The Client’s Challenge

A global corporation with a subsidiary in Slovakia faced an urgent need to change its payroll provider. During the initial meetings, we identified differing expectations between the local and global management teams. The local team had understandable concerns about the change, while the parent company’s leadership expected a significant improvement in payroll efficiency.

The main reasons for dissatisfaction with the existing setup included errors in payroll outputs, difficulties communicating in English and German, and low efficiency in payroll processes.

1. Understanding the Client and Identifying Problem Areas

Even during the proposal stage, we reviewed the client’s existing payroll processes and operating model in detail. The objective was to identify weak points and understand the client’s specific requirements before the cooperation formally began.

This enabled us to define the scope of services and prepare a proposal that reflected the client’s actual needs.

2. A Clear Implementation Plan

Following contract signing, we presented the client with a structured project plan outlining the individual implementation steps, timeline and regular online meetings.

Throughout the transition, the client therefore had clear visibility of our approach, the current status of the project and the next planned steps.

3. Parallel Payroll Processing

One of the most important parts of the implementation was ensuring uninterrupted payroll processing while the payroll software settings were being reviewed and optimised.

For three months, our team therefore processed payroll in parallel with the previous provider. This enabled us to compare results continuously, identify discrepancies and manage the transition to BDO in a controlled manner without interrupting payroll operations.

4. Automated Accounting Outputs

During the implementation, we also worked closely with the client’s accounting department, which needed a more efficient way to process payroll data for accounting purposes.

We therefore created an automated export of payroll items in a format that could be imported directly into SAP. This removed a significant amount of manual administration and simplified the transfer of data between payroll and accounting processes.

Why Thorough Payroll Checks Matter

While comparing payroll outputs and investigating identified discrepancies, we discovered several incorrect calculations from previous periods.

Errors of this kind can affect not only the accuracy of employee pay, but also employees’ tax liabilities and the risk of penalties in the event of an inspection by the relevant authorities.

Results of the Cooperation

The client gained more accurate and stable payroll processing, clearly defined procedures and automated outputs for accounting.

Regular communication with both local and global management also helped create a more transparent operating model and gradually build confidence in the new payroll arrangement.

Through our professional approach and transparent identification of problem areas, we gradually gained the trust of the local management team. The client subsequently began approaching us for support in additional areas and expressed interest in expanding the cooperation.

Efficiently structured processes, clear communication with the global headquarters and automated accounting outputs also demonstrated the value of changing payroll providers to the parent company’s management.