From Payroll Chaos to Precision: How Corient Helped a Midlands Firm Scale Efficiently

Introduction

An accounting firm based in the Midlands, known for its solid reputation in the finance sector, found itself at a crossroads. Internal payroll operations were suffering due to underqualified staff, leading to growing inaccuracies. These errors weren’t just operational hiccups—they were bottlenecks that hindered business expansion and strained client relationships.

Faced with this challenge, the firm turned to Corient, a trusted name in payroll outsourcing services, for a solution that would restore stability and create room for growth.

The Initial Problem: What Went Wrong?

Despite its reputation, the firm struggled with:

• Frequent payroll processing errors.
• An inability to scale operations and onboard more clients.
• Eroding client trust and a plateau in business growth.

The core issue? Internal staff lacked the necessary training and expertise to handle the complexities of payroll compliance and software-specific nuances.

Corient’s First Solution: The Fix

During governance meetings, Corient performed a detailed audit of the firm’s current payroll system and uncovered multiple pain points. Based on this, we proposed a phased payroll outsourcing plan.

The steps we took included:

• Assessment of existing workflows to spot inefficiencies.
• Demonstration of capabilities across platforms like BrightPay, Sage, Xero, and MoneySoft.
• Initiation with simple payroll clients to test systems and communication workflows.

The goal was to rebuild from the ground up, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and a smoother flow of data.

The New Problem: A Surprise Roadblock

As the partnership progressed, we discovered a new layer of challenges—legacy payroll discrepancies. These issues, left unnoticed by previous handlers, involved critical components like:

• Employment Allowance misapplications,
• Incorrect Auto Enrolment and Pension entries,
• Errors in SMP, SSP, AOE, and Salary Sacrifice schemes.

These errors weren’t just technical—they were expensive and posed reputational risks for the accounting firm.

Corient’s Second Solution: Fixing the New Problem

To overcome this, Corient implemented a step-by-step remediation strategy:

1. Detailed forensic analysis of prior payroll data to identify gaps.
2. Collaboration with the firm’s internal team for data correction and validation.
3. Specialised focus on salary sacrifice arrangements, ensuring all statutory components were accurately captured.
4. Updated internal control mechanisms to avoid future compliance issues.
5. Delivered client-ready reports with corrected figures, recovering over £10,400 in unclaimed savings for just one client.

This initiative not only fixed past issues but also instilled long-term payroll governance discipline.

The Final Outcome: Success Story

• Stabilised payroll processes, ensuring timely and error-free execution.
• Significant cost savings for the firm’s clients.
• The firm’s ability to take on new payroll clients with confidence.
• Improved client satisfaction and retention, thanks to accurate and efficient service delivery.

Corient didn’t just step in—they elevated our entire payroll system. From software mastery to compliance corrections, their team gave us the confidence to grow again.

Key Takeaways: Why This Matters for Businesses

Accurate payroll is not just about compliance—it’s about client trust, cost savings, and growth. Partnering with the right experts can be the difference between stagnation and scalable success.

Sometimes, the most innovative way to grow is to let go of what’s slowing you down.