Payroll Service Bureau - Service Bureau Software

Service Bureau Software

At the heart of every service bureau is the computer system that performs the calculations and prints the check. Service bureau software is created solely for payroll professionals and has one purpose: to mass-produce accurate payrolls for many companies simultaneously. There are only a handful of service bureau software vendors in the United States, and the choice of computer system used by the service bureau is often a deciding factor for their clients as the software choice often determines what services the service bureau can regularly render. The software choice is also significant in that service bureau trade associations are often formed based on the choice of software, as they generally face the same challenges and offer the same services in the same manner.

The common wisdom of "newer is better" that applies to most software, does not apply in the service bureau industry. Due to the complexity and potential for expensive errors that goes with, moving clients from one system to another, it is very common for older software to be in just as much use as newer software. Clients generally have a low tolerance for errors, simply because payroll is a high-dollar affair that can become very expensive when mistakes are made - and this results in significant apprehensiveness on the part of the service bureau to simply switch from one software package to another. A service bureau software package that has been in service for ten years may be based on obsolete operating systems such as DOS and lack Internet functionality, but on the other hand, such software has the advantage of a proven history and a body of real-world experience using it.