TriNet Zenefits Reviews

Pros

Everything is cohesive and easy to learn and use.

Cons

Would like more pdf print options to be available

Alternatives Considered

RUN Powered by ADP

Reasons for Choosing TriNet Zenefits

Wanted to try the new kid on the block

Switched From

ADP Vantage HCM

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

Cost and value

Pros

What makes Zenefits most valuable to our business is the ease of onboarding new people and providing a 1 stop place for my HR department that is completely in the cloud and no need for reams of paper to be wasted. The PTO calendar and tracking is invaluable as well.

Cons

Zenefits started as a Benefits company with an HR platform, but has pivoted to providing Payroll as it's core business with the other add-ons. There is still some room for improvement on the payroll side and how to handle the customer service side of this.

Pros

Very little. We signed a year contract, and switched after 4 months because we had so many legal and tax issues that they caused.

Cons

1. The set up process was a nightmare - it took weeks because the system kept saying a certain part was done and a week later I would get an URGENT email that that part still had to be completed.
2. Several items I was guaranteed at sign up - and I have in writing - for pricing and functionality, were later denied to us. Providing proof of what we were told provided no further help.
3. There is no "real" phone number. You can call tech support, but all they will say is they will have "that department email you within XX number of hours" Many times it was up to a week, and often the issue was not resolved because no matter how we explained it they didn't understand the issue. And all support is handled through email no matter what, even if a phone call would SAVE HOURS OF TIME!
4. The pre- and post-tax items were entered into the system, come to find out they didn't classify them properly so the taxes were not calculated correctly.
5. The FEDERAL and STATE TAXES were filed incorrectly and we had tax notices from both that we owed money past due, then we ended up getting a small refund because one was paid twice. The state taxes for the first quarter of the year were NOT FILED AT ALL, even though they told me they had done so.
6. The tax reports are NOT AVAILABLE in your portal, you have to specifically request them - this to me makes no sense.
7. There is more but this will do for now.

Pros

One of the things that users have appreciated about Zenefit is the personalized approach to coaching. By working with a coach to develop a customized plan, users are able to receive guidance that is tailored to their specific needs and goals. This has helped many users see better results in their wellness journey.Another pro of Zenefit is the community aspect. Users have reported feeling supported and motivated by connecting with other like-minded individuals who are also working towards improved health and wellbeing. This sense of community can be especially beneficial for people who are starting out on their wellness journey and may feel overwhelmed or alone.Overall, Zenefit appears to offer a comprehensive and personalized approach to wellness coaching that can be effective for many individuals.

Cons

One potential drawback is the cost. While personalized coaching and access to a community can be beneficial, these services can also come with a higher price tag. Some users have reported that the cost of using Zenefit can be prohibitive, especially for those on a tight budget.Another potential con is that some users may prefer a more independent approach to wellness. While the personalized coaching and community aspect of Zenefit can be helpful for many people, some users may prefer to develop their own fitness and nutrition plans, or may not want to share their journey with others.Finally, it's worth noting that results may vary. While many users have reported positive outcomes from using Zenefit, it's important to keep

Pros

Zenefits is a one stop shop for most Human Resource needs. That said the payroll/ accounting side was the only struggle that could have had to much room for human error for myself to be able to stick with this system. The system however has many many pros and not very many cons. Everything is very user friendly for all ages to figure out and manage. The staff was always super welcoming and sweet with all the answers to my thousands of questions.

Cons

The lack of integration with QuickBooks. I do not believe this falls onto Zenefits however, I believe QuickBooks refuses to work with anyone not just Zenefits in particular!

Alternatives Considered

BambooHR

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

I truthfully have not chosen any products yet, I am simply doing all of the extra steps myself.

Pros

The concept is great, as is the sales demo.

Cons

Onboarding took from October to February, but I was promised it was a painless few-day process. Yes, you read that correct, February (as in, way later than the Jan 1 payroll switch I expected).

At times, Zenefits implementation team would be unavailable for more than a week at a time.

