Buddy Punch Case Study– Stanley at Farmer’s Insurance Agency
How Stanley is Insuring His Future With Buddy Punch Payroll
Insurance agency owner and admitted technology dinosaur, Stanley, is an avid lover and believer in the necessity for insurance. But despite his enthusiasm for the insurance industry, being an entrepreneur is not without it’s challenges.
Based in Northern California, Stanley’s full service Farmer’s Insurance Agency offers insurance for everything you need to protect, from life insurance to home insurance (and everything in between).
In the almost five years since he purchased his insurance agency, Stanley has seen the world shift thanks to the Coronavirus and an increasingly challenging workforce.
Stanley is a recent convert to the Buddy Punch Payroll system. A long time user of the Buddy Punch time clock to keep track of his employees and ensure they get paid properly, Stanley was one of the earliest adopters of this newest addition to the Buddy Punch umbrella.
What is the most challenging part of your business?
In California, you have to have a license to work in an insurance agency. You can’t talk insurance if you don’t have a license. So the market for getting staff is a bit difficult. People have to want to get a career change and want to do this long term.
The test is pretty long. It’s a hard test. 65-70% don’t pass on the first try, that’s how hard it is. So that’s always a challenge to find people who want to take the test and who will keep trying if they don’t pass on the first try.
What’s your favorite part of running your own business?
I like insurance. I love educating people. I like it when someone comes in and I can show them how different types of insurance can protect them when they need it the most. There’s insurance for almost everything you need and I like offering that service to people.
How has your business changed over the last 5 years?
When the pandemic hit, that really hit hard because business came to a screeching halt. No one would come out so traffic in the office has changed. I used to have a revolving door in my office and people would come and go. It’s mostly phone call activity now.
So now things are starting to improve and I see people getting back in the swing of things. Still not 100% coming back into the office but I see people starting to come in a bit.
What has been your experience with Buddy Punch?
When I first opened up my agency, 4.5 years ago, I was unsure how to use a time clock. Should I get a time clock? But I was talking to my district manager and they told me about Buddy Punch and another. I did the other one first but it was just too difficult. I didn’t like it.
Then I got into Buddy Punch and I started working with the customer service team and they are fantastic. They always answer my questions. They walk me through things because I’m a dinosaur when it comes to these computers and technology things.
What did you use for payroll before you started using Buddy Punch?
I was using another company called SurePayroll. I had no issues with SurePayroll. They were pretty good with everything they did but I struggled to figure out how to use it every time I had to enter payroll.
The big problem was that I never talked to the same person twice at SurePayroll. With Buddy Punch, I was dealing with just a couple of people and I liked that. But every time you called SurePayroll, you had to talk to someone different. That was a concern for me. I like someone who knows me and my business.
When you were using SurePayroll was there anything else that you struggled with?
I haven’t had to terminate an employee using Buddy Punch Payroll, but I had to do it using SurePayroll. In California when you terminate someone, it’s check in hand. So when I’d call SurePayroll it was always a procedure you had to do and it wasn’t clear. I didn’t know if I had to write the check or if they were going to do it and send it to me. They said no you have to write the check and it would get taxed and everything.
I haven’t had to do that with Buddy Punch Payroll but I know that it will be easier because I am working with someone who knows me and my capability with this technology crap.
Why did you start using Buddy Punch for payroll?
I had such a great rapport with the customer service team at Buddy Punch and they said they have a payroll service and how it works. I used to have to go to Buddy Punch and write down my employee’s hours and overtime. Then I’d have to go to SurePayroll then I’d have to re-enter it back in. It was a pain and I was never sure I wasn’t making a mistake.
What do you like about the Buddy Punch Payroll system?
It’s a huge time saver! What used to take me most of the day now takes me half the time. When I had SurePayroll and Buddy Punch together, it was a lot more work for me to do because I had to do everything twice. I’d have to do the time card in Buddy Punch and then transfer everything manually into SurePayroll. So now I’ve only been using Buddy Punch Payroll for 3 pay periods. I’ve had no issues. It took a little bit to get used to the format, but, once again, customer service is there.
What I love about Buddy Punch Payroll is how easy it is. The hours are taken from the time clock over to payroll. There’s a step I don’t have to do. So I found that a big plus. It saves me time and also makes sure I’m accurate with the numbers. No worrying about typing numbers wrong.
Where do you see your business in the future?
I am still on the same steady path I’ve been on since I started the agency. I want to grow. I think we are going in the right direction.
The first 3 years of starting a business is hard. And with the hurdles of finding staff who can be licensed, it’s hard to get good help. I am starting to see a profit now that I’ve got good staff .
I like insurance. I love educating people. I like it when someone comes in and I can show them how different types of insurance can help them out when they need it the most.
Then I got into Buddy Punch and I started working with the customer service team and they are fantastic. They always answer my questions. They walk me through things because I’m a dinosaur when it comes to these computers and technology things.
It’s a huge time saver! What used to take me most of the day now takes me half the time.
What I love about Buddy Punch Payroll is how easy it is. The hours are taken from the time clock over to payroll. There’s a step I don’t have to do. So I found that a big plus. It saves me time and also makes sure I’m accurate with the numbers. No worrying about typing numbers wrong.
Stanley
Farmers insurance