Unless you have been under a rock for the past few years, you are aware of all the talk about our environment and what we can do to diminish our carbon footprint. Personally, I do believe that mankind has done damage to the planet.  How much damage is to be determined, and there are various opinions our there.  There are claims of global warming, there are commercials on TV asking us to save the polar bears.  Most of the United States just went through a major freeze.  Even southern Florida was covered in ice.  Any many folks say this is directly tied to global warming. Is it? I don’t know. But I figure if all this is true, then as a company Sequoia Payroll Solutions should do something to reduce it’s waste.  We offer payroll services, bookkeeping services and incorporation services. Anyone who is familiar with our field, knows that there is a whole lot of paper used in running financial reports, printing paychecks and direct deposit records, drafting statements, and other various day to day functions.  Obviously, we enjoy nature and all that comes with the outdoors, which is part of the reason we named the company after the giant sequoia redwood.  So in an effort to reduce waste, and benefit our clients, we have made a transition into a paperless working environment.

In this blog, we will discuss a few ways we have reduced our paper usage and benefited our customers when doing so.  Maybe this information will help you “go green”, if you so desire. One of the big issues was the paperwork it takes to set up a new client.  There are forms that need to be filled out regarding company information such as tax id numbers, YTD financial records, employee info, W-4’s, I-9’s, benefit info, and the list goes on and on. For the most part, we still have to print all this paper, because much of the information is not in paperless format yet.  However, when the paperwork is returned to us, we scan it all into the computer and we save electronic files on our server and an offsite backup server just to be safe.  These files are password protected to ensure complete security.  Once everything is scanned, we place the paperwork in a locked box, and a shredding company comes once a month and takes the paper away to be shredded.  The paper is then recycled. The shredding company charges us just 35.00 per month, this is well worth the price.

We started sending some accounting reports in electronic format to our clients. This has been a crowd pleaser because the employer can pull up the report at any time, from any computer and take a look at the information. We also have set up password accounts for our clients and they can log into our secure website anytime and run various payroll reports such as total cost reports, tax reports, etc.  Another place we save on using paper is by using e-stubs.  Our clients are very happy with this feature.  An e-stub is just an electronic pay stub that is sent to the employees personal e-mail account. The paycheck is directly deposited into the account of choice, and the stub is in electronic form.  This was a HUGE price saver. It allowed us to save on envelopes, paper, printer ink, and time. Tax forms and tax payments are now sent online as well. Since we have reduced our costs, we have passed this savings onto our customers. In this day and age who isn’t happy to save a little money. All and all, we have reduced our waste as a company, we have cut back on costs and we have helped our customers.  If you can reduce waste in your day to day, not only will you help the planet, but you will probably find you save a little on spending as well.

If you have problems with your payroll, then contact us, we have payroll solutions.

Sequoia Payroll has a few special promotions that we would like to let you know about.  Some of you may know that we offer the first month free for any business that enrolls in our payroll services for one year.  But there are other promotions that we currently offer which you may not be aware of.  In this segment, we would like to inform everyone of our referral program.  Before we get into the meat and potatoes of the information there are a few things that need to be addressed.  First off, this is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme.  You won’t be able to support your family on this extra income, and we do not imply such.  However, if you are a business owner who currently uses our service, this is a great way to get discounted or even free payroll services from us.  And if you don’t use our services, this is a way to put a little money in your pocket…
Here is how it works…  

Let’s say you are a business owner who uses our service.  If you know anyone who can benefit from our payroll/bookkeeping service have them contact us.  If they enroll for one year, they get the free month, and you will receive up to 125.00 off your payroll service.  Now, say for example that your monthly fee is 75.00. If a business you referred signs up, you get the month free.  If your monthly fee is 150.00, then you will only have to pay 25.00 for the month. Here is the great part about this offer.  There is no limit.  So, if you refer 10 businesses and they all sign up, you will get a discounted rate, or even free payroll service for 10 months…in a row.  No smoke and mirrors here, just a way for us to say “thanks”.

Ok, so, say your just a guy or gal out there and you don’t use our service.  There is a way for you to make a little money with this referral program as well.  If you refer a business and they sign up for one year, then you will receive a $100.00 finders fee.  There is no limit to this reward either.  So if your refer 10 businesses and they sign up, you get $1000.00.  Again, 100 bucks isn’t a whole lot of money, but you will be able to take your significant other to a really nice dinner and a movie.  You could buy that new pair of shoes or that fishing pole that you have had your eye on.  Whatever you want to spend it on is fine with us.  These referral rewards are just our little way of saying “thank you” for thinking about us.    