There is no logical sub-navigation within the product. I frequently find myself going all the way back to the dashboard to re-enter an area of the software that was missing a sub-nav or breadcrumbs. Many links don't clearly show that you're about to completely leave a section of the portal. For instance, links in the "payroll" app take you to the "deductions" app and the whole UI changes without warning that you're switching apps.

I've had to correct Zenefits on:
- Incorrect benefit enrollments
- Incorrect premium entry
- Incorrect deductions
- Incorrect contributions
- Incorrect wages

And when I ask them to fix these things... they tell me to do it via manual entry!

This is a payroll software that apparently gets every element of paying someone wrong, requiring manual review on a per-pay basis.

Alternatives Considered

Rippling and RUN Powered by ADP

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

The demo was great, really made it seem like they had it all figured out. It was unfortunately a facade.

Pros

Ease of use is good and Digital app for the employees is very helpful. Saves HR time in updating information because employees can do it themselves from their phone app.

Cons

Very poor customer support. Limited update and communication. I have open cases that are still open. Account rep is very nice but there's nothing he can do. If I talk to a live technical rep, they often give varying opinions, so it's confusing. Uploading renewal of Benefits package too cumbersome and I have been asking for someone to walk me through and I never got any response. They close the case when it's even resolved. After sales support is really very bad and that's where it's most needed.

Pros

It's easy to use and keeps us compliant. It has brought up things we didn't even know we needed and helped keep us compliant.

Cons

Customer service can be hard to reach, but their help center is robust and they have training courses to help.

Alternatives Considered

Gusto

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

Zenefits had more HR features and our payroll situation is simple.

Pros

Super user friendly and you can easily find whatever you are looking for

Cons

The app is very buggy with clock in/out feature

Alternatives Considered

BambooHR

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

Bamboo HR didn't have everything we were looking for

Pros

This SaaS has tons of features and can really help a small business get over those HR hurtles, although it won't replace the most valuable assets that a in-the-flesh HR person brings.

Adding their payroll integration was a big win since our company was using a 401(k) admin that required manually keying in EVERYTHING back when we used intuit for payroll. So props for that!

Cons

OKAY, hear me out. The on-boarding process is unacceptable. I wouldn't be surprised if half of their potential client base ended up BACKING-OUT during on-boarding. I mean, it takes 2-4 weeks, you'll already be looking a bill on your credit card, and to make matters worse, the only staff that have a phone number are SALES PEOPLE!

You guessed it, the sales staff CAN NOT help you with your on boarding., PERIOD.

Pros

This software is so easy to use for both the employees and the HR team. Everything is simple and straightforward, no convoluted quirky tricks needed to enter information. Hiring and onboarding is super easy. Open enrollment is super easy. Payroll is super easy. PTO management is super easy.

Cons

There are some tie in products that still need some work.

Alternatives Considered

Paycom, ADP Workforce Now and BambooHR

Reasons for Choosing TriNet Zenefits

Needed an integrated solution.

Switched From

Paychex Flex

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

The benefits management system and the easy hiring ability were the original reason. In the end, it was the employee experience that made the difference - good mobile product.

Pros

Overall very easy to use and set up would use again

Cons

It takes too long to reach a live person via chat. This used to be a great feature that allowed me to quickly fix issues. Now it takes 2-3 business days to get a response via email.

Alternatives Considered

Gusto, ADP Workforce Now and Namely

Reasons for Choosing TriNet Zenefits

The integration with harvest to track hours wasn’t the best.

Switched From

QuickBooks Time

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

I had used Zenefits before and knew the set up was easy.

Pros

We tried a big-name service which was a nightmare. Our end users like how easy and intuitive it is to deal with onboarding, open enrollment, time-off requests, and payroll. As an admin, I've also found it easy to use, customize, and introduce to our team.

Cons

Customer service used to be very slow, but they have greatly improved their response time.

Pros

Zenefits was a life saver for me! Everything was done manually before Zenefits so the amount of time is saved was amazing. The ease of use is incredible and I love the reporting capabilities.

