When PensionSync’s David Hilton moved house recently, he was especially excited that the new house had a dishwasher. Up to that point he had been the dishwasher in his household.

Perhaps surprisingly, there has been a history of debate in the Donovan household about which is better: dishwasher or washing up by hand? Years ago, when we lived in my old flat, we didn’t have a dishwasher, and I resisted all attempts by my wife (then girlfriend) to get one. I made the case for washing up by hand: 

1) It takes five minutes to wash up by hand - a dishwasher takes two hours!

2) Dishwashers aren’t even that good:

• Sometimes you get smears on the glasses
• Sometimes you get bits of dried on food debris
• Sometimes plastics don’t come out dry

3) You get a sense of satisfaction from doing it by hand!

OK, so even back then my tongue was firmly in my cheek with the last point, but I steadfastly maintained my position if only to wind up my other half. Her return argument was simple:

I don’t care what you say, I want a dishwasher.

Fortunately when we moved out of the flat, the house we moved to had a dishwasher, so my girlfriend (fiancee by now, actually) was placated. The semi-serious argument has reared its ugly head again recently, however, because our dishwasher has broken down. After many years of dishwashers, I’m back to washing dishes by hand and, I’ve got to tell you, I am not loving it (but don’t tell my wife). 

Perhaps I have just lost the idealism of my youth, when I would approach mundane tasks with some inexplicable joie de vivre. Or perhaps I have realised that environmentally, hygienically and practically dishwashers outstrip washing up by hand by every possible measure. Yes, the dishwasher takes two hours, but that’s two hours of me doing something else far more productive while the machine does the work. My wife was right all along (but, I repeat, please don’t tell her that!). It’s funny how sometimes we cling to what we know and resist the lure of upgrading to something better. 

It’s a bit like payroll-to-pension processing*

*My brain is capable of relating most things to payroll-to-pension processing - I should get out more but there is a national lockdown on. 

If you are a payroll bureau, processing your clients’ pension data using manual CSV uploads on an array of pension provider websites or, worse still, manually typing in the figures on the websites, is the equivalent of washing up by hand (blindfolded if you’re manually keying). OK, so domestically washing up by hand might be OK, but you’re running a business here. Would you even consider running a restaurant without industrial quality dishwashers? 

Your payroll software might have API technology connecting you to Nest and maybe one or two more pension providers. That’s great - you’re using a dishwasher now and isn’t it fantastic? Although, you might be experiencing some issues. Data errors, providers your software doesn’t have an API link to, still having to log into the Nest website just to manually approve every single Direct Debit payment. The Tupperware, the glasses, the bits of food debris. In an extraordinary coincidence, I heard comedian Frank Skinner wade into the debate on his radio show the other day - he superbly surmised that if a dishwasher doesn’t actually wash the dishes it’s “just a wet cupboard”. Some software's pension modules simply don't do what they are supposed to do.

So what about PensionSync?

PensionSync automatically resolves common pension errors. PensionSync has API connectivity to Nest, Aviva, People’s Pension, Smart Pension and NOW:Pensions, covering over 80% of the pensions Automatic Enrolment market by volume. PensionSync automatically approves your clients’ Nest Direct Debit payments for you. 

PensionSync isn’t just a dishwasher. It’s the top-of-the-range industrial strength dishwasher that produces crystal clear results for your payroll bureau.

PensionSync works with any payroll software, either through API integration or through our game-changing Flexible File Upload tool which processes bulk uploads from any payroll software in seconds.

Ditch the rubber gloves, and sign up for your 3 month free trial to find out for yourself. 

Payroll and pensions are complicated business functions which require expert know-how and specialist software. The PensionSync Partner Directory helps SMEs, accountants and bookkeepers to outsource to your payroll bureau so you can solve their payroll and pension headaches.