Smarter Media

They’ve been operating in the digital marketing sector for over seven years and offer three core services: search engine optimisation (SEO), social media expertise and digital sales funnels. They work with a range of companies across the UK.

The company now employs a core team of nine people. Smarter Media’s Managing Director, Karl Paul, wanted to get ahead of the curve when it came to his policies, procedures and employment contracts in order to protect his team and his business.

Karl says: “We just had the general concerns you have when you employ people and I wanted to make sure I got it all right. What you can do, what you can’t do, what you can say and you can’t say.

“It was very important to me and the business that we operated correctly and fairly for everyone involved and Croner offers a fantastic solution to ensure that this happened”.

Croner Simplify in September 2016. Prior to the move, the company was keeping track of all of its documentation in traditional forms and tracked employee absences and training via digital documents instead of a tracking system.

“We didn’t really have a digital HR system in place prior to that. Everything was stored in spreadsheets and paper files, including all of our employee contracts.

“Since then we’ve been getting on with the Simplify system really well. It’s easy to use, it is functional and the information you need is right there as and when you need it.”

Karl also utilises the helpline for general updates in employment law, staff issues and checking that documentation is set out correctly and compliant with current employment law.

“I, personally, have used the Simplify helpline a great deal. I find that service very good. We mostly use the helpline to make sure our employee agreements are correct and up-to-date and to check how we should word certain documents, such as commission structure.

“If there is a change in employment law we will call up just to check to see how the new law affects our business and if there are any steps we need to take to become compliant. I’d say we use the helpline primarily for guidance.”

Smarter Media have also utilised on-site visits to help update their policies. “We’ve had a few on-site visits as well, Neal Skelton did our first visit and I speak to Neal quite a bit now if I need someone to talk to regarding our HR and employment law needs.

“More recently we’ve had some contact with Claire Matthews who we’ve had come down to our office on a couple of occasions. She helps us update our documents, talks us through any changes and ensures we are happy with the service and always asks if there is anything else they can do to be of assistance.

“We have an annual on-site review just to make sure our documents and policies are up to date, but other than that we’ve not needed any more visits.”

For Smarter Media, HR compliance is essential to a successful workplace. “I’d absolutely recommend Croner’s Simplify service. Firstly, it is great for the peace of mind it gives, to know that we are compliant and secondly, for the fantastic helpline which is always available whenever you need it.”