Agency News:

Umbrella news for agencies and recruiters

With costs under the microscope, agencies want to optimise the value of their consultants. If business partners can take on some of the day-to-day interaction with the agency's workers, consultants are freed up to do the more profitable work.

Consultants' time is at a premium, so every contact with the agency's workers that can be handled by the service provider reduces the hassle for consultants-leaving them more time to generate new business. This makes sense, because providers are set up with trained people to handle a whole range of enquiries, to update personal details, pay the right money into the right account, and maintain data confidentiality.

However, agencies have to be sure that the tasks are in safe hands. In fact, if agencies produced a 'wish list' for its service providers, it might look like this:

• Save consultants time so they can focus on agency business

• Keep procedures up to date with legislation

• Always pay contractors on time

• Keep contractors informed

• Ensure the agency gets no surprises

• Handle exceptions (such as late timesheet processing) easily

• Fit in with how the agency works

• Take good care of the details.

This list reflects the high standards to which Gabem has always geared its operations. For more than 10 years, we have been working with hundreds of agencies to help their contractors manage their administration and maximise the amount of money they take home.

Ours is a highly professional operation, but very personal too-based on the efficiency that has built excellent relations with our agency clients. Our processes provide agencies with a clear audit trail, and if agencies have a particular way of working, we're flexible enough to adapt to their requirements.

What is more, Gabem has invested in business continuity security, with duplicate systems in a second office building, so that all data is backed up. If a disaster were to happen, we could recover quickly and all agency and contractor details would be safe.

Taking care of the details

The due diligence we carry out is designed to make sure contractors are not at risk---for example that they only claim allowable expenses in the Umbrella, and are genuinely in business on their own account if using our Solo or CIS payment options. But Gabem works hard to make life easier for them too, for example with:

• Fast electronic 'same-day' payments

• Free text messages to confirm payments into accounts

• Expense checking, calculation and payment (in the Umbrella)

• Fast confirmation with agencies of hours and invoices

• Friendly, easy contact by phone, fax, SMS, email or mail

• Flexibility to ensure the contractor always gets paid-even if an agency forgets to include an individual until very late in the week

• Keeping contractors informed if there's a problem-such as an electronic payment failure.

Gabem built its reputation on quality of service, and as a result, the company pays thousands of individuals every week-some 80% of whom joined Gabem on the recommendation of friends. Keeping contractors happy also saves agency time, because contractors have no need to contact them for information or complaints.

In safe hands

After all the uncertainty about how MSC legislation should be interpreted, and the Government's increased focus on non-compliance within the industry, it is important for agencies and other clients to know that all of Gabem's options ensure that everything is processed correctly and legitimately.

We work closely with our legal and financial advisers to keep our business in step with regulations. This ensures that the way we operate is continually updated for every legislative change relating to how we work with clients and pay their contractors.

While there's no such thing as 'HMRC Approved' or 'cleared by HMRC', Gabem's expert systems and procedures have been developed in partnership with our advisors and we are regularly audited by HMRC- indeed at a recent audit HMRC said they were impressed by our determination to ensure compliance. This gives us confidence that our services represent the safest and most compliant way for agencies to pay their contractors today.