Paychex, Inc., the HR software and services company that provides the power of simplicity for increasingly complex workplaces, has won a Stevie® Award for the fifth year in a row. A panel of judges selected the company’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a 2021 silver winner for the Most Valuable COVID-19 Response by a Business Development Team. Demonstrating its commitment to helping clients and the general business community throughout every stage of the pandemic, the multifaceted response from Paychex included its comprehensive COVID-19 Help Center, state-specific resources, educational webinars, product innovations, in-app Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) tools, specialized employee training, and more.
“For the past 50 years, we have kept a watchful eye on workplace trends to anticipate customers’ needs and bring them the solutions they need now and for the future. Despite the confusion and hardship for businesses, so swiftly brought on by COVID-19, we were able to quickly deliver resources and services that helped employers respond and adapt,” said Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO. “Receiving our fifth consecutive Stevie Award speaks to the agility and innovation present among our developers, marketers, legal, and compliance teams. They worked in partnership with sales and customer service to pivot with great speed, meeting customers’ needs with effective recommendations and targeted guidance.”
As businesses grappled with a quickly evolving regulatory landscape and a host of new challenges brought on by either remote and/or temporarily depleted workforces, Paychex demonstrated its commitment to helping to solve problems and simplify the complex. The company introduced tools and resources to help both its customers and the wider business community manage their cashflow and employee needs during an unprecedented time. Resources included:
- COVID-19 Help Center: The ultimate hub for support throughout every stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paychex COVID-19 Help Center provides valuable and up-to-date insights on stimulus measures, managing a remote or hybrid workforce, travel restrictions, and more – delivered across a range of media including in-depth articles, videos, scenario tools, live webinars, and podcasts. The Paychex COVID-19 Help Center has been viewed by nearly a half million visitors since launching in March 2020.
- State-Specific Resources: Through a click on a map, business leaders and HR managers can access interactive tools, checklists, and articles specific to their state/region regarding guidance on paid leave laws, reopening guidelines, and more.
- Webinars: To explain new laws and regulations or deliver best practices for managing a newly remote workforce, for example, Paychex webinars gave business leaders the opportunity to learn online and ask questions of subject matter experts.
- Paychex Business Series Podcast: The popular Paychex podcast took on a COVID-19 focus to give listeners another means of learning during a time when so many questions needed answering. Episodes included an interview with entrepreneur and business expert Mark Cuban, who offered advice for small business owners to survive and thrive during the pandemic and an interview with comedian Jim Gaffigan, who discussed the impact the pandemic had on his business and how social media has helped to build his brand during these uncertain times.
Specific to Paychex Flex®, Paychex developed its easy-to-use PPP solutions in real-time as new government regulations passed to help businesses quickly apply for and receive $28B in loans. New tools included:
- A report that auto-populates all payroll information needed for customers to more quickly and efficiently apply for PPP loans
- A forgiveness estimator that forecasts payroll costs and considers non-payroll cost inputs in the calculation
- The creation of a signature-ready loan forgiveness application to simplify the loan forgiveness process
Other Paychex Flex enhancements already in flight as the pandemic hit helped foster employer-employee connection during a time when many customers transitioned to a more digital workplace:
- HR Conversations to help manage remote employee-management dialog
- HR Connect case management that facilitates the resolution of common HR incidents such as OSHA reporting
- Document Management that automates the employer distribution of policies and procedures and makes it easier to digitally track and document workflows
While quickly developing these technology solutions and online resources, Paychex’s commitment to delivering world-class service never wavered – especially throughout the year-end rush. The company’s 600+ trained HR consultants helped guide clients through an unchartered and evolving HR landscape.
“Paychex has helped us from the very beginning. They’re helping me with HR needs and helping me stay compliant,” said celebrity hairstylist Anthony Cristiano of Anthony Cristiano Salon, which was forced to close in March 2020. “Most recently, they’ve helped me go through this pandemic. I didn’t know what to do so I immediately called our (Paychex) HR representative and got advice. I wanted to understand what it means to furlough our staff and how do I get them comfortable with unemployment. I was grateful for how they gave us the answers on how to treat our employees and what’s best for them.”
Cristiano has since received a PPP loan and reopened his Chicago salon.
The level of support provided to Paychex customers throughout the pandemic extends to its subsidiaries, including SurePayroll and Oasis.
More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 51 nations, were considered in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 160 professionals worldwide on nine specialized judging committees. Entries were considered in more than 90 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, more than 60 categories for sales and business development achievements, and categories to recognize new products and services, solution providers, and organizations’ and individuals’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the toughest working environment in memory for most organizations, 2021 Stevie Award winners still found ways to innovate, grow sales, please their customers, and secure new business,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. “The judges have recognized and rewarded this, and we join them in applauding this year’s winners for their continued success. We look forward to recognizing them on April 14.”
Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.
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