I have confidence in their team. They want to resolve our issues. They want to get to the bottom of whatever issue is affecting us. They care.
- Jane Thomas, Pensions & Payroll Coordinator at Herman Miller UK
“They know us in-depth. Cintra (formerly known as Trace) has an implicit understanding of what we do and the way we work. It means they can spot the occasional ‘oddity’ in our return. They have the experience to quickly identify when something is out of the ordinary – a change in overtime rates, an unusual work pattern – and raise it as a query before it has an opportunity to cause a problem. You just don’t build that sort of ‘shorthand’ understanding without experience and a willingness to play a real part in our organisation.” – Jane Thomas, Pensions & Payroll Coordinator at Herman Miller
In 2010 Herman Miller switched to the simple to use, web-based Easipay Plus system. It made a payroll service they already appreciated better still.
“It’s given so many more people in the organisation the opportunity to access information. Everything is so much more visible,” says Jane.
“Pre Easipay Plus I was the only person with access to our payroll. Now more people can input data – and they can do it on any day of the month. I’m no longer inputting data then checking my own work. Instead, my role has become that of an auditor. As a result, our payroll is more accurate, the process is swifter and there’s a shared responsibility thanks to greater involvement by others.
“Better still, the information you can access through Easipay Plus is so comprehensive that its value stretches far beyond payroll. I use the historical data function frequently to track changing salary details or department changes. My colleagues value the work permit, ethnicity and other demographic information that make it easier for us to meet our responsibilities and monitor our processes.”
In mid-2010 Herman Miller acquired CBS, a company with 45 employees and its own payroll provider. After acquisition, the company retained its own identity but Jane saw value in streamlining CBS’ payroll with Herman Miller’s.
“For a start there was the expense. They were sending handwritten faxes to their payroll processing team; we were using Easipay Plus. And the costs were roughly the same! Also, their payroll wasn’t audited or owned in quite the same way. I felt it was important we streamline our payrolls to give CBS all the benefits of the Easipay Plus service and avoid the need to operate dual systems.
The switch to Easipay Plus was a seamless one, and since then Cintra has been helping CBS realise the full potential of the new service.
“It’s been an evolution really,” says Jane. “We’ve had to develop an understanding between our two organisations and Cintra has helped us improve that understanding. In fact, without a named single point of contact at Cintra things wouldn’t have progressed half as well or half as quickly. We could never have achieved this if we’d been dealing with an anonymous helpdesk.”
“It’s not just the help they offer – it’s the way they actually listen to the feedback they’re given,” Jane explains. “If I find the system is occasionally doing something out of the ordinary I’ll report it. When I call them they seem interested. Actually it’s more than that – they welcome it. And I’ve seen changes they’ve made as a result of the feedback I’ve given. That’s a refreshing change, isn’t it?
“I have confidence in Cintra’s people. They want to resolve our issues. They want to get to the bottom of whatever issue is affecting us. They care. That’s why I’d recommend Cintra Payroll Services.”
