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Home to Chicago and multiple other business-rich cities, running a business in Illinois is not easy, but it can be extremely rewarding. And as you well know, many of the challenges related to running a business involve HR tasks, managing the paperwork of payroll, and sometimes dealing with a regulatory or compliance issue.
To deal with all of these problems, we recommend the services of a PEO company, short of a professional employer organization, which is a company you can enter a co-employment agreement with so that they handle the HR and payroll tasks while you still have full control and management over the business. Whether you need onboarding help, payroll processing, or something else HR-related, a PEO company can help and make sure that you and your employees get the support they need.
Yet there are plenty of PEO companies operating in Illinois, so which ones are the best? While there is no perfect answer due to the differences between businesses, we did our research, and here are our top five recommendations for PEO companies in Illinois:
Out of all the PEO companies we reviewed for the state of Illinois, we think that Resourcing Edge is the one that deserves the top spot and is worth your first bit of attention. Operating since 2003 and within a broad range of industries, they understand that all businesses are different, offering customizable solutions to fit what you need.
Customer service and experience are a priority. Clients have a dedicated point of contact who understands your business and can offer a prompt response to your questions. They also make the most of technology, offering services via a web-based application that you, your management team, and your employees can use to increase efficiency, reduce paper waste, and access the data they need with a simple click.
As far as the services offered, you can expect the usual payroll administration, benefits administration, HR tasks and services, perks, and more offered at a competitive price.
We recommend Resourcing Edge if:
- You are looking for a PEO company that can provide a relatively easy onboarding process with ongoing, personal attention.
- You are looking for an excellent offering in terms of benefits.
- You are looking for a strong all-around PEO company that can provide all the expected services well.
2) Amplify PEO
Our second choice, which will also be a perfect fit for many businesses, is Amplify PEO, which is a PEO company that is easy to work with and works across the country to make sure businesses of all types have quality PEO services.
And if you live and do business in Illinois, you know exactly how important customer service is in the area and in general. Amplify PEO understands this as well, and we would like to point out that Amplify has some of the best customer services in the industry. Any issues you have will be dealt with rapidly and you can always expect to talk to a human being if you need customer support. If you are worried about who you are going to work with and what you might do should a problem arise, Amplify PEO should go to the top of your list.
Services offered include everything you might expect, with payroll, HR admin, and benefits are taken care of without issue. Their online platform is strong and while you should get a quote, pricing is affordable for most businesses considering the services you are getting.
We recommend Amplify PEO if:
- Customer Service is one of your absolute top priorities and you want to be sure you will be treated well no matter the issue.
- You have not worked with a PEO before and are somewhat concerned about the process.
- You do not work in a specialized industry and simply want general services administered well.
3) Insperity
Our third choice for Illinois businesses is Insperity, which is an extremely large PEO company you might have heard of before. It currently serves more than 100,000 businesses (which means millions of total employees), and they perform services for industries across the board of nearly all sizes. With that experience, you can expect some of the best services and general administration in the country from a PEO company.
Insperity stands out not only for its experience and resources but for its large library of learning and training materials, with courses numbering in the thousands. If you are looking for a way to improve your team over time, Insperity might have the best options.
They might not be the best for business owners in Illinois with the smallest staff, and other companies on this list will likely have better health plan options, but they are a clear choice for some business owners, and worth your consideration.
We recommend Insperity if:
- You are looking to work with an experienced and stable PEO company that has likely seen everything.
- You like the idea of having access to a large library of training resources, allowing for the improvement of your employees in a cost-effective manner.
- You want to work with a PEO that can be flexible in its services to better meet the needs of your business.
Our next selection is ADP Total Source, which is one of the most well-known and largest PEO companies operating in Illinois, and with good reason. They work with businesses of all sizes and in most industries, and they have an excellent history with data processing, which translates well into payroll processing.
While other PEO companies listed here might have their specializations and things they do better than their competitors, ADP Total Source shines in the wide variety of the services it offers and its ability to handle any situation of any size. If you need to scale your services rapidly, they can deliver, and they can provide more customized service packages for your business.
ADP Total Source clients might at times feel a little removed from the process, but overall there is always help a phone call or message away, and the tools set up by the company are easy to use and rather comprehensive. ADP Total Source will be the perfect fit for some business owners and a poor one for others in Illinois, so be sure to do your research and get a quote before starting up with them.