Cons

Support response can be slow, especially for tax items

Alternatives Considered

Gusto and RUN Powered by ADP

Reasons for Choosing TriNet Zenefits

Needed something to do not only payroll but also filings, payments, compliance + all other HR and benefits admin.

Switched From

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

price, ease of use and reporting

Pros

I save so much time on payroll and have fewer errors compared to when we manually calculated it and used a 3rd party accounting firm to handle our payroll. Year end tax documents -- especially for contractors receiving 1099s -- are also much less of a headache now. I've also saved a ton of time on HR operations - in particular new staff onboarding and documentation. It's much simpler for both me and the new staff.

Cons

Customer service can be a little slow to respond, and setting up PTO for part-time employees was a little trickier and more time-consuming than I expected.

Alternatives Considered

Gusto, ADP Workforce Now and BambooHR

Reasons for Switching to TriNet Zenefits

They offered a nonprofit discount and I like their sales team

Pros

For a small business there is not anyone cheaper than Zenefits and they have much greater integration and overall HR flow management than pretty much anyone I could find. When everything works, Zenefits is a beautiful thing.

Cons

Zenefits support is absolutely horrible. If there was ANY competitor that was anywhere close to having what they have at anywhere near their cost, I would have left by now. Support makes me downright angry on a regular basis. They don't read your questions and try to answer a different question, they take two or more days to respond (and there is no phone support), they tell you they'll call you back and do not, they give you wrong information over and over again. Almost no one who works there has any clue what they are doing, and their software messes up sometimes. The combination of the two has been a nightmare. I am constantly wondering if I'm actually saving time by using them, or if all the time I save is eating up with my many hours of arguing with support.

Pros

I like that I can keep my HR in one place online and the general onboarding of certain positions in our company with the template is easy and straightforward.

Cons

Time and Attendance is clunky to use accurately. There is an app for employees to clock in but it's easy for mistakes to occur. Onboarding is clunky too if you want to send an offer letter that is not part of a template and still have the new hire, say a manager with a negotiated salary, sign online.

Pros

The apps are are very organized and "user friendly". Customer support has improved significantly in the past year. It is a pro that there are multiple HR functions electronically administered. It has made many HR functions in my company more efficient which allows us to focus on strategic goals and other areas. Zenefits assist us mostly in ACA reporting, e-paperwork for onboarding, limited compliance assistance, basic data reporting, and PTO administration. It has transition our new hire paperwork to e-files. Speaking from a small company of 65, it is a helpful product to keep data stored, electronic onboarding, PTO, and ACA Reporting.

Cons

Zenefits charges by certain App usage. For example, administering FSA or HSA via Zenefits will charge a fee per enrollees in addition to the number of employee per month. We are hoping for their Benchmark app from HR Compliance to provide more data that we can use to create customized reports. I believe that the benchmark data can definitely be improved. I would like to learn more about how this product can be used as a company's "Employer Intranet Portal" website or assist the company in "employee performance or management" function.

Pros

I love to give credit where credit is due. I have suggested to my HR peers the ease of using Zenefits several times. Our company chose Zenefits to be the HR/Payroll/Benefits management system for our fast growing company because we needed to automate and help employees self administer routine HR related tasks and help us manage this without having to add new FTEs to our HR dept functions. Our [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] did an analytical review of several vendors and Zenefits was by far the most comprehensive at the right price point that met all of our criteria. Going with Zenefits met our objectives and has allowed us to grow rapidly without consuming the company with manual HR/Payroll/Benefits administration. As with ANY HR platform, there are always items you would like to improve or change and Zenefits is always doing that and looking for feedback.

Cons

Customer service is slow to respond. The time card page often freezes up. There needs to be a way to add an additional manager. Need a disciplinary app.

Pros

In today’s life, a very big problem that big companies are facing is that HR is not manageable. I have seen a lot of companies that are facing this problem extremely. So, to overcome these barriers and make the flow smooth a brilliant software had been launched named: ZENEFITS!! It provides a platform that can be easily understood and can be used by an ordinary person. Great Na!! It also stores time and attendance of its users and supports Integration. One great thing is also that it provides a completely automated and electronic employees on-boarding services. It integrates all the functions of HR management under one roof only. This one is Awesome Guys!! It also supports reporting and filing data of ACA as well as it also supports customer service.

