ApplicantStack by SwipeClock vs. Heartland Payroll+

ApplicantStack is an excellent tool for managing applicants and recruitment efforts. It allows multiple users to access data and stay informed of the status of recruitment projects.

Incentivized

We changed payroll companies from Paycom to Heartland this year at the recommendation of our insurance agent who insisted they would integrate with the EASE system, which tracks employee benefits and deductions. However, 8 weeks into it, I regret my decision, since the setup hasn't been completed yet. The lack of responsiveness in some cases is astounding and often we have to ask 3, 4, and 5 times for something to be done. I hate to think what will happen after we are "handed off" from the payroll implementation team to the regular schmucks. We still are not able to track PTO and time off and we have been begging for the self-service feature to be turned on for employees so they can change addresses, bank account info, etc. Their training is NONEXISTENT and their manual is abysmal. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!! I wish I could go back to Paycom!

• Customized reporting
• Customized workflow
• Email triggers
• Customized URLs apply links to track the source of candidates, with scraping capabilities for Indeed, LinkedIn and social platforms
• Customized screening questions with scoring functionality

Incentivized

• White-glove customer support. All employees are in the United States and they must pay them well, because they don't seem to have turnover there.
• Technology is awesome. We have Payroll, HR, T&A, ATS, and onboarding with them.
• Their Tax Credit tech is amazing. I received more money in tax credits last year than payroll cost me. That's a net positive!
• Compliance with their HR team is great, and they don't hit you over the head on the price for it.
• Pricing is fantastic with a 3-year price lock. No BS discounting that jumps back up a year later.

• Could have additional choices of what job boards you can post to.
• Ability to integrate to more ATS systems and Social Media Platforms.

Incentivized

• Sometimes the system (geocode) will not allow me to process address changes by asking for help from our specialist.
• Response for assistance is usually a lot slower when our dedicated specialist is not available.

Incentivized

ApplicantStack support is outstanding. Any issue that I have ever encountered is handled within a day by their support team. There are very rarely issues that come up, and they typically stem from a user error, but the ApplicantStack team is always ready to help and solve the issues that arise.

Incentivized

I never have trouble reaching customer support. They always are able to assist with fixing any problems that arise. There honestly haven't been many issues at all. Only ones I've created :)

Incentivized

The Heartland team could care less about how difficult your experience is. In fact, I think they delight in seeing you struggle!

Applicantstack offered a high level of customization for us, at a price point their competitors couldn't touch. While it's got some room for improvement in reporting, we've been able to fill every gap with custom programming at an incredibly reasonable rate.

Incentivized

I've considered moving payroll over to QuickBooks Online so that everything is in one place, but it would probably take too much work considering that our current system works really well. I think QuickBooks would confuse me, honestly. There are other systems that offer different user interfaces that are neat looking, but I haven't done too much research because Heartland Payroll offered me a really good deal for processing since we are a small company.

Incentivized

• We want to see more applications. Most months, it would be impractical to have all those papers on our recruiter's desk. I cannot imagine going back to paper after using ApplicantStack.

Incentivized

• We have a net positive using Heartland. We actually bring more money in from their tax credits than the payroll service actually costs.
• I used to have a part-time person handing our payroll/HR needs. Now this is done by me because it's so easy.