Customer service is a big element of the merchandise if you choose a PEO. A missing payroll, a delayed benefits fix, or slow help with a compliance issue can all cause big problems for your organization. You should find out if your potential PEO can really deliver when it matters most before you sign any contracts.
The PEO market today services millions of workers and hundreds of thousands of businesses. This means that the quality of service varies a lot from one provider to the next. Most PEOs appear the same on paper: they have similar prices, make the same promises, and have well-designed presentations. But the true difference frequently comes up later, when something goes wrong on a Friday at 6 PM and you have to wait for help. Evaluating customer service upfront can save you from costly disruptions and frustrating surprises.
In this post, we’ll go over ten important questions you should ask to find out if a PEO really helps your business or just offers you a service. Before you make a commitment, you’ll discover how to do an easy PEO recommendation check to make sure the service is good in the real world. You’ll also learn what good replies sound like and what red signals to look out for.
The customer service at PEO affects every part of your partnership. When your employees have queries about their benefits, they call the PEO. You need answers right away when there are problems with payroll. You need proactive guidance when compliance rules change.
According to NAPEO research, companies that use PEOs grow 7 to 9 percent faster and have 10 to 14 percent fewer employees leave than companies that do their own HR. But these benefits only happen if your PEO offers quick, helpful service.
Poor customer service from your PEO might hurt your business. Employees get angry when payroll fixes take too long. When people ask about benefits during open enrollment, it can be hard to understand when they don’t get answers right away. Not having counsel on compliance puts you at risk of breaking the law. You thought you might save time by not having to deal with an unresponsive provider, but instead, you had to chase down answers.
Most PEOs say they offer support during business hours, but your HR needs don’t work on a 9-to-5 schedule. At 7 PM, employees remember their questions about benefits. Problems with payroll often come up after normal business hours.
When looking at a PEO, make sure to ask about their support hours. Do they stay open late? Email support on the weekends? After-hours emergency contact for critical issues?
The top PEO for customer service knows that firms in Connecticut have varying hours of operation. Companies that make things have more than one shift. Stores stay open on the weekends. Healthcare facilities are open all the time. Your PEO should work with your actual hours of operation, not make you change them.
Some suppliers give you a dedicated account manager who learns about your firm, understands your industry, and knows what you need. Some people send you to the first person who answers the phone.
Ask possible suppliers, “Will I work with the same HR business partner the whole time we work together?” Who is in charge of processing my payroll? Is there a specific compliance expert in charge of my account?
Dedicated contacts make sure that service is consistent and tailored to each customer. They remember what you talked about before, know how your firm works, and can give you proactive advice instead of just reacting.
OEM America has earned its reputation over the past 25 years by getting to know its customers. Business owners in Connecticut work with the same people who know their problems and can give them personalized solutions instead of just general answers.
Promises that are vague regarding “quick response times” don’t mean anything. Push for clear metrics. How long does it take to answer phone calls? How long does it usually take to get an email back? How fast do people respond to live chat messages?
Top-tier PEOs answer phone calls in less than 30 seconds, emails in less than an hour, and live chat messages in less than a minute. They also keep a note of how often problems are solved on the same day.
These numbers are important because the quality of PEO customer service has a direct effect on how happy your employees are. People feel encouraged and respected when they obtain quick, correct responses to their questions. When they have to wait hours or days for answers, they get angry, which makes your business look bad.
Not all problems are equally important. You can wait a few hours to ask a general question about perks. A mistake in the payroll that affects dozens of employees needs to be fixed right away. Violations of compliance need to be dealt with right away.
Inquire about the escalation procedures of prospective providers. How do they decide what to do first? Do they have service level agreements for different kinds of problems? What do you do if you need support after business hours?
The best PEO service has defined escalation pathways and service level agreements that spell out how long it will take to respond. This accountability makes sure that very important things get the right amount of attention.
Most of the time, in-house support teams do a superior job since they work closely with other departments and know the company’s systems inside and out. Outsourced call centers may be cheaper, but they generally don’t provide consistent quality and don’t have a lot of information.
When looking at a PEO, find out where their support staff works and how they are trained. Teams that work in-house and know your area’s compliance needs and are linked to payroll and benefits experts can give you better, more complete help.
PEOs with local knowledge are especially helpful for firms in Connecticut. Outsourced service centers typically don’t have the regional knowledge needed to understand state-specific rules on paid family leave, workers’ compensation, and employment law.
You need to use different ways of talking in different situations. Phone calls or screen-sharing sessions are helpful for hard questions. Email or chat is good for simple questions. You need to be able to call right away for urgent concerns.
If you want to know what kinds of help a PEO can offer, ask them. Can you get in touch with them by phone, email, live chat, or video chat? Do they let you share your screen for help with technical issues? Do all channels respond the same way?
