India Payroll Payroll Services

9 Ways Payroll Operations are Being Transformed by Technology

Emma Cooney
India Payroll Director
January 18, 2022

Most business transactions and employees were moved online due to the pandemic. Payroll services were no exception.

After all, despite the transition to a virtual environment, the reality remained largely unchanged. People had to be paid, taxes had to be paid, and employers had to follow government and local regulations or face the consequences.

This was made possible by technology. Technology is reshaping payroll, albeit slowly in some industries, and thus helping to elevate its status within an organization.

  • Allows for greater accessibility of payroll operations

As recent events have demonstrated, businesses require access to their data from any location. It is no longer sufficient to limit capabilities to a single domain. Flexible payroll software can be installed in multiple locations on various PCs or laptops, allowing you to run payroll services as usual.

Furthermore, you can connect your payroll data to the cloud with technological advancements and enable new features. This includes an automated cloud payroll backup, a payroll portal for clients to enter and approve payroll operations, and the ability for employees to self-service, including requesting annual leave and updating contact information.

  • Helps with compliance

Keeping up with constantly changing employment and payroll process legislation is one of the most difficult challenges for payroll professionals everywhere. Failure to do so can result in fines and reputational harm, not to mention a deterioration in employee-employer relations. However, using an easy-to-use payroll solution that includes features such as full automatic enrolment functionality, support for all RTI submissions, and GDPR compliance alleviates this burden.

Technology and digital transformation allows you to invite your employees to a payroll and HR Self Service portal, which can assist with record-keeping requirements, employment law obligations, and GDPR compliance.

  • Repetitive tasks are eliminated

Payroll is inherently repetitive—each month, there are Excel spreadsheets to update, time and attendance data entries, and, in some cases, a paper payroll to complete. However, these time-consuming tasks are automated leveraging robotic process automation (RPA) and several other technologies. This reduces the occurrence of errors and significantly reduces the amount of time required to complete the activity.

TopSource Worldwide automates many manual payroll processes. The employer payroll dashboard for payroll bureau clients reduces administration, saves time, and allows you to easily collect the payroll information you require.

  • Assists in identifying fraudulent practices

An employer can determine whether employees are billing for hours not worked by reviewing payroll reports. Employers can also use the data to determine if an employee reports excessive overtime or abuses sick leave. Overall, payroll analytics will highlight any trends in employee behavior, providing employers with the information they need to either address the issue or plan alternative staffing arrangements.

TopSource Worldwide helps in coming up with a flexible payroll report builder that allows you to create a customized report of your choice.

Printing, exporting  PDF, and saving reports for future use are all options.

  • Improves the HR function

Innovative payroll software generates a wealth of data that was previously largely unexplored. We can now use technology to mine this volume of data for strategic business purposes and improve the HR experience. Employers can generate reports to aid in workforce planning, gender pay equality, performance, benefits and pensions, and onboarding.

  • Allows for simple management of multiple payrolls

Because of the rise of the gig economy and the proliferation of different types of work contracts, businesses frequently have more than one payroll. It is difficult to ensure that each employee is still receiving the correct pay and benefits and that all applicable taxes are deducted.

Moving away from excel spreadsheets and towards a payroll solution with multiple functions, on the other hand, streamlines this process.

  • Artificial Intelligence

Yes, artificial intelligence is associated with automation, but it is much more than that. AI algorithms detect patterns and shifts in big data as part of digital transformation and analyze them so humans can make sense of it all.

AI systems can evaluate their past performance to improve future predictions thanks to self-learning, also known as deep learning. If you have a weather app on your phone, you’re taking advantage of AI’s capabilities.

When it comes to payroll, AI excels at analyzing all kinds of variables — employee classification, age, withholding amounts, and so on — and can improve accuracy by detecting non-obvious errors in paystubs. Chatbots, on the other hand, can handle routine employee inquiries. With automation and artificial intelligence, the payroll services of the future will undoubtedly have fewer clerks and data entry operators.

Simultaneously, staff will be required to perform more cognitively demanding and creative tasks.

Humans excel at dealing with out-of-the-ordinary situations. Don’t forget about the human experience, which is central to talent management and payroll. People will always crave human interaction in the workplace, regardless of how sophisticated a company’s AI program is.

How is the use of technology impacting  the payroll process?

Payroll management is time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring complex data processing, calculations, and record keeping. The payroll process entails calculating gross and net salaries after deducting taxes and other deductions. The processing also includes expenses, holiday pay, and other payments. Because of its labor-intensive nature, it is frequently upgraded through the use of technology or tools that allow payroll outsourcing services in India to be automated.

Payroll Management technologies are used for a variety of purposes in payroll outsourcing services in India, including:

  • Automated creation of bank files for direct credits to employee accounts.
  • Employee list tracking, time management, insurance, retirement options, and other HR functions are examples of processes.
  • Bookkeeping and accounting
  • Deductions for benefits and tax filing
  • Compiling annual reports and ensuring compliance
  • A salary management portal that provides employees with access to previous pay stubs, tax deduction details, and policies.

Using the payroll solution has numerous advantages. Here’s how technology is impacting the payroll process:

  • Time-saving

Technology-assisted payroll management saves time by churning through massive amounts of employee data at a vastly improved rate. The speed of such work varies from employee to employee and can have an impact on other core businesses if not completed on time. Similarly, payroll software speeds up and improves the accuracy of calculating net pay and deductions.

  • There are no hidden fees

Using a payroll management tool can help you save money on payroll processing. Hiring full-time bookkeepers, managing the workplace, and other recurring management overheads can all be reduced with technological intervention in payroll management.

  • Precision

Calculations can be intimidating. The increase in volume and data has a direct impact on calculation time and also increases the possibility of error. A payroll management system simplifies this by automating calculations and deductions and handling them precisely, regardless of employee count or tax rules.

  • Technology that is interconnected

Integration of payroll to timesheet systems that record employee attendance simplifies calculations and also aids in the creation of various reports that can aid in better employee analysis. Payroll systems are also good at keeping records, so all of your information is in one place.

Payroll management is made easier by technology, and the data-driven approach refines and updates the system. The generated reports can be used to forecast and plan costs, as well as prepare for contingencies. Payroll systems are constantly updated to keep up with changing tax laws, human resource policies, and compliances. As a result, technology greatly improves the payroll management process.

How can organizations prepare for the future payroll?

Business continuity plans (BCPs) must be strengthened

Strong BCPs can mean the difference between paying employees on time, correctly, or not at all. Was your vendor able to withstand the test? People, technology, and processes are all in need of a robust business continuity plan now more than ever. Assessing your payroll status and considering all possible continuity scenarios is a difficult task.

Payroll must be prioritized earlier as a result of global expansion

Carve-outs are all about speed and timing. A carve-out is always a risky situation for a company and its employees. Risk management and business continuity are critical. Companies must determine what a day one operation would entail, what is feasible, and what can be improved in the future. When expanding global footprints through transactions or entering new markets, it is critical to have an effective payroll framework in place from the start.

For your company, if you are looking for payroll outsourcing services in India, connect with TopSource Worldwide. The company provides excellent payroll services and they are more than just that. 

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Emma Cooney
India Payroll Director
Emma Cooney is the Head of Global Sales Operations at TopSource Worldwide, a leading provider of Global Expansion services. She has 15 years of experience in Sales/Operations, where she has excelled at finding and implementing solutions that reduce costs, increase revenues, and enhance customer satisfaction. She has worked in both large and small organisations, gaining a broad understanding of the Sales Operations function and its role in supporting business growth. She works closely with the client-facing teams to understand and address the clients' needs and offer them the most suitable solutions for their success.

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