Paychex vs. SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Paychex
Score 5.5 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
SilkRoad Onboarding
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
SilkRoad Onboarding is a component of the SilkRoad Life Suite platform. It includes functionality for onboarding, including electronic offer support, retention during Mergers & Acquisitions, and offboarding personnel. It is optimized for enterprise organizations.N/A
Pricing
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
Editions & Modules
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
Features
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.3
257 Ratings
7% below category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data7.6206 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history9.4230 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.8164 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.3161 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting1.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management9.0146 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.1137 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
9.1
299 Ratings
13% above category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
Pay calculation9.6282 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.0142 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.6164 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.6281 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.1200 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.5111 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
8.4
151 Ratings
5% above category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
Approval workflow8.2107 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details8.5143 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.5117 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
8.8
258 Ratings
9% above category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information9.1236 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information8.6248 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation9.7114 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history7.9175 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.5
41 Ratings
7% below category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.541 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.0
169 Ratings
7% below category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
Report builder7.9139 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports8.3159 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.086 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.0
165 Ratings
12% below category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.8158 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.3101 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
8.0
61 Ratings
3% above category average
SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management8.033 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.531 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.124 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.131 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention8.030 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.135 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.155 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
PowerDMS by NEOGOV
PowerDMS by NEOGOV
Score 7.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
PowerDMS by NEOGOV
PowerDMS by NEOGOV
Score 7.1 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
Vibe HCM (discontinued)
Vibe HCM (discontinued)
Score 4.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(309 ratings)
7.0
(18 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(42 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(251 ratings)
7.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
7.4
(11 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
7.4
(11 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.5
(256 ratings)
7.1
(4 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.5
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.5
(12 ratings)
4.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
7.4
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(11 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(31 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.2
(32 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PaychexSilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet)
Likelihood to Recommend
Paychex Inc.
For the most part, Paychex Flex is a very good payroll system and is well suited for a small business. Most basic features are simple and user friendly. For businesses that have hourly employees, its timeclock system is a good feature. For businesses that have a large number of employees and more complicated rules and policies, it might not be as appropriate because of the difficulty to set up for these rules and policies
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SilkRoad
I like the idea of RedCarpet. If it was fully functional for us, I really think it would be a great tool to use. However, the lack of response and the response time itself in tech support is definitely a downfall for our company
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Pros
Paychex Inc.
  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
Read full review
SilkRoad
  • Employee Task Management: Red Carpet provides a customized welcome portal and system for task management, based upon each employee's location, role, department, etc. It allows the organization to build chronological tasks to complete on the front end, which seamlessly flows through as each are completed.
  • Streamlined Process: During the development process, it causes the employer to re-think its current onboarding process, forms, reason and timing for completing tasks, etc. This results in not only creation of electronic forms, but also an improved overall process.
  • Monitors workflow: Through visible tasks/colors on the back end, as well as reporting features, HR administrators and Managers/Supervisors can easily see where each employee is in their new hire process. Quickly view what tasks remain incomplete, as well as if an individual/team is causing a delay in the process.
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Cons
Paychex Inc.
  • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
  • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
  • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
Read full review
SilkRoad
  • They have made major improvements to the user interface while we have been a customer but still have some work to do in this space.
  • On the employee onboarding portal; some of the functionality could be more robust (ie: Broader Font Library; more customizable skin).
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Likelihood to Renew
Paychex Inc.
Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
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SilkRoad
No answers on this topic
Usability
Paychex Inc.
Some things could be streamlined. For example, we could do custom options for the "add items" tab which has so many options that we never use. "Medical Pay" could be something that the system remembers for the applicable employees. Salaried employees' salaries should definitely be auto-filled. Overall the system works well but I think it could be improved to be easier to use and read.
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SilkRoad
It takes a lot of training and reading up on the processes in order to use it, but once you've had a lot of trial and error, you figure out the system quickly. Once you put together a user guide specific for your company's use of the product, it's easier for new employees to use RedCarpet and understand the different functions within it.
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Reliability and Availability
Paychex Inc.
We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
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SilkRoad
No answers on this topic
Performance
Paychex Inc.
Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
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SilkRoad
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Paychex Inc.
Our dedicated representative is one of the main reasons we are sticking with Paychex Flex. If it were not for this person, other platforms could provide the same/similar functionality. It is the ability to speak with someone that understands our business and is willing to get questions answered in a timely fashion that keeps us with Paychex Flex.
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SilkRoad
Support is adequate. They are about the same, and the expected turn around time is acceptable in the industry standard. We have no complaints with customer support. The tracking system is good and allows for updates to issues, so there are generally no questions where the case may sit with engineering or application support.
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In-Person Training
Paychex Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
SilkRoad
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Paychex Inc.
It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
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SilkRoad
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Paychex Inc.
Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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SilkRoad
SilkRoad's training/demo video was viewed well prior to beginning implementation. HR Team did not remember details and the video was not sufficient enough to understand all of the features within the system in order to communicate needs to the vendor/implementation expert. Implementation should have been walked through, step by step, by the vendor and each section of their required spreadsheet and the development of the portal should have been explained in depth.
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Alternatives Considered
Paychex Inc.
We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
Read full review
SilkRoad
We have previewed several onboarding platforms, but none has come close to the quality and flexibility of SilkRoad Onboarding (RedCarpet). Prehire task management allows each department to do what they do best to prepare for the new hire's first day. Keys, computer access, and office spaces are prepared in advance, so each new hire feels valued.
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Scalability
Paychex Inc.
I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
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SilkRoad
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Paychex Inc.
  • I do not believe we have saved anything additionally. The time we've had to spend to get things to hopefully work is sad. This is the reason we've had to turn off all extra "products" of Paychex Flex. Time and Attendance is horrible. Benefits management is horrible. The user experience is horrible.
  • One thing I do not understand is why are updates for states, cities, counties, school districts, etc. not automatically updated? Should we not get a big red flag if we have an employee living/working, being paid in CA, but they aren't set up for CA sick time? If it is required to be on the paycheck stub to show the balance of the sick time, why would we not be notified that we are out of compliance?
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SilkRoad
  • Positive impact to ROI, we don't have hard numbers for overall but just in time spent on chasing paperwork I would say we save a minimum of 20 minutes per new hire and we hire 600+ people/year.
  • We save an unknown amount on properly completed I9 forms since the system doesn't let you make errors that were always common on paper forms.
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ScreenShots

Paychex Screenshots

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