New to APS
Updated August 22, 2016
New to APS
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- Payroll, Time/Attendance, HR
Overall Satisfaction with APS
APS OnLine is being used across the whole organization. All of our employees have embraced the new system increasing the number of direct deposits and paperless vouchers. Primarily, it has increased the online time management in place of time cards for our outlying areas along with time off requests eliminating approximately 15 hours of manual data entry.
- APS OnLine is a great end user product and very easy for our employees. They have quick access to all their information, their accrual balances, hours worked, etc. They are able to enter their time off requests in the system. Although our prior system had these capabilities, employees had difficulty accessing system. If they couldn't get in, they couldn't use it. More employees logged on to APS in the first two weeks of use than in the prior three years with former system.
- Integration - Data is real-time. When you enter information in one area of the software, it is immediately present in the rest of the system. No waiting for overnight interface. Change log provides backup for any changes that have been made as well as safeguards in the approval process.
- Administrative ease - The system is very straight forward, logical, and easy to operate from the administrative end. [There is a] designated representative to address questions as they arise. No sitting on hold.
- Reporting - We have six different business units and the reporting is separate for all three. Most reporting I do requires information from all business units so am running six reports and then copying and pasting to get the report I need.
- Multi-state taxes - We have a number of employees who live in New York and work in New Jersey. APS OnLine is designed to accommodate one state withholding so ability to have "worked in" state and "lived in" state taxes withheld went away. This was a shortfall.
- The Carrier connection setup took much longer than expected. After a year, we are still having some issues with some items transferring over to the GL.
- The CA overtime calculation does not calculate after 8 hours per day, only on the 40 per week so we override each week.
- Reporting - when running Benefit reports, it recognizes employees who formerly carried the plan but may have dropped it. To get around this, we have to delete off the employee's record so the history is not readily available.
- We are still in the early stages of APS Online use, so a number of the platforms we have not had the opportunity to put in play.
- Customer service is a big plus. As we have transitioned, whenever there has been a question or a tweak that we require, APS is quick to respond and address my concerns.
- Overall, annual cost of running payroll is comparable to our prior system and others I reviewed. However, we eliminated one full-time position and additional savings in manpower due to reduced data entry. We no longer have to download our weekly reports. They are maintained and not overwritten by new reports each run. The savings and continuity of information all in one place will benefit all of our employees.
- Provides daily stats to give quick insight to managers on various facets of the business that they did not have before with having to run a specific report.
- ADP Workforce Now and ADP eTime
APS Online is a much simpler system to use for end users and administrators, processing is quicker (immediate), and integration between the various modules is seamless. In the past, HRB talked to Payroll module, Payroll module talked to Etime, however HRB didn't talk to Etime resulting in duplicate entry of data. I have a designated representative that provides assistance without sitting on hold. Overall, I'm thrilled with our decision to switch and expect that the longer I use the system, the more benefit I will be able to get out of it.
APS Payroll Feature Ratings
Using APS
250 -
All hourly employees use APS Online for clocking in/out on a daily basis through various channels: in/out at pc, in/out on mobile solution, in/out at stationary time clock, or electronic time sheet. All methods are approved through their supervisor prior to going to payroll.
All employees submit their Time Off Requests online. All employees are able to view their checks online and we're increasing the number who have direct deposit as well as paperless vouchers.
Finance - we are still in process of creating the interface to go directly into our finance software which will be a huge plus.
2 - The HR Manager and Payroll Coordinator are the primary individuals supporting APS Online. Every system operates a little differently, so understanding how the dots connect to make system work for you is imperative. Being detail oriented to conduct the checks/balances is a requirement. Using a system that is real-time takes a little adjustment, but great once you're there.
- Ease of use/employee engagement
- Reduction of labor
- Reduction of paper
- Cost
- Functions
- We only implemented a few months ago so still working through things.
- Online reviews
- Online Open Enrollment
- Online Policy/handbook
Evaluating APS and Competitors
Yes -
We replaced ADP Workforce Now, Payroll, and Enterprise Time & Attendance.
Primary reason for looking for alternative was that we lost our Payroll Manager and were looking for a software that was simpler to use and reduce the labor being spent on data entry. Our employees had difficulty logging into ADP making the system ineffectual. Once I was the one calling into Customer Service and sat on hold for an extended period of time, the dedicated representative became a huge factor.
- Price
- Product Usability
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
- Analyst Reports
Initially, the most important factor was saving money. However, in evaluating a number of services, they were all within a $10,000 range so it became usability and recognition of their tax reporting accuracy.
I would get more details on the timeline of the implementation, what would be loaded, and what I would need to do after the installation. I would've pushed back the conversion if it meant my carrier connections and GL structure would have been in place when we went live.
APS Implementation
- Vendor implemented
Yes -
First was the loading of general information and payroll comparisons to insure items were flowing and calculating through.
[Next was] loading of accruals and calculation methods.
Next was loading of history which did cause a few issues as some employees had hit the max for social security and state unemployment tax deductions resulting in some errors.
[Next was] carrier connections and benefit programs. Our 401k provider was quite unhappy that this connection was not done prior to conversion.
Change management was minimal
- Dual state taxation and employees who had reached the maximum for some deductions were impacted. This is still being worked on.
- 401k and other benefit connections. I did not anticipate I would be manually updating enrollments for 3 months.
- Accrual balances. For some reason, the accrual calculation did not activate appropriately so had to recalculate and reset employees numerous times.
APS Training
- Online training
- Self-taught
APS Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
No - If I need some special programming regarding interfaces, there would be an extra charge for product development. The resources available to provide solutions are adequate and with exception of some functions that are not native to APS Online, they are fixed very quickly.
Yes - Yes, following some upgrades, there have been a few bugs. They were system wide and fixed quickly.
This is routine. I call with a small tweak and it's done within minutes. If it's a bigger deal, it has been escalated without my asking.
Using APS
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Entering data
- Processing payroll
- Employee access
- Time off Request process
- Management approval setup
- The need to pull reports from each business entity and then combining [them] on a spreadsheet to get all information in one format.
- Dual state taxation.
- Paid Time Off usage. Employees need to put in Time Off Requests 2 days in advance and many employees take a few hours off at end of day, so has to be entered by admin.
- California payroll processing. System isn't calculating overtime at 8 hours daily as law requires, so this is currently a manual process. We also have a couple of employees whose overtime rate doesn't calculate and carry over correctly, so we must override prior to processing each week.
Yes - The mobile interface is available, however, haven't gotten to the point to give it a whirl.