Contractor Advice - Umbrella Company Comparison
There are an increasing number of Umbrella Companies within the industry – Giant Strongbox, Parasol IT, Orange Genie to name a few.
We all have glowing testimonials on our websites but then who would publish negative comments about their services?
You may have narrowed your choice down to 2 or 3 companies and are now stuck for which one to pick. Below are our top tips for choosing your best Umbrella Company:
What is it like when you call?
When you call, are the phones answered by a person or are you subjected to an automated answering system that you have to navigate in order to speak to someone? Worse still, after you’ve spent 10 minutes listening to the various options, you then get placed in a queue for another 10-20 minutes before you actually get to speak to anyone.
When you call ContractorUmbrella, our phones are always answered by a real person within 3 rings…guaranteed!
Are the Sales and Client telephone numbers the same?
New customers are usually given priority over existing clients. Once they’ve got you, you find yourself never able to get through to where you need to be. We’re sure you’ve all experienced it before with the big energy companies for example; where you can get through to the sales line immediately but when you call the customer care-line with a query, you are subject to the usual rigmarole.
ContractorUmbrella has separate phone lines for new enquires and existing clients. Whether you are a potentially new or existing customer, you are always guaranteed to be answered within our 3 ring policy.
Do you get your own Account Manager?
If you are new contracting, there will probably be lots of questions you want to ask within the first few weeks. If you have to phone up and explain your situation to someone different each time, it won’t be long until you get fed up of repeating yourself over and over again.
At ContractorUmbrella, each contractor is appointed an Account Manager, so you deal with the same person each time you contact us. They will know your background so you can get straight to the point and make the whole experience that much more personal.
Do you get an email address of a real person or just an info@company address?
This isn’t too dissimilar to the point above, but you should look to have the personal email address of your Account Manager, rather than a general email address that is likely to get hundreds of emails a day. This will inevitably only cause delays in the response to your query.
Your Account Manager at ContractorUmbrella uses a personal email address so you can email them directly. All emails will be answered in accordance with our Customer Service Charter as explained below.
Do they have guaranteed service levels?
It’s useful to know where you stand if you need to contact a company. One of the most common complaints is being left waiting for a response to your query. A company that values you as a customer will be happy to publish the timeframes within which they will respond to your query. Response times will vary from company to company, some will offer same day replies whereas others you will have to wait up to 48 hours for a response.
ContractorUmbrella guarantees to respond to your email or online messages within 4 hours if you contact us during business hours.
Do they charge a fixed fee rather than a percentage of your income?
It costs the same to process someone’s payment earning £10.00 an hour, as it does for someone on £100.00. Why should someone be penalised for earning more by charging them a percentage of their income?
ContractorUmbrella has one of the most competitive fee structures within the market. Our fees are fixed so everyone pays the same regardless of their earnings.
Can they provide all the services you need?
You may only plan to use an Umbrella Company for the first 6 months but what about after that? If you plan on setting up your own Limited Company in the long-run, companies like Giant, Orange Genie are not part of a firm of accountants and you will be forced to change supplier when you decide to make the transition.
ContractorUmbrella is sister company to SJD Accountancy, who will be able provide accountancy services to you whenever you make the decision. We will make sure the transition is smooth and painless.
It’s your choice which company you use
It’s ok for an agency to have a preferred list of Umbrella Companies, if they know that contractors will receive a good service from them. What isn’t right is that a company’s details are passed on as a ‘preferred supplier’ because they offer the most in referral fees.
Just because an agency has given you a list of Umbrella Companies to contact, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will get good value for money. Follow our guidelines above and you will be sure to pick a winner!
If you would like to discuss our services, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team on 01206 713680 or email us at info@contractorumbrella.com.
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