There are just a few restrictions that need to be mentioned.  The businesses that are referred must sign a legal contract for one year of service. They must be able to prove that they are an established business and provide good references.  We have to take these steps to ensure that we are not setting up bogus businesses just so someone can make a quick buck.  We hate to place these restrictions, but unfortunately, there are a lot of unsavory characters our there and we have a businesses (both ours and yours) to protect.  

If you have any questions regarding this referral program, please let us know.  You can contact us by e-mail at services@sequoiapayroll.com or by phone- 479-409-8284.  

Our referral program is just another way Sequoia Payroll Solutions is taking your business to new heights!

Ok, so in the last blog we mentioned how awesome e-stubs and direct deposit really are.  They are awesome because they save paper, they save time, and they make employers look like hero’s to their staff.  We also discussed how e-stubs and direct deposit are included (unlike other payroll management firms) in the low prices from Sequoia Payroll Solutions.

This week we will talk about customer service.  If you are like me, then you expect excellent customer service. It drives me nuts when I call the phone company, the cable company, the gas company, or whoever and I get an automated voice on the other end.  Then I get put on hold.  Then I FINALLY get a human, and there is a language barrier because I was routed to India.  Now, I absolutely have nothing against India or the lovable people found there.  The point is, when I have a question, concern, problem, I want to talk to a person who can help me. I am sure that many of you out there feel the same way.  At our payroll service, you will always talk to a human.  No automated voice options here.  However, as with any other business you might get a voice mail.  Things get busy, and sometimes we miss the phone.  But I GUARANTEE, that we will call you back.  If you are looking into our payroll services, we want your business, and if you are already a customer, we want to continue serving you.

The problem with bigger companies, regardless of the industry, is that customer service suffers.  Somewhere along the way, bigger companies stop caring about YOU and only care about the almighty dollar.  The mentality is “go somewhere else, we don’t need your business”.  That is why it’s so hard to find a large company with great customer service.  I know it sounds cliche’ but at our payroll service the customer is always right.   We work very hard to be sure there are no mistakes with your payroll.  But in the event there is a discrepancy, we will make it right.  Mistakes are opportunities for us to prove to you that we want to be your payroll provider.

Well, there is my spill.  I truly believe that excellent customer service is essential to the success of any business.  Let Sequoia Payroll Solutions prove to you that we offer the best customer service in the payroll industry.

For more information about our services, please visit www.sequoiapayroll.com

In segment one of this six part blog, we discussed how 33% of businesses out there will pay a penalty to the IRS this year. Sequoia Payroll Solutions guarantees accurate tax calculations and assures that you will never pay a penalty again.
Part Two of this blog will discuss the beautiful invention of direct deposit and the e-stub. Most of us have at least heard of direct deposit. Some, including myself LOVE it. The benefits are many, and from my standpoint, the cons are nil. For those who dont know what direct deposit is, or why they should look further into it, this stubs for you.

Direct deposit is when your paycheck is directly deposited into the bank account of your choice. The beautiful thing about this is you don’t have to stand in line at the bank, and typically the money is in your account before your paper check counterparts have even received their paycheck. Employers love this idea because it means less check signing (less hand cramps), money is saved on check stock, and the employees are estatic about this benefit. Direct deposit is a great, time saving benefit.

But to make direct deposit EVEN BETTER, some GENIUS out there developed E-stubs. You see, while direct deposit is awesome, there is still paper used to create the stub for the employee. Paper supplies including envelopes can add up fast. E-Stubs mean that you can stop wasting paper. So what is E-stubbing? An E-stub is a record of payment that is automatically sent to an employees e-mail account. Getting your employees paid can now be completely paperless. This saves the employer money, is convenient to the employee because they can look at their pay stub from their e-mail, and using E-Stub also helps the environment. All good things!

E-stub is something that most payroll services offer. While some payroll companies charge up to $10.00 or more per month for this service, Sequoia Payroll Solutions offers this benefit at no extra cost. In fact, as you can tell, we are serious advocates of direct deposit and e-stubs. Direct deposit and e-stubs are just another benefit of using our payroll service. Next week, in part three of our blog, we will discuss how customer service is king, and how Sequoia Payroll strives to offer the best customer service available.