ANDY MITCHELL

PART OF YOUR TEAM

“I like to think of myself not as somebody who is outsourced work to, but rather someone who works with the client and is an extension of their internal team. Ultimately, we are all working towards the same goal of ensuring that their payroll is processed accurately and on time.

I like to schedule regular catch-up calls with clients, either with a specific task in mind or just to see how things are going and whether there is anything we can help to streamline. It’s amazing what a little chat can open up.”

STEADY WHEN IT COUNTS

“Being calm under pressure is one of my top strengths. No matter what is working against us, I always believe that we will get the payroll out to the client on time. Instead of crumbling under the pressure, I will stand up and take control, ensuring that deadlines are met and the client is satisfied, with the whole team working together.

That approach has been particularly valuable in payroll, where there can be plenty of unexpected challenges. Over the years there have been pandemics, last-minute legislation changes, legislation reversals, team absences and client absences. No matter what is thrown at us, we always pull together as a team and make sure that every client is processed in time for their payroll run.”

REBUILDING CONFIDENCE

“One of the most important things when taking on a client who has experienced problems is understanding what has gone wrong and what they need from us. I once worked with a client who had experienced a few issues with a previous provider, and the onboarding at AAB suffered some setbacks because these issues were carried forward. The payroll was passed to myself to try and smooth things over with the client and help them regain their confidence in AAB.

I immediately scheduled a call to introduce myself and find out what their biggest concerns were. I then worked through a plan over the following months to address these concerns and put new procedures in place. We eventually got to a place where the client requested AAB pick up further work from them as they were satisfied with the relationship and how things had improved.”

LOOKING BEYOND PAYROLL

“For me, it’s important to understand what is behind a client’s problem rather than simply deal with the immediate issue. I recently had a client approach me asking to confirm the optimal layout for the reports they send each month. They were manually completing a lot of work, which was leading to a number of errors each month and causing lots of stress.

After a quick call, it turned out that the client was moving HR software and was looking for a bit of a reset with regard to their data. I looped in our systems team to see if they were able to assist and they advised that we were able to build an integration report that would pull direct from the client’s HR software. This meant they would need no manual intervention when pulling the required reports, solving their biggest headache with the payroll process.”

MORE THAN A BUTTON

“One misconception I would love to clear up is that processing a payroll is just hitting a big button. Historically, most employees would be paid an hourly rate or have an annual salary and receive a standard pay every month. However, that is no longer the case for many organisations.

Most organisations offer complex benefits packages, pensions, allowances and much more, all of which are subject to the 170 pieces of legislation that govern modern payroll processing. It is vital that we understand the detail behind the payroll and make sure everything is handled correctly.”

STAYING AHEAD

“One of the biggest challenges in payroll is keeping up to date with all the technical legislation. The Government and HMRC are constantly changing and evolving tax laws, so it is vital that we stay up to date with everything that impacts payroll.

We stay up to date by completing monthly compliance training and attending seminars and events when new legislation is released. I am also a full member of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, which helps me keep up to date on new legislation and meet other professionals in the industry to keep track of what the latest rumours are.”

CALM, CLEAR & PATIENT

“A client once told me that I should leave payroll and move into teaching instead. At first it didn’t sound like a compliment, but they explained that I was incredibly calm, patient and great at explaining the technicalities of payroll in a way they could understand and then relay to their employees when dealing with queries. That is something I take a lot of pride in.”

THE FUTURE OF PAYROLL

“The technology I have seen has the biggest impact on our payroll processing is the integration process. This depends on how the client operates their HR software, but the ultimate goal is to pull a pre-determined report containing starters, leavers, holidays, pay changes and more, which we are then able to import into our software to process the payroll.

The use of this technology can drastically reduce the time it takes for a payroll to be processed. That time can then be used to build client relationships and offer further services such as ongoing advisory work or project implementations. I am keen to continue developing my knowledge in this area and exploring how technology can make payroll more efficient for clients.”

PAYROLL YOU CAN RELY ON

“I “fell” into payroll nine years ago, and what has kept me here is knowing that what we do has a direct impact on our clients and their employees. My motto is simple: “It’s about making sure your employees are paid accurately and on time, every time.”

The most satisfying part of my role is knowing that there is appreciation from clients when things go well, not just hearing when things are not 100%. For me, that comes from being someone they can rely on, whether they need help with their payroll today or are looking at how they can make their processes better tomorrow.”