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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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You may have almost unlimited questions when it comes to HR and payroll technology, as well as questions about how Silver Cloud could potentially help you and your organisation.

We've listed some of the most commonly asked questions below, however should you have any more specific questions you would like answered, please do get in touch with us.

You may either send us an email, request a call back or jump onto Live Chat at the bottom right of this page and we'll be able to help.

What systems do Silver Cloud work with? Expand

All of them. As a whole-of-market consultancy, our focus is on finding the right solution for you and so it is important that we keep up to date with all vendors and understand what they have to offer.

Because of what we do, vendors usually come to us which is great. We send them a quarterly questionnaire to complete to ensure the information we share on our website about them is up to date.

This includes vendors that focus on the SME market and also the Tier 1s (Workday, Oracle and SAP Successfactors).

What experience do your consultants have? Expand

We have consultants with a whole range of experience but one thing that is essential for us is that they have hands-on HR experience and must have come from an HR background.  It is essential for us that they understand the context within which they are working and have practical experience to be able to offer advice.

Can I afford consultancy? Expand

People associate consultancy with expensive day rates.  We understand that HR and payroll software is a requirement for a company of every size.  We have options for companies of all sizes whether you are 10 employees or 10,000. Billable on daily or hourly rates we work with customers to come up with a workable solution.

We also offer a number of cost effective ‘packages’ including our online selection service for SMEs and Managed Services which enable you to select hourly bundles of support.

Will I have an IR35 issue if I appoint Silver Cloud HR? Expand

We are not contractors and could not be deemed to be employees in any way.  Our contracts will back this up and we will provide a statement of works to define the deliverables so that this is clear.  Usually, our consultants are working with a number of clients at any one time.  And of course we are paying the tax and NI for all of our employees anyway.  In fact, this is a safer solution than going out and sourcing your own contractor on a day rate.

Systems Questions

Should I go on-premise or cloud? Expand

Unless there is an exceptional business case, most organisations now seek software as a service (SaaS) agreements, as the total cost of ownership is much lower. With SaaS you may be paying a subscription, but compare that to the Implementation cost, hardware cost, upgrades every few years, internal support and a large cost of change should you ever need to move away. Software as a Service is typically cheaper in the long term.

If you decide on on-premise you will be limiting your options.  Most vendors are only developing for the cloud and therefore these systems may be better for future-proofing you as a business.  Your IT team will have a cloud strategy that you’ll need to consider but it does seem to be the way the world is going.

What do I need to budget for a new system? Expand

This is a tricky one.  SME vendors usually publish their costs on their websites and there is no negotiation.  Larger vendors will want to “engage” you in lots of conversations before you get to understand their costs and, in our experience, can often negotiate.

Be really firm as ask for the typical employee cost per year so you can get an idea of what is affordable before you start.  Because we run selection projects all the time we know this information and, if you are a client of ours, we will help with negotiations because we can benchmark against other customers.

How do the costings usually work?  Expand

Vendors communicate costs in several ways. Newer players in the market will usually offer customers a transparent, monthly cost with short notice periods. Implementation support costs are either wrapped in, but you will be expected to do the implementation yourself, usually with good remote support and online guidance.  This can be a quick, flexible and cost effective approach for emerging organisations, but you should still consider your own time and capability to take it on such a project.

More established vendors are now offering SaaS (Software as a Service) payment models. You access the software via their server and pay a licence fee (usually by capita) for the benefit of using it. SaaS contracts can vary from between 3-5 years, but you should look to include a break claus in the contract half way through so you have the opportunity to review if the software remains fit for purpose, especially if you’re a fast growing organisation.

Coupled with the SaaS licensing costs, there will usually be vendor professional services fees for implementation support. It’s important to see a proposed implementation plan to underpin this and it should show you where the vendor resource will be deployed during the project – you don’t want to leave yourself short of support during testing, or during a pay parallel run!  It will also give you an indication of how much support you will need to offer internally. A good starting ratio is usually 2/3 hours of internal resource for every 1 hour of vendor resource.

Finally, there may be peripheral costs to look out for, such as additional costs for training the HR team. Other common cost to look out for are integration, both from the HRIS vendor and the existing business system vendor.

How many years will I need to sign up for? Expand

This is vendor dependent, but ranges anywhere from a month to 5 years. Vendors are now typically offering SaaS (Software as a Service) payment models. You access the software via their server and pay a licence fee (usually by capita) for the benefit of using it. SaaS contracts can vary from between 3-5 years, but you should look to include a break claus in the contract half way through so you have the opportunity to review if the software remains fit for purpose, especially if you’re a fast growing organisation. 3 years

Is it possible to get a system that does everything? Expand

HRIS solutions are either considered unified or best of breed. Either may be more appropriate for your organisation, but it will come down to your current requirements, short/medium terms goals. Both are explained below.

