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The value of payroll integration for New Zealand businesses

Here's what you need to know about the power of payroll integration.
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6min read
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Bringing in new payroll software can make a huge difference for your business in transforming elements of your workload and fast-tracking previously laborious tasks. However, with a host of different software available to cover all elements of a business, businesses can quickly find themselves navigating a number of applications that work independently of each other. Thatโ€™s a lot of passwords to remember.

Thatโ€™s where integration is so important. Finding payroll software that will work alongside everything else you have in your business turns many different solutions into a one-stop shop. Here’s what you need to know about the power of payroll integration.

What is payroll integration?

Payroll integration is when your chosen payroll software can sync with your other software solutions, such as accounting software like Xero. Payroll requires a lot of data, after all. If you can automate bringing in information from other aspects of the business, youโ€™ll save a lot of time inputting it into your payroll software.

Much as this sounds like common sense, not all payroll software can integrate with other platforms. This can be a costly omission, leading to a lot of time spent on manual data handling. Thatโ€™s why when searching for payroll software, you should always consider how (and if!) it will work with their other software solutions.

Is payroll software the same as accounting software?

No, although you can find both standalone payroll software and accounting software that comes with payroll features included.

Both payroll and accounting form crucial parts of businesses but they handle different sections of the financial cycle. Payroll is about how businesses pay their employees, ensuring that accurate records of salaries, deductions and leave entitlements are taken into account along the way. Accounting software is used to collect and analyse financial records, including sales, profit and labour costs.

Itโ€™s easy then to see how the two can interact but for an easy experience, both your payroll software and accounting platform should be comprehensive. This is especially crucial for accountants, bookkeepers and outsourced payroll providers who run payroll for businesses.

For example, choosing only basic payroll features might mean you miss out on automating some of your clientโ€™s manual tasks or keeping up to date with the latest leave changes. A comprehensive payroll software should make absolutely everything about payroll easy.

Thatโ€™s why being able to integrate top-performing, specialist software can be more effective than getting a basic version of either squeezed into one single brand.

What are the benefits of payroll integration?

There are plenty of benefits that come from integrating your payroll system with other applications. Letโ€™s have a lookโ€ฆ

Youโ€™ll save time (and money)

The opportunity to save time has to be the biggest benefit of product integration. With two or more applications sharing information, it takes out all that time that would have otherwise been spent doing manual data entry. It also means that actions taken in one application can appear instantly in another application, again reducing time spent on re-entering data.

From a payroll perspective, integrating payroll software with other platforms could mean that data points such as new client employee details are automatically added in time for the next pay run.

And of course, with any time saved working, thereโ€™s a cost saving as well โ€“ whether thatโ€™s in wages or in the amount of time required to meet a client request.

It reduces the chance of errors

Weโ€™ve all been there โ€“ youโ€™re a little short on caffeine and feeling the stresses of the day. Like all humans, weโ€™re prone to the odd mistake now and then. That means that if youโ€™re having to manually enter data between software platforms every week, thereโ€™s a good chance that at one point, there will be an error.

If you integrate platforms, data entered in one platform can be automatically carried over to the other platform. That way, the chances of data errors are minimised, giving you some peace of mind in the accuracy of your information.

Itโ€™s a better experience for clients

If you’re a payroll professional working with clients, you want to give them the best experience. That could include access to your payroll system, so that theyโ€™ve got greater visibility. However, if theyโ€™re repeatedly having to log in and out of multiple applications to get a top level view of their business, thatโ€™s going to be frustrating.

Integrating your payroll software with their existing applications means that clients get a seamless experience. New software will already feel like part of the business, and theyโ€™ll get an expansive view of all the crucial data.

Youโ€™ll get a clear view of a clientโ€™s business

Do you or your client want an understanding of how their labour costs fit with their wider business expenses? Or maybe youโ€™re checking whether an employeeโ€™s personal details are up to date? Integrating HR and accounting platforms with your payroll software will give you the full picture of a businessโ€™s operations. No more flicking between Excel spreadsheets, or trying to read between the lines.

Plus, having an agile tech stack of software that speaks to each other allows you to add significant value to the services you provide to clients, by being able to report on their business performance as a whole.

Should you consider an integrated payroll system?

Definitely. An integrated payroll system is one built for the future, where integration will be more than just a โ€˜nice to haveโ€™ but an essential part of business operations. Even if you donโ€™t have platforms to integrate with straight away, having that option means that you have greater capability to expand your software options in later months or years.

The last thing you want is to get a few years down the line and realise that your payroll system wonโ€™t play nicely with some new software youโ€™ve brought in. Like all investments in a business, make sure itโ€™s going to be useful in the long run and ensure you’ve got integration functionality.

Payroll integrations supported by Employment Hero Payroll

Here at Employment Hero Payroll, we understand the value of an integrated payroll system. Thatโ€™s why Employment Hero Payroll is built to integrate seamlessly with leading software and industry-leading platforms. Here are the integrations that our software can support (so far)โ€ฆ

Xero

Xero is a hugely popular accounting software here in New Zealand and is designed to work well with small business. It offers easy management of business expenses, incomes and savings. Employment Hero Payroll integrates effortlessly with Xero, allowing you to add timesheet and payroll data into the accounting software for a broader view of business expenditure.

This is also useful for those payroll professionals whose clients use Xero. Employment Hero Payrollโ€™s integration means that you can offer clients access to Xeroโ€™s business tools and map their accounts efficiently.

Staffd

Staffd is designed to effortlessly recruit, onboard and train employees, which is why Employment Hero Payroll is a natural integration partner for ensuring those employees are paid accurately. Employment Hero Payroll can also collect new employee information directly from Staffd, so that your list of payees is always up to date.

How is payroll data shared between integrated systems?

The type of payroll data that is shared between systems will vary depending on what is required. For example, accounting software will often benefit from knowing total spend on salary or wages from month to month. In the case of HR software, the employee details shared will benefit those using Employment Hero Payroll to process payroll to the correct bank accounts and correctly make KiwiSaver deductions.

Importantly, when payroll data is shared, it should be done securely. Cloud software like Employment Hero Payroll often comes with extra levels of security certificates, so you can feel confident that even when the data is shared, itโ€™s as protected as it can be.

Managing payroll with Employment Hero Payroll

Payroll doesn’t have to be complicated. With software like Employment Hero Payroll, you can automate tasks, run accurate payroll and ensure that youโ€™re up to date with the latest payroll legislation.

Integrating payroll software will only bring further benefits, allowing you to run a synchronised suite of technology that works together, rather than in separate streams. Youโ€™ll save time on manual data input across platforms and reduce the risk of error. Finally, youโ€™ll be able to see a broader view of your business from your screen.

Learn about Employment Hero Payrollโ€™s integrations and how we work alongside other top software for an end-to-end client experience.

We also welcome integration partners with open arms. If youโ€™ve built an integration (or are planning on building an integration) between your solution and Employment Hero Payroll, or between a 3rd party software and Employment Hero Payroll, weโ€™d love for you to be a part of our partner program. Find out more about becoming an integration partner with Employment Hero Payroll.

Jen Scouler
People Specialist - Employment Hero
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