Griffin Stone Moscrop & Co modernises payroll with Staffology Bureau

Griffin Stone Moscrop & Co (GSM) is a well-established London-based accountancy firm with over 100 years of experience delivering accountancy, audit, tax and business strategy services to a diverse client base. With a team of 25 and a deep legacy using IRIS Earnie, GSM recently transitioned to Staffology Bureau to embrace a future-ready, cloud-based payroll solution that offers greater flexibility, time savings and bureau efficiency.

Moving payroll into the cloud

GSM’s Payroll Manager, James Titley, has been with the firm since 1994 and has witnessed the evolution of payroll processing firsthand. For decades, GSM relied on IRIS Earnie, a robust on-premises solution. But concerns around server reliability, flexibility, and future-proofing led the team to explore Staffology, IRIS' cloud-based payroll platform.

“Earnie always did what it needed to do, even if it looked clunky. But with Staffology, it’s smooth, slick, and accessible from anywhere,” says James. “Now, if we happen to lose internet at the office, I just go home and continue working – no disruption at all.”

A smooth migration with confidence in IRIS

The migration process was a key consideration for GSM. James credits the implementation’s success to the support received: “Our trainer Duncan was brilliant – he went at our pace and supported us as we mirrored payrolls between Earnie and Staffology.”

Despite evaluating other cloud payroll providers, James ultimately chose to stay with IRIS: “We were confident that IRIS would invest in making the migration from Earnie to Staffology work well. We wanted that continuity. Even now, I’ll reference Earnie when logging support calls, and the team understands exactly what I mean. If we’d moved to another provider, they’d have no idea what I was talking about.”

Delivering time savings and bureau efficiency

For a busy accountancy bureau, time is money. Staffology delivered measurable improvements in efficiency. “Running a 10-person payroll could take 15 minutes in Earnie. With Staffology, it’s done in half the time. That’s a big time saving across the board.”

James highlights the ease of switching between clients and running multiple payrolls: “Staffology is brilliant for a bureau. You can jump between clients smoothly and handle different payroll quirks easily. It’s a lot simpler than Earnie and perfect for managing volume.”

Embracing change with clients and the team

While the transition to Staffology required some adjustment, especially with client expectations around reports, James sees it as part of a necessary shift. “Clients are used to reports they’ve seen for more than 10 years, so it’s about helping them get used to a new look. It’s the same data, just presented differently.”

Internally, the team is adapting at their own pace. James’s assistant is still getting used to the software, but the flexibility of the system and support from IRIS means there’s no rush: “When he’s ready to migrate his clients, we’ll do it together.”

Visibility, control, and flexibility

Staffology’s user interface and flexibility are standout features for GSM. “The interface is clear, easy on the eye, and the flexibility is a real standout for me. For example, we’re currently running payrolls side-by-side with Earnie, and we’ve noticed that Earnie might calculate a pension one penny less than Staffology. What I like is that Staffology trusts me to make that one-pence adjustment, so the figures all align. Earnie was much more rigid – if you set 9%, it calculated exactly that and there was no changing it. Staffology gives you more control, and I appreciate that level of flexibility,” says James.

Remote access has also been a game-changer: “Previously, we worried about server issues. Now, Staffology gives us peace of mind because we can access payroll securely from anywhere.”

Honest feedback and evolving support

James appreciates the honest and knowledgeable support team at IRIS, particularly when Staffology users still reference Earnie. “It helps when someone on the support team understands Earnie. Caroline is fantastic – she’ll tell me straight what can and can’t be done.”

While he suggests the support could benefit from more personal, hands-on responses rather than just links, overall he’s positive: “The support team is good, just needs a bit more of a personal touch at times.”

Ready for the future with Staffology

As they approach the April digital payroll deadline, GSM is well-positioned. “We’ve gone live with several clients already and have confidence in what Staffology is producing. For clients, the change is minimal – they still get accurate payslips and timely payroll runs.”

James concludes with a clear endorsement: “If someone asked me about payroll software, I’d recommend Staffology. It’s the way forward. It takes getting used to, but once you’re in, it just works.”