Opportunity
In 2025, McQueens Flowers appointed DSG to take over its payroll and pension auto-enrolment services for around 20 staff, after experiencing challenges in payroll errors that needed to be resolved.
Some of these errors had led to staff dissatisfaction and too much time being spent resolving errors. With a small but growing team, McQueens needed a partner to ensure payroll accuracy, boost employee and management confidence and enforce robust financial controls.
Karen Lowe, the Director of Finance at McQueens, had previously worked with DSG’s Lynne Scarisbrick so had first-hand experience of the team’s ability to resolve complex payroll issues and its people-first approach.
Strategy
DSG was brought in to manage the monthly payroll function including pension auto-enrolment assessments. The onboarding process was handled quickly and efficiently, building confidence and trust between both teams.
DSG provided a payroll input template tailored to the client’s needs, as well as a timetable of the processing cycle so each stakeholder had a clear understanding of the workflow each pay period. Payroll input and reports are issued through a secure online portal, and payslips are issued electronically all in line with the agreed timetable.
Having these controls in place ensures the payroll runs seamlessly from start to finish, reducing the admin burden for the client and complaints from staff. Any changes in legislation such as minimum wage rate changes and budget announcements are communicated to clients by DSG and actioned effectively.
“Payroll is fundamental,” said Jacquie Macdonald, HR Manager at McQueens Flowers. “From an employee perspective, mistakes can really impact people’s experience. Since we started working with DSG, there have been no errors, and everything has run smoothly. It saves us so much time and the team have given us complete confidence that payroll is always done properly.”
Result
With the support of DSG’s expert team, payroll errors have been eliminated, creating a much smoother employee experience. The partnership has helped the McQueens Flowers team gain confidence in compliance with HMRC requirements and has freed up time, allowing the team to focus on more strategic activity to help the business grow.
“Lynne and Rosie are hugely helpful and are always quick to come back to us with clear, easy-to-digest answers,” added Jacquie. “The whole process with DSG has freed up our time to focus on growth strategies, knowing that the right financial processes are in place. DSG are more than our payroll providers, we see them as a partner and an advisor, testament to their forward-thinking approach coupled with the highest standards and quality of expertise.”