A “Unified” HRIS solution strategy is one involving an end-to-end suite designed to manage the entire life cycle of an employee within one integrated system. This does not mean that a unified system approach won’t have any additional system touch points (e.g. benefits provders or job boards), but collectively speaking, it is a single system of record for all needs on one platform. To provide some context, a vendor that offers a “unified” solution will likely include at least the following major functional capabilities: HCM, payroll, talent management, performance management, time management.

A “Best-of-Breed” strategy is to acquire and deploy systems offering the best possible capabilities in a specific HCM functional area (e.g. HR, payroll, recruiting, performance, onboarding, etc.) requiring an integration plan to ’bolt together’ each of these point solutions. Best-of-breed vendors typically offer much greater functional capabilities addressing specific business processes vs. any unified solution. The most common “Best-of-Breed” HCM vendor solutions include: ATS (Applicant Tracking System), LMS (Learning Management System), Compensation Management, Expense Management.

 

We’ve opted for best of breed – what types of Integration should I be aware of? Expand

There are several ways to integrate business systems, two of the most common methods of exchanging data is either via an API or a data flat file. API’s are more sophisticated and are considered a ‘true’  integration, but are costly to implement. Flat file data transfers are simpler, but data is unlikely to be transferred in ‘real time’, are prone to issues but are more cost effective.

I need a clocking in system - do any of them have it? Expand

Clocking in solutions usually require both software and hardware and if you have not already made an investment you should plan for this additional procurement and cost.

Some vendors will offer the capability to capture clocking data and will commonly recommend compatible hardware vendors. If you already have the hardware in place that must remain, a conversation with your vendor should be a good place to start on compatible HRIS software solutions, but do also look at the whole of market as integrations are advancing all the time.

Some more advance HRIS software can enable clocking without the hardware and instead relies on GPS to validate the location of an employee. The suitability of this depends on your organisation type and culture One consideration is do you allow employees to carry mobile devices?   Some built up locations can often eschew the GPS data – you don’t want your retail employee clocking in from the coffeeshop next door! Nevertheless its worth investigating to reduce cost and technology is fast evolving.

We are global, what else do I need to consider? Expand

When taking the HRIS global, it is important not to get too wrapped up in trying to make processes country specific. Typically, about 80 percent of the business processes are the same across countries, 20 percent are different. Make sure that research has been done ahead of time to pinpoint any specific country needs, but then focus on consistency as much as possible.

It is important to make sure that the HR software vendor functionally supports all of the countries that you do business in now and any you anticipate moving into in the short to medium term to avoid system capabilities becoming an issue. Where possible, seek references of other oranisations operating your shortlisted software in your regions.

Maintenance may also become difficult and inconvenient when updates have to be applied all at once for a system that operates across different time zones. Likewise, for day to day helpdesk support, ensure the software vendor offers the ‘follow the sun’ model of support to ensure consistent coverage.

Finally, consider any language differences and how this will be managed for implementation and reporting.

I am looking at HRIS systems but our company is also looking at introducing an intranet. What’s the best approach? Expand

There are obviously some areas where functionality is duplicated ie document management, policies, policy updates, forms etc and holiday booking however our advice is to keep it separate. We advise that you link from the intranet to the HR system using single sign on so the experience is seamless. We also advise to keep HR policies in the HR system for reporting and tracking reasons.

Project Questions

Do I need a project manager for my HRIS implementation project? Expand

Yes.  This may not be full time (although typically the client-side PM is) but it is required.  This role will manage the activities and resources to ensure the project is delivered on time and within budget.  They will manage all the risks, issues and dependencies and will typically manage all the vendor relationships (there could be the software supplier and a delivery partner).

My HRIS vendor wants to hand the implementation over to a delivery partner.  Should I be worried? Expand

This depends on the delivery partner and the model that the vendor uses.  Before discounting the idea, ask to speak to potential delivery partners or clients that have used the partner.  You may actually get a better delivery experience from a delivery partner as this is their primary focus of their business, unlike software vendors who will prioritise recurring annual licence fees.

What resource will be required internally? Expand

The fact you are reading this is a good start.  Many customers don’t consider the internal resource requirements when it comes to a project.  Of course it will depend on the size of your company, but as a rule of thumb, for every hour/day the software vendor is quoting you for implementation, we would recommend you plan the same internally at least 1 or 1.5 times the amount.

