with different features and value propositions. You need a research process to help you make the best decision. Otherwise, you’ll become overwhelmed with the available options and choose a solution that doesn’t fully cater to your needs.
We have a three-step process to guide you in this search.
- Define your payroll challenges
- Research different payroll software providers
- Request a demo with your top picks
Define your payroll challenges
Looking for a standard payroll solution that works for every company regardless of use case and industry? That’s probably Mission Impossible.
While that franchise might be a blockbuster hit, embarking on an impossible mission on company time might not sit well with your organization’s leaders. That’s why the first step to finding the perfect payroll solution for your organization is to do an audit of your current payroll processes and identify your challenges and goals.
Adeola Ayoola, CEO of Famasi Africa, did this before deciding to go along with Pade’s payroll engine.
According to her, payroll was a time-consuming and monotonous task. And she needed a solution that freed up time for her to face more pressing needs.
“I used to manually process payroll. I would pay everyone individually from my bank app. At some point, I had to design payslips for each person on the team so they have clearer insights on their salary breakdown. It was monotonous and very redundant. I realize that I could use that time for something very important.”
To help you get started, here’s a list of some of the most common payroll pain points:
- Do you struggle to maintain regular payroll processing cycles?
- Do you struggle with compliance issues?
- Are you getting overwhelmed with complex payroll calculations?
- Do you have trouble keeping and updating your organization’s payroll record?
- Are you struggling to keep track of payroll deductions and statutory contributions?
- Can you efficiently include time tracking and attendance in your calculations?
- Can you quickly track payroll processing metrics and create reports in seconds?
- Can you easily create reports to measure the efficiency of your payroll processes?
Your needs might differ, and that’s okay. But if you start this research process by creating a list of payroll challenges peculiar to your organization, you make it easier to find the software that fits seamlessly with your process.
Research different payroll software providers
At this point, you already have your payroll challenges and goals all mapped out. You are one step closer to finding the software you need to 10x your payroll efficiency.
The next course of action is to research different payroll software providers and do a quick eye test to see which ones might be ideal for you.
The options that pass your eye test should offer the most solutions to the challenges you listed in the first stage.
So that you don’t spend an unhealthy amount of time researching providers, here’s a checklist you can use to vet your options.
Read customer stories and testimonials
- What specific problems did the customers say the product solves?
- What did the customers say they love about the product?
Look for recent product updates
- Is the company dedicated to improving their product?
- How often do they release new features?
- Are the new features relevant to you?
Check their customer list
- Does the company have experience catering to companies your size and industry?
- What type of companies trust them?
Ask for references
- Ask to talk to customers that are similar to yours.
- Ask for examples and facts about their experience using the product rather than impressions.
When you do all of these, you should have narrowed your list to about 3-5 worthy candidates who seem like they might be a good fit.
At this point, the only way to test their credibility is to request a personalized demo.
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Request a demo with your top picks
A demo is your chance to see your potential payroll solutions in action.
It lets you check out their User Interface (UI) to see if it's easy for your team to use. Plus, it's a chance to check if the features are right for you and if the providers have kept their promises from your earlier research.
The standard tradition for most payroll providers is to offer you a free live demo of their product where a product expert takes you on a tour of the product.
But to make the most of the session, it is better to come prepared with your questions so you can quickly do a feature gap analysis.
The “salesperson” on the call will surely promote all the fancy features of the software, you can bet on that. However, you must ensure that you can perform your daily payroll tasks and critical functions like automated tax filings and timekeeping integrations.
If you find a payroll software that meets these needs, congratulations–you just found the payroll software of your dreams.
Go ahead and have an enjoyable payroll experience.
Experience Pade firsthand with a demo
Pade is Africa’s most complete People Operations Platform and its payroll engine powers the operations of organizations like Dantata Holdings, Flutterwave, and TSL.
“We really really love the software. It has completely automated everything we used to handle manually.”
If you want a consultation to see how Pade’s payroll engine fits into your payroll processes, request to speak with one of our product experts and we will get back to you in no time.
Speak with one of our product experts