Cons

This application excludes international payrolls and having some problems in permanent storage of details of employees (Like mailing address of employees). Sometimes very awkward problems arise like managers are not able to access all the details of employees etc. Its Insurance Integration is also very bad as well as it provides only a few reports that are almost of no use. In comparison to its competitors, its prices are a little bit higher which also increases its cons. It has no performance management tools as well as it is not full HRIS, it is a basic system so use according to your needs.

Pros

Fairly comprehensive in what it offers, and is increasingly customizable in its various offerings. Support is kind and prompt, though not always the most immediately knowledgeable. Reports for business are easy to pull and very useful. Very clear, straightforward, and user-friendly interface, for both employees and admins.

Cons

Rollover of plans and brokers can be a real hassle, and the Zenefits account managers aren't always the most knowledgeable or the most immediate links to benefits vendors. The software on the back-end is still buggy and may hit tech snags. Employee interactions are for the most part positive, but there was a COBRA issue that went on for months. Similarly, when requesting a training on 'what health insurance is, and what my options are' the manager mostly took us through 'how to upload your profile pic' (granted, this was early 2015, I think those offerings have either been improved or abolished).

Pros

The ease of use for both employee and administrator is fantastic. New hires report an extremely pleasant onboarding experience through the platform.

The automation is great and most things work extremely well. When they don't, my account manager is incredibly responsive and helpful.

I absolutely love that the product team has taken several of my suggestions for improved functionality and implemented them.

Cons

Document storage doesn't work well for our use case. As a law firm, we have significant needs in this area and the current system is inadequate and cumbersome. Our need is greater than the typical use case.

I preferred being able to call customer support when I had issues (outside of what my account manager handles). Submitting an issue through the portal and awaiting an email reply or call back (depending on which option is selected) is not ideal. Highly recommend a return to the prior method because it felt more available and 'real time'.

Pros

Zenefits was a lifesaver for our growing firm. Our firm was initially looking for a way to better manager PTO requests, but as we learned more about the product offerings, we took full advantage of making Zenefits the cornerstone of our HR infrastructure. Besides PTO tracking, the most useful/time saving features are onboarding new employees and open enrollment. With the functionality Zenefits provides, these previously time consuming and scattered tasks have become easy, accurate, and seamless. Having Zenefits available as a tool has enabled our Firm to offer employees a fully transparent HR tool that can assist them in managing their HR needs.

Cons

The inability to integrate information with our payroll provider - ADP Run. When Zenefits was launched at our firm, the integration was available and very useful. While not a deal-breaker, not having that integration is a bit of a pain.

Pros

So first off, we use zenefits on a daily basis for just about all of our HR functions. The support is great for when we've run into the very rare bug, and sales is always quick to get back to me.

They regularly release new features and improve existing ones.
They are also VERY receptive to user feedback and idea suggestions.

Cons

Ya know, I'm not one to nitpick, but i have run into a few small issues lately.
Primarily, the issue we have now is that we've been on Zenefits for a few years now and have older "Legacy Pricing". We however do all HR tasks on Zenefits EXCEPT payroll.

Well fast forward a few years, their payroll product actually looks fairly promising.... until i learned that in order to start using their Payroll service, i have to first be updated to their newer more expensive billing plan.

Bah.

Pros

What I like most about Zenefits is that it allows our employee on-boarding process to be completely automated and electronic. I love it!

Cons

The software I like, but being an earlier adopter, there were many growing pains within the company which caused a lot of issues with our open enrollment for two consecutive years. We recently resigned our contract and based on what we need, went with the basic (silver?) plan, which doesn't include Vacation Tracking. We don't need all of the HR support since we're a consulting services company. With that said, I'm disappointed that we weren't grandfathered in to having that tool.