North Carolina can be a great place to start and grow a business, but that does not mean there are not troubles and trials you as a business owner will need to deal with. In addition to the competition and creating the best organization possible, businesses in North Carolina also need to worry about all the usual things such as HR, payroll management, and the administration of benefits.
For all these time sinks and problems, we recommend working with a PEO company, otherwise known as a professional employer organization. Effectively, you enter a co-employment agreement with them so that they can manage the payroll and HR work related to your employees while you still retain all the power. PEO companies can also offer benefits packages, help with risk management, and perform a host of other services as well. While the exact results may vary depending on the PEO company, they can be a boon to any business.
Yet picking one out is not easy, and this is sometimes a commitment for your business. To help you out, after reviewing all the major PEO companies in the state of North Carolina, here are our top recommendations:
Our top choice is Resourcing Edge, a relatively PEO that not only does an exceptional job with all the standard services you’d expect but also offers innovative management and technology tools to truly help you run your business.
They are an especially good choice for North Carolina businesses that are looking to expand their team and recruit new people soon, which is great considering some areas of economic growth in the region recently. Resourcing Edge has a range of tools to help you find the right candidates and make the onboarding process a bit easier including e-verify, employment verification, background checks, and applicant review.
Resourcing Edge offers excellent all-around services as well as making customer experience and satisfaction a priority with dedicated support from an account manager who actually knows your business. Whether it is payroll processing, general HR needs, or benefits administration, Resourcing Edge will have you covered and you will likely be satisfied.
We recommend Resourcing Edge if:
- You expect to expand your team in the near future or want more information on how your current staff is performing.
- You have not worked with a PEO company before and want an option that is easy to work with and has smooth onboarding.
- You are looking for an overall excellent PEO company with few weaknesses when it comes to the services offered.
2) Amplify PEO
The second option we want you to consider is Amplify PEO, an experienced PEO company that is growing and can work with all types of businesses across the country, making them a great general recommendation for North Carolina businesses.
Amplify PEO is also the clear choice if you are looking for a PEO company with excellent customer service. When you talk to them, you will be talking to a human being, and whatever your question or issue it, you can expect as fast and effective a response as possible. They truly stand out in this way, as often you might need to go through automated systems with lesser PEO companies.
You can expect all the usual services offered from them, including payroll, HR and benefits administration, and more. All are above par, and they have a great online platform while remaining relatively affordable compared to other PEO companies (though we recommend getting a quote from them regardless).
We recommend Amplify PEO if:
- You are looking to work with a PEO company that prioritizes customer service.
- You have not used a PEO company before and want an easy onboarding process for both yourself and your team.
- Your business is in general industry and you do not see yourself needing industry-specific solutions or services.
3) TriNet
Next is TriNet, which we find is a great option for businesses in North Carolina who might need something more specialized or specific than our first two recommendations. They operate in all 50 states and have teams set up for all types of industries, including many of those that might be hard to find support for from other PEO companies.
TriNet is perhaps best utilized by businesses that are decentralized or have many remote employees (perhaps in a number of states), due to the fact that TriNet operates well in just about any state as in North Carolina, and they have an excellent online platform that can be a staple for keeping projects on track and you as a business owner completely aware as to what is going on.
TriNet is also notable for the benefit options it can provide your employees, which are extremely competitive and can be a great option at the bargaining table when making new hires. There are also some perks and discounts your employees will enjoy, making things even better for them under TriNet. Overall, TriNet has a lot to offer, and can absolutely be worth the cost.
We recommend TriNet if:
- Your business employs people remotely or in several states and you want a PEO company that can handle that with absolutely no issues.
- You want to be able to provide extremely competitive benefits and perks for your team.
- Your North Carolina business is in a specialized industry with more regulations than usual, and you would like the support that is tailored to your unique needs.
ADP Total Source is our fourth choice, and you might have heard of them before. They manage over 500,000 employees for their clients and have a long history in both data processing and payroll management. They have perfected the science of both as far as we are concerned. Working with just about any business large or small, they can be a great choice for business owners simply looking for a stable, reliable company to partner with.
As stated, ADP Total Source is a huge organization, and with that, you can be sure that they have all the tools and resources required to help out your business, no matter what. They have seen it before, and they can provide the services you need. And since there are customizable service packages, you can get just the services that your business wants or needs, at least compared to the complete packages other PEOs offer. If you just want basic payroll services and a bit more, ADP Total Source might be the best choice.
There is the chance that you might feel a little disconnected, especially compared with some of the more focused and customer service-oriented PEO companies listed here, but do not let that completely stop you and it may in fact be exactly what you are looking for.
