Usability

TriNet is a great option for businesses looking for a partner with expertise in their specific industry. Whether it’s related to risk and compliance issues, payroll needs, or the way time is tracked, not every industry has the same requirements. By partnering with TriNet, you get a solution that fits your specific needs and offers guidance from professionals who have expertise within your industry. While you have options to bundle HR services together, you can also work with TriNet to customize a solution that fits your specific vertical.

TriNet’s easy-to-use platform gives you access to all of your HR services from one central location. The cloud-hosted software is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, and its sleek interface is easy for both administrators and employees to navigate.

Did you know? In addition to the online portal, TriNet offers access via its mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

TriNet’s many integration options also contribute to its ease of use. The TriNet Integration Center offers many prebuilt solutions that allow you to sync other programs with your HRO service, including QuickBooks, Oracle NetSuite, Xero, Sage, Microsoft and Google.

Source: TriNet

Features

While TriNet won our nod for best customer support amongst HRO providers, it isn’t short on valuable features and tools either. Its extensive services include retirement planning, policy and employee handbook development, risk management, and business insurance.

HR Services

One of TriNet’s unique qualities is its industry-specific HR support teams. TriNet designates its HR teams by a business’s industry, size and location. This means that your support team will not only be HR experts (with knowledge in payroll, benefits, risk management, etc.) but will also have either direct or indirect experience in your company’s field or industry.

Employee Benefits

TriNet has broad employee benefits offerings, including health, vision, and dental insurance; employee retirement savings plans; commuter benefits; auto and home insurance policies; and wellness programs. What makes TriNet stand out is that it can use its size to help you secure premium benefits from top carriers. Access to these benefits is appealing to many employees, so this allows small and midsize businesses to compete with larger companies for top talent. TriNet has enhanced its already-strong reputation throughout the COVID-19 crisis by offering rich and supportive guidance to COBRA and ACA compliance. It also gives your employees access to discounts on various products and services.

Source: TriNet

Payroll and Taxes

TriNet’s payroll services include full payroll processing that allows you to choose your pay schedules and make payments to employees via direct deposit. TriNet also handles all of your payroll tax responsibilities. This includes withholding the proper deductions each pay period and making those tax payments to the proper local, state and federal agencies. TriNet also prepares your year-end tax forms, such as W-2 forms.

To ensure smooth payroll runs, the payroll software works in conjunction with TriNet’s time and attendance system. This makes sure your employees are paid accurately for the time they worked. The software can easily track and manage paid time off as well.

Risk and Compliance

TriNet aims to not only reduce your overall risk and compliance concerns, but also to help you understand what all the concerns are and why they matter. This service extends to TriNet’s claims management team, who can assist your management team and employees with workers’ compensation and other safety-related claims. TriNet helps ensure your company’s OSHA compliance, can provide safety training to your employees, and offers employment practices liability insurance and claims prevention.

Training and Development

TriNet offers hundreds of training courses through its learning management services. These include courses on finance, business ethics, computers and writing. This can help your employees not only add to their skill sets but also secure professional certifications. TriNet also offers performance management tools to help managers set realistic goals for their team members and track their progress.

Source: TriNet

Cost

TriNet offers bundled HR service packages as well as the ability to customize your own service plan. This service flexibility results in a lot of price variance. TriNet does not provide pricing options online; you need to contact the company directly to get a custom quote. The cost will be based on the services you want to outsource to TriNet and how many employees you have.

One stipulation is that you must have at least five employees in order to outsource your HR to TriNet. If you have fewer than that, you will need to look at other HR outsourcing options, such as Paychex, which doesn’t have an employee minimum.

TriNet doesn’t require you to sign a long-term contract. As long as you provide a 30-day written notice, you can cancel at any time, though a cancellation fee may apply in some situations.

Setup

As TriNet uses its own proprietary HR software platform, it knows how to onboard new customers seamlessly. The occasional challenge is that businesses’ IT departments can’t always “actively partner” with TriNet’s onboarding team, due to the unique design and setup of TriNet’s products. That said, TriNet has improved its setup and onboarding process for new customers and will ensure you don’t miss a beat with your HR needs.

Did you know? Once your employees are in the system, they can use the self-service option to view their pay stubs, request time off, enroll in benefits and update their direct deposit information.

Customer Service

TriNet offers one-on-one HR support through its Connect 360 service. As a client, your company will have access to 24/7 support on all HR-related issues. You can reach TriNet’s HR experts by phone or live chat. You can also send them an email or fill out an online form. This anytime access to personalized support is a huge plus for businesses that don’t have their own HR experts on staff and are looking for guidance in certain HR issues.

TriNet is one of the only companies we reviewed that employs industry-specific support teams. This means you can receive expert help from someone who has experience in your industry or a similar field, which is especially important when you need to maintain industry-specific certifications, track changes in regulation and policy requirements, and meet complex HR needs unique to your sector.

In addition to the personal support, you can find resources such as videos, demos, webinars and e-guides on TriNet’s website. 

Drawbacks

If you are looking to use only one specific service to keep your costs low, TriNet may not be your best option. Since each plan includes some standard services, such as payroll processing and risk mitigation, you may end up paying for services you don’t need.

Another potential downside is the five-employee minimum. For many businesses, this is not big a big hurdle to clear, but it bars smaller businesses that are just starting out from working with TriNet.

Summary

We recommend TriNet for:

• Businesses that prioritize excellent customer support and/or need extra help navigating certain HR areas
• Businesses wanting an HR service that specializes in their industry
• Businesses with at least five employees 

We do not recommend TriNet for:

• Small businesses with fewer than five employees
• Businesses that only want a few services and don’t want to pay for others that all TriNet customers are required to use