Having more than one way to talk to someone makes things easier and ensures you can obtain support in the way that works best for you. Being able to choose your favorite technique makes people happier with PEO customer service as a whole.
Strong onboarding makes sure that payroll systems, benefits enrollment, and compliance processes are set up correctly, which stops problems from happening in the future.
When evaluating a PEO, make sure to ask them specific questions about how they onboard new clients. Do you have a manager in charge of implementation? How long does it usually take to put something into action? What kind of training do they offer to your team?
Bad onboarding leads to problems that keep coming up. Mistakes in data entry add up over time. Processes that are not understood lead to problems that keep coming up. Your team won’t be able to use the PEO’s systems well if they don’t get enough training.
PEOs that care about the quality of their service keep an eye on certain metrics, such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which shows how loyal and happy customers are. The average NPS for HR organizations that hire outside help is about 46%. People who do well have scores of 80 percent or higher.
Talk to potential providers about their satisfaction ratings and current scores. Ask for access to third-party review sites where existing customers leave honest reviews. Consistent service quality is shown by high ratings and good reviews.
You should also ask about how many customers they keep. High retention rates mean happy consumers, whereas high churn rates can mean difficulties with the service. Customers have choices in 2025, when there are 907 PEOs in the US.
Nothing beats hearing about their experiences straight from current consumers. When looking at a PEO, ask for references from companies that are similar to yours in size, industry, and location.
Ask these references specific questions to ask a PEO customer: How quickly do they respond to help requests? Have you had any major problems with the service? How do they deal with things that need to be done right away? Would you hire this PEO again?
A recommendation from a business owner in your field is worth more than any marketing material. They know the problems you’re having and can tell you honestly if the service keeps its commitments.
Many PEOs have official PEO referral programs that can help both sides. But be sure that the references are real consumers and not bought testimonials. Business owners in Connecticut can learn about service quality in their area by talking to other local businesses.
Laws about work change all the time. New compliance rules come up. Best practices change throughout time. Your PEO should keep you up to date with regular updates, training materials, and instructional materials.
Find more about their training programs, compliance bulletins, and information base. Do they send out alerts ahead of time regarding changes in the law? Are instructional materials easy to find? Do they give your managers training?
Strong educational support shows that a PEO cares about its clients’ success beyond just providing basic services. The greatest PEO for customer service sees itself as a strategic partner, not just a service provider.
The job market in Connecticut is always changing, which makes responsive PEO client service more and more important. The state’s paid family leave program needs regular oversight to make sure it stays in compliance. Changes to the minimum wage need accurate payroll processing. Rules for workers’ compensation make people worry about being responsible.
Local PEOs with experience in Connecticut know about these problems and can give you particular advice. You need a PEO that tells you about changes in state laws before you find out about compliance issues.
Ask each prospect to provide the following before your next meeting:
These items make your vendor conversations concrete.
If you see these, push for contract language that protects you.
Customer service is a part of your PEO partnership every day. It’s where you’ll see the difference between good HR help and ongoing irritation. You can be sure that the provider you choose will fix problems, not make them, if you ask the correct questions before you sign and check the answers with references and service-level assurances.
OEM America is a member of NAPEO and an accredited firm by the BBB. For more than 25 years, we have helped Connecticut businesses save money, lower risks, and increase productivity by providing specialized, trusted HR support. Our team takes the time to learn about your business and gives you direct access to knowledgeable individuals who will answer the phone when you need them. This is different from giant national PEOs.
Call an OEM America expert today to set up a meeting if you want to make HR easier and save money. We’ll help you for up to four hours for free, create a unique study to find ways to save $1,000 per employee, and provide you with a plan to get your time back. To get started, please call 860.528.5555 or fill out our contact form.
A: Ask about support hours and availability, dedicated points of contact, average response times, escalation processes for urgent issues, whether support is in-house or outsourced, available communication channels, onboarding support, customer satisfaction metrics, references from similar businesses, and ongoing education resources.
A: A PEO referral program gives current clients prizes for telling other businesses about the PEO. These programs show that the supplier is sure about the quality of their services, and they can help both the recommending customer and the new client save money.
A: To make sure that the customer service at a PEO is good, you can inquire about particular response time metrics, read reviews on third-party sites, talk to current customers, ask about Net Promoter Scores and retention rates, and see how quickly they respond during your sales calls.
A: Local PEOs often offer more customized service and know more about the rules that apply in their area. Some national PEOs, on the other hand, do a great job with dedicated account teams. Don't only look at size when judging the quality of service; use particular measures.
A: Customer service is what makes a PEO partnership work and gives you the benefits you promised. Research reveals that PEO clients grow 7–9% faster and have 10–14% less turnover when they get quick help. Bad service takes away these benefits and makes people angry.