8 Essential Questions to Evaluate a Payroll Provider’s Customer Support

Customer support is a key component of an effective payroll system—but it’s also one of the hardest to assess.

Without proper service, you risk having unpredictable payroll processes with lingering mistakes, missed payments, and unresolved compliance issues. You could incur significant penalties and lose trust with your team.

But how can you tell whether you’ll receive consistent, high-quality support? Determining a provider’s reliability and responsiveness based on limited interactions before you commit is challenging. Plus, sales teams often highlight all the positives, making it harder to spot flaws, limitations, and gaps in the service. 

Asking the right questions can reveal a service’s true strengths and weaknesses, helping you understand its fit for your needs. Our guide shows you what to ask to evaluate a payroll provider’s customer support and what the answers mean.

What support channels do you offer?

Your payroll provider should have a range of support channels to cater to different situations. At a minimum, there should be phone, email, and live chat.

The majority of customers still prefer voice communication, and while live chat may be suitable for simple issues, you may need to speak to customer support directly to resolve complex problems. The support team should be prepared to accept calls and provide step-by-step guidance with detailed explanations, or connect you with the appropriate in-house expert. 

Truly great customer support goes beyond the standard options to cover a variety of needs and preferences. For instance, Deel also offers:

• Telephone call backs
• Video calls
• Screen sharing
• Onboarding support
• In-app services
• And more

What’s more, we provide assistance for employees and contractors as well as your payroll department. That means workers can contact us if they’d like direct support from our experts.

See also: How To Contact Deel For Customer Support

What are your support hours?

Today’s international companies need payroll to have 24/7 support with a fast response rate. You never know when you’ll have an emergency at one of your branches in a different time zone that requires immediate assistance. 

Say an employee at one of your locations hasn’t been onboarded properly and is on track to miss their first paycheck. If your provider is in a different time zone, you might not be able to get it fixed before the payroll cutoff date. As well as causing compliance issues, you may damage trust with the new hire.

To mitigate issues like these, Deel offers global coverage with a 24/7 in-app service and a 1.25-minute response time. You can receive quick support no matter your time zone.

Do you provide dedicated account managers?

A dedicated account manager gives you direct access to someone with in-depth knowledge of your business. Through regular interactions, they can familiarize themselves with your payroll operations and develop a strong working relationship. You won’t have to repeatedly explain your situation to different agents, meaning you can keep communication simple and streamlined.

Leading payroll providers like Deel ensure you have an account manager to provide a direct line of communication to your entire team. If you need extra support or expertise, account managers can coordinate with the relevant team members, such as local payroll and HR compliance experts.

With their thorough support and deep understanding of local laws, they make international hiring straightforward and compliant. This means businesses can concentrate on growth and innovation, knowing that legal and tax challenges are expertly handled by Deel’s team.

To go a step further, look for a payroll provider that offers a customer success manager (CSM). These reps differ from traditional support teams in that they not only respond to issues but also help you achieve your goals. Depending on the level of service you require, Deel customer success teams might work alongside your finance and HR teams to define objectives and measure progress toward goals.

How do you handle compliance-related queries and updates?

Helping you stay compliant with changing laws is one of the most critical functions of payroll support. With their help, your business can minimize tax and legal risks. You can also receive advice on following best practices and meeting the highest labor standards to ensure your company is set up for success.

The first step is to check whether providers have the necessary expertise to manage compliance across all the countries where you hire workers. Local payroll and legal teams must have the relevant experience and credentials. For example, you could see whether it’s standard for in-house experts to have an accounting or business degree from specific locations.

The next step is to explore the provider’s process for handling specific inquiries. Your account manager or CSM can handle most ad hoc requests by passing them on to the relevant departments or providing direct support themselves.

To ensure continuous compliance, look specifically for support that notifies you about potential issues. Deel is currently the only payroll solution to proactively monitor global legislation and send you actionable alerts. Our Compliance Hub also gives you insights into employment and labor laws across 150+ countries.

Can you provide examples of how you’ve handled customer issues in the past?

Getting examples of a payroll provider’s past successes can build trust and give you a clear picture of their support quality and fit for your business.

Seek out case studies, testimonials, and reviews to assess their experience. Look for evidence that they have successfully worked with companies similar in size, structure, location, and industry to yours. A proven track record in these areas is crucial.

For instance, Deel ranks highly across public leaderboards like G2 and Capterra and receives overwhelmingly positive reviews from international enterprises.

One example is how Deel helped bunq build a centralized payroll process that made it easier for them to scale and grow.

How do you escalate issues?

A good escalation process allows your provider to identify and address issues they couldn’t solve at the first level of support. They can also prioritize any urgent situations. If the problem is beyond their level of expertise, support staff should be able to find personnel with the right knowledge and skills.

Ideally, the provider should take a proactive approach like Deel. That means rather than waiting for you to flag outstanding issues, we monitor them ourselves. We’re proud to say this approach has led 50% of our clients to return to us—that’s twice the industry standard.

What training and resources do you offer?

Not every issue requires direct support. A great provider should also empower you to find information independently and develop relevant skills. This way, minor queries can be resolved quickly, avoiding unnecessary delays.

Ask specifically about your prospective provider’s knowledge base. Your team can use these resources to learn about the provider's payroll process, which can be essential for new hires.

To give you an idea of what to look for, Deel provides both tutorial articles and a video library. These resources can serve you, your employees, and any contractors you hire. 

Deel also recently released Deel AI, a global work assistant powered by artificial intelligence. With this feature, you can:

• Get answers to questions on global employment, benefits, and more in over 150+ countries
• See the latest trends in salaries and employer costs for specific roles and locations
• Get instant reports and analyses on your workforce

The payroll provider should teach you how to maximize their features and services. For example, Deel offers free Independent Contractor and Employer of Record onboarding courses. These courses teach you how to use the platform to streamline different operations and free up more time to focus on core business initiatives.

What will the setup and onboarding process look like?

Before you commit to a payroll provider, ask about their setup and onboarding process. Outsourcing payroll is a major transition that can disrupt operations and negatively impact employees when not handled properly. You need to be sure the support team can handle the process in a way that minimizes these risks.

When you sign a contract with a leading provider like Deel, you receive a dedicated onboarding manager (OBM). They can tell you what to expect, assist with the migration process, and help you navigate the new system.

Get comprehensive payroll support with Deel

Given how closely you’ll work alongside your payroll provider, they’ll be more like a partner than a service. You need to check there’s a foundation for a long-term collaborative and strategic relationship before you commit. 

With these questions, you can ensure a prospective provider will meet your needs. As a highly-rated global payroll solution, Deel understands what high-quality service looks like. Deel customer support includes:

• A dedicated Customer Success Manager
• Local in-house payroll and legal experts across 90+ countries
• Chat support with a 1.25-minute response rate
• Screen sharing for step-by-step guidance
• Proactive risk management via our Compliance Hub
• A range of training and self-service knowledge resources

Want to learn more about the payroll support Deel offers? Book a 30-minute demo with our experts.