We recommend ADP Total Source if:
- You want to work with an incredibly stable PEO company that can provide just about any PEO service you can think of and change the scale of their services to match the size of your business.
- You want to work with a PEO company that has some of the best payroll administration on the market or are mostly just interested in those services.
- You like the idea of a customizable service package for your business.
5) Justworks
Our last choice, but certainly not a bad one by any measure, is Justworks. They are happy to work with most businesses in Illinois regardless of size or industry and are a generally great all-around pick if you are uncertain about other PEOs in the area, given the affordable benefits on offer and their commitment to staying modern.
Justworks stands out from the pack because of its online platform and interfaces for both business owners and employees alike, and if you go with them you will likely find it intuitive and satisfying when learning about what your employees are up to. Notifications will be on point, and Justworks can certainly accommodate remote teams.
Services offered include everything you might expect, and the payroll processing, HR tasks, and benefit administration services are all worthy of praise. Accredited and certified by multiple top organizations, Justworks is a PEO company you can have confidence in even if you are not certain about the industry.
We recommend Justworks if:
- You are looking for a PEO company that has an excellent online platform and interface and prioritizes the online experience of working with them.
- Your business has a lot of remote workers or employees across the country.
- You like the idea of working with a rapidly growing PEO company that may expand its offerings.
What Makes for a Top-Rated PEO Company?
Out of all the aspects of a PEO company, which are the most important and what is the best way to handle matters? There is no clear answer, but there are some things, listed below, that we think every business owner should consider and what we used to make our recommendations.
- Payroll and tax processing competency
- HR assistance and management
- Recruitment and retention assistance
- Training options and services
- Industry-specific offerings and services
- Benefit offerings and benefits administration
- Workers’ compensation insurance offerings and support
- Compliance assistance and risk-management services
- The quality of the online portal
- Availability and quality of time tracking and productivity tracking tools
- Customer service, timely response to requests,
- Positive response to feedback
- Personalization or tailoring of services
- Additional unique features or services
- The ability to respond to local problems and comply with local regulations.
Of the above, some of these considerations might be more important to you and your business than others, and that is expected. Only you will be able to determine the perfect fit, and the above information and recommendation are where to start instead of the end.
Why You Should Work with a PEO Company
We understand potential hesitation about working with a PEO company, or questions regarding their value compared to the cost involved. While the cost is not backbreaking by any means, any cost is important when you are running a business in Illinois, and you should carefully weigh the pros and cons of using a PEO.
Nonetheless, we recommend a PEO company for most businesses for the following reasons:
- There will simply be less paperwork you have to deal with, especially after the onboarding process.
- With a PEO company, your business will be able to get better benefits for less cost than you would be able to do on your own. A PEO company, since it represents thousands to millions of employees, has a lot more bargaining power when negotiating with benefits providers.
- While there is a cost to using a PEO, it will cost far less than it would be trying to provide the same benefits in-house, either in terms of money or your time.
- Your business will have help in navigating both Illinois and federal regulations.
How to Select and Start Working with a PEO Company
Perhaps at this point, you are certainly interested in setting your organization up with a PEO company and you are wondering where to start and how to best manage everything. While you might want to consult more complex guides on the matter and you should carefully go over every detail, here are a few things you should remember throughout the entire process:
- You should carefully consider the exact services you want for your business, make sure that the PEO companies you are interested in can offer them, and similarly make sure that the companies have a certificate of insurance.
- For the companies you are interested in, look for reviews or testimonials from other business owners. In a best-case scenario, you can find examples from both Illinois businesses as well as businesses in your industry.
- You should arrange a meeting or call with a representative from the PEO companies you are interested in. Be sure to have questions prepared and remember that you do not need to agree to anything just yet.
- During the entire process, be sure to read the fine print and make an effort to understand how the PEO operates. Take every step you can to avoid misunderstandings.
- Once things are settled and it is clear which PEO company you will be working with and that you will in fact be working with them, make sure to tell your employees as soon as possible about what will happen.
Conclusion
There are plenty of reasons to look into working with a PEO company, and we hope we have given you some ideas. Whatever your reasons and whatever the size and industry of your business, however, we firmly believe that one of the five PEO companies listed above will be the perfect fit for your organization. Whatever your choice and whatever services you choose, we wish you the best of luck onboard and with your future business endeavors.
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- Evernote
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