For many public sector organisations, the pandemic provided the catalyst to begin the process of digital transformation that had long been on their agendas. As millions of employees were instructed to work from home, organisations had to urgently modify their operations to sustain the new remote working pattern.

According to leading UK provider of secure end-to-end document automation solutions, Datagraphic, payroll was one of operations that needed to adapt most quickly. Remote working limited not only payroll teams’ ability to centrally produce payroll documents, but also employees’ capability to securely access them.

A September 2020 British Council for Offices survey suggested that, once Covid is over, “hybrid” working will become the norm, with almost two-thirds of office workers planning to split their working week between home and office long-term.

During the early stages of the pandemic, organisations had to automate their payroll operation extremely quickly, and even as Covid recedes, speed of transformation will always be a priority for employers requiring a swift transition with little disruption and a rapid return on investment.

To speed up the digital transformation process, Datagraphic has recently become a Crown Commercial Services (CCS) supplier, enabling public sector clients to source, research and buy its secure online payroll document production and distribution portal, Epay, without the time-consuming and expensive process of competitive tendering.

Epay uses data from clients’ existing payroll software and automates the production and distribution of secure digital and print payroll documents such as payslips, P60s, P45s, P11Ds and reward statements, precluding the need for new software to be installed. Intuitive digital documents can be easily accessed from any internet-enabled device. Once the solution has been bought, it can be activated in weeks rather than months.

Public sector Epay clients include Network Rail, Leeds City Council, East Sussex County Council and Surrey County Council.

Throughout Covid, the importance of transparency and proven capability in the public sector procurement process have been highlighted in the media, with the government facing mounting criticism for making opaque awards to inexperienced suppliers.

By using CCS’ G-Cloud 12 Digital Marketplace catalogue to procure Epay, organisations can be sure that their new suppliers have demonstrated exceptionally high levels of reliability and security: Epay is ISO 27001 and C&CCC Standard 55 accredited. The procurement process is entirely transparent.

According to Datagraphic, by automating manual and repetitive tasks such as payslip production and delivery, Epay has reduced the time that payroll teams spend on these processes by up to 98%, enabling them to focus on higher value tasks.

Datagraphic uniquely both develops software and has a secure UK print facility in house; clients benefit from one supplier for both digital and print communications, streamlining workloads and reducing costs. Epay does not charge license fees, instead employing a pricing model based on the number of documents uploaded and printed rather than the number of recipient employees.

Said Datagraphic’s group managing director, Glyn King: “Throughout the pandemic, payroll document automation has been a crucial and extremely urgent component of public sector organisations’ digital transformations, supporting their rapid adaptation to remote working.

“As hybrid working now looks set to become permanent, Datagraphic’s CCS approval and G-Cloud 12 listing means that more public sector clients can automate without the need for lengthy and expensive competitive tendering processes.

“Established 35 years ago, Datagraphic has developed industry-leading expertise and business insight, not to mention a reputation for renowned service. The new CCS approval means that public sector organisations can quickly and easily begin to enjoy the benefit of this expertise.

“We like to think that we are the only partner that public sector buyers need to deliver critical employee communications effortlessly. By working with Datagraphic, clients are helping to meet the government’s target of spending £1 in every £3 of public money with small-to-medium sized companies.”

For further details about Epay or to arrange a demonstration, please visit datagraphic.co.uk or call 01246 543000.

This article was sponsored by Datagraphic