Is payroll running smoothly?
Could be time for a health check.
Our system had become a little sluggish over the years, having been in use for over five years without any substantial housekeeping. We were dealing with slow payroll and costing processes and struggled to access our audit reports due to the enormous audit file size.”
We were aware that something needed to change, and when Zellis offered a free health check on the condition that we act on the recommended remedial action within three months, our Head of Finance gave it the go ahead.”
The process began with a questionnaire, followed by a consultation to understand Willmott Dixon’s concerns and challenges. Zellis was then able to review the system in detail, returning with a comprehensive list of recommended actions.
The primary issue was the lengthy time it took to run the payroll process and generate necessary reports. The process was so time-consuming that it often needed to be run outside of regular working hours, creating additional workload pressure for Chim and the rest of the payroll team.
Post health check, the team undertook a thorough housekeeping of the system, which resulted in an impressive improvement in processing speed. Tasks that previously took an hour could now be completed within 20 minutes. This drastic speed improvement was accomplished through several methods, including the utilisation of the task scheduler feature for overnight operations. With this feature, the team could set specific tasks to run outside of regular working hours, thereby ensuring smoother daytime operations.
Additionally, they implemented the use of offline reports, which, due to the improved system efficiency, marginally improved processing times . However, Chim noted that this feature could prove more beneficial for larger tasks in the future.