We would advise against trying to run a project like this alongside the day job.  Using a Silver Cloud project manager will help you with your resource planning to ensure you go live on time.

Who will I need to involve internally? Expand

We recommend engaging with all relevant stakeholder early on in any HRIS project – whether selecting a new system, or implementing your new or upgraded software. Key internal stakeholders will, and should, usually comprise of senior management from HR, finance, payroll, marketing, operations and customer service.

Payroll Questions

Can you help us select a new payroll system or do you just focus on HR systems? Expand

Absolutely. We can support you in meeting both your HRIS and payroll technology needs. With access to the whole of the market, our experienced payroll consultants will help you select the right system(s) for your business, wherever you are in your digitisation journey.

Whether you employ 25, 5000 or 10,000 people, we'll help guide you through all of the options available to you, using our knowledge and experience of the whole of the market to select the payroll system that best suits your needs and budget.

I need a new payroll system but don't want to change my HR software, can you help? Expand

Of course. We would generally recommend that you adopt a 'best of breed approach' anyway, and keep your HR and payroll systems separate. With our experience of the whole of the market, as well as our HR and payroll backgrounds, we can help ensure that you choose the right system for your business - supporting you through the selection process, implementation and integration with current systems.

I'm interested in new payroll software but don't have the internal resource to manage it, can you help? Expand

This is more common than you may think. Depending on your circumstances, outsourcing your payroll to Silver Cloud can work out significantly more cost effective than managing in-house. We offer a number of outsourced payroll services that will ensure your employees are paid on time, every time no matter the complexities of your workforce and regardless of your in-house resource.

Whether you are seeking a fully outsourced solution or a hybrid approach, we'll work with you to establish the best package for you and will take care of as much or as little of your payroll processing as you need, including statutory HMRC returns, payslips and reporting and full system support.

Should I outsource my payroll? Expand

Often the biggest expense for a business, regardless of size, payroll also brings with it significant financial and legislative burdens. Therefore depending on your circumstances, outsourcing your payroll to Silver Cloud can work out significantly more cost effective than managing in-house. 

Outsourcing payroll can also free up valuable time, enabling you to focus on those important strategic tasks that so often get overlooked. 

It can also enable you to make financial savings depending on the size of your workforce and where payroll sits within your organisation. Having dedicated payroll specialists who are across all of the relevant and often changing HMRC legislation, can also help you remain compliant and maintain peace of mind.

We are happy to discuss whether outsourcing is the right approach for you.

Take a look at the details of our outsourced payroll options for more information on how we can help.

What's the difference between managed service and fully managed payroll? Expand
A fully managed outsourced payroll service will provide you with both the software and the resource to run your payroll. The alternative is that you have the payroll software, but need the resource, provided by an external bureau service, to run the payroll.
We're planning on starting a payroll implementation project, can you help us with that? Expand

Absolutely. Silver Cloud have several years' experience supporting clients with Payroll implementations. Our Consultants can provide advice and guidance throughout the entire process, but also provide hands-on support during parallel processing, when internal resources are usually constrained.

We can also provide pre-implementation support to ensure that you are 'project ready'.

HRIS Services

Digital HR Review

Our full-day Digital HR Review will cover people, processes, technology, strategy, data and more, enabling you to see the way forward for your HR and payroll systems.

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Implementation Support

Our experienced project managers will ensure that your system(s) implementation goes smoothly, to plan and more importantly, to budget!

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Vendor Selection

With access to the whole of the market, our experienced HRIS and payroll consultants will help you select the right system(s) for your business, wherever you are in your journey.

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Managed Services

Whether you need ad hoc support during busy periods or a trusted partner to provide ongoing system support, our managed services packages offer full flexibility.

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Project Readiness Workshops

Plan for HRIS project success with a one-day, intensive-crash course that will lay the foundation for your project success. Carried out on site or location of your choice.

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Sage People Training

As a Sage People delivery partner, we offer accredited training to help you get the most from your chosen system. Covering Recruit, Reporting & Analytics and Admin Essentials.

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Digitising Payroll

Payroll Health Checks

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Payroll Vendor Selection

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Outsourced Payroll Services

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Why choose Silver Cloud HR as your HR and payroll technology partner?

Whole of market

Silver Cloud HR works with HR and payroll vendors across all sectors and will only ever recommend a system that will work for you.

Solutions-driven

We are dedicated to finding effective, affordable, game-changing solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes - tailoring our recommendations to you.

We are HR People

As HR people, passionate about technology, we understand your pain points and have experienced first hand, many of the same issues.

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