Item: TriNet
Rating: 1
Author: Scott Phillips

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We implemented Trinet in early 2020 for our benefits and payroll. It has been an unmitigated disaster from Day 1 with a flawed implementation, clunky software, and non-existent customers service. It addresses no business solutions other than cost-effective benefits. We have had to hire an HR consultant solely to deal with Trinet, wait on hold for hours and send numerous e-mails for the most simple issues.

Pros and Cons

Cost-effective benefit solutions

Customer service is non-existent; you will be on hold for hours and your e-mails never get answered.
You e-mail a customer service "pool" called Connect360 (not a rep), and it is like a bridge to nowhere.
Clunky software and interface; HR changes sometimes take weeks to get updated in payroll.
Time and attendance system that does not integrate with your payroll.
Executive management that does not care about customers; no response from their SVP "Customer Experience" when e-mailed.
Does not integrate with third party 401k providers.
EVERY issue needs to be escalated, even the most simple pay change.
When you hear from customer service, they give you no means of reaching the same person.

Support Rating

Customer support is non-existent. For example, I recently changed 2 people from hourly to salaried, and it took me (and a consultant that I hired to deal with them) about 8 hours of work, 10 phone calls, and 15+ e-mails to resolve the day of the payroll. Even then, they give the customer 1 hour to review their own payroll; you can't see a final payroll before then.

Usability

Software is beyond awful, and none of it is integrated even within the Trinet environment. You put in an HR change, but then you need to wait sometimes over a week for the payroll change to make its way into the payroll system. They do not give appropriate time to review. Time and attendance capture hours, then the administrator needs to key it into payroll. They are in the dark ages for payroll/HR. Benefits enrollment is decent.

Return on Investment

Time spent with the administration has increased over 300%, just dealing with Trinet issues.
Compliance risks have increased substantially with Trinet, as they do not provide tools or time for appropriate reviews.

COVID-19 Support

No change during COVID-19. Customer service has been equally as poor.

Alternatives Considered

Insperity Premier, Rippling and ADP Enterprise HR

Trinet has great benefits, that's all. Everything else will drive any administrator nuts, so imagine every company can do it better.

Likelihood to Recommend

I cannot think of a single scenario in which I would recommend Trinet. Their lack of customer service and clunky software actually gets worse by the day. When we started with Trinet, we at least had a dedicated customer service person, but they moved to a "pool." Contacting their customer service is like talking to a wall or trying to catch a cloud, but more frustrating.

Run fast, run far from Trinet unless you like spending hours with issues resolution

Overall Satisfaction with TriNet