We recommend ADP Total Source if:
- You want to work with a stable, large organization that can provide a wide range of services for businesses.
- You want to work with a PEO company that is focused on the fundamentals and can provide excellent payroll processing services.
- You like the idea of working with a PEO company that can scale its services and other customizable service packages.
5) Insperity
Our last choice is Insperity, which is a massive and longstanding PEO company that has over three decades in the industry. Able to provide any services that you might need and do so well, Insperity currently works with millions of employees spread across their more than 100,000 clients, and it would be right to assume that they have seen and dealt with just about everything HR and payroll related. This kind of stability and experience that comes over 30 years is hard to replicate.
Insperity is the choice for business owners who place great value on informational resources and training their employees regularly, as Insperity has an extremely large library of online classes, books, and additional resources that you and your team can use to update their skills, get exposed to new ideas, and more. Development is key to staying competitive, and Insperity helps more than any other PEO company with this.
As for cons, Insperity might not have as many health benefit choices as other PEO companies on this list and they might not be the perfect fit for smaller businesses, but for many North Carolina businesses, we know that we are the right choice for the above reasons.
We recommend Insperity if:
- You are looking for a PEO company that has decades of experience providing practically any PEO service your business would need.
- You are interested in a PEO company that can be a little more flexible than its competitors in tailing the experience to your business’ situation.
- You prioritize employee training and development and want a PEO company that can help with that.
What Makes for a Top-Rated PEO Company?
Picking out the best PEO company, or even just the top options, is not an easy process. What is important and what can be safely ignored? For your benefit, we thought it would be best to list out everything we poured over when reviewing the options in North Carolina.
These are the factors and features we looked at, and these are things you should consider as well:
- Payroll and tax processing competency
- HR assistance and management
- Recruitment and retention assistance
- Training options and services
- Industry-specific offerings and services
- Benefit offerings and benefits administration
- Workers’ compensation insurance offerings and support
- Compliance assistance and risk-management services
- The quality of the online portal
- Availability and quality of time tracking and productivity tracking tools
- Customer service and timely response to requests
- Positive response to feedback
- Personalization or tailoring of services
- Additional unique features or services
- The ability to navigate local issues and problems and keep aware of local regulations that might be relevant to your business.
There are plenty of different businesses out there, including yours, which means that every PEO company will be a slightly different fit for you. Only you know the exact priorities of your business and as a result what the best PEO company would be, so do your own evaluations of PEO companies on your shortlist and take notes where appropriate.
Why You Should Work with a PEO Company
If you are somewhat interested in working with a North Carolina PEO company but still are uncertain as to all the benefits or why you should continue your search, read the following main reasons to work with one:
- There will be less paperwork to deal with across the board, meaning more time for you, your managers, and your employees to focus on other tasks.
- While there is a cost associated with PEO companies, the money your business will save on HR and payroll costs (in both time and money). Additionally, the money saved on benefits and perks compared to trying to handle them yourself will make up for the cost of the PEO.
- A PEO company, by grouping all of the employees they represent together, has massive bargaining power when it comes to dealing with companies that provide benefits (health insurance, retirement benefits, etc.) Those savings will be passed onto you, and the benefits packages will likely be better than your business could get on its own.
- They will help your business navigate the tricky waters of HR compliance and risk management, making sure that regulations are followed and there are no potential issues.
How to Select and Start Working with a PEO Company
At this point, you may have a PEO or two in mind you want to work with or at least know more about. While the entire onboarding process is too much to go over here, you will want to do the following when researching PEOs and getting set up with one:
- Make sure that the PEO company has a certificate of insurance and can provide all of the services your business needs or is interested in. The last thing you want is to feel like you are missing something when onboarding has already begun.
- Try to read up more about the PEO company from reviews and testimonials, ideally from business owners also in Florida or in the same industry as you. Every experience will be different, but there are still trends (positive and negative) that you can be aware of.
- Try to arrange a meeting between yourself and a representative of any PEO companies you are interested in. You might wish to bring a manager or advisor with you, and the meeting can be remote or in-person. Just be sure to ask all the questions that come to mind, and do not be afraid to change your mind after the meeting if they do not feel like a good fit.
- Be sure to carefully read over and documents or instructions given. No PEO company listed here is going to pull one over on you, but avoiding misunderstandings is important.
- Once the paperwork is signed and onboarding is a certainty, let your employees know as soon as possible.
Conclusion
There are many PEO companies operating and providing services to North Carolina businesses, but not all are equal. And while not all of the above PEO companies will be a perfect fit for your specific business, we are confident you can find a perfect fit in one of the five companies recommended above. Take your time and do some additional research related to what you are specifically looking for, and you will find matters getting much easier for you in the future. We wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors.
