How to Prepare for Your First 30 Days of The Whirks Way

You've made the decision to switch payroll providers. Maybe you've already started seeing the hidden issues in your back office. Maybe you've realized your systems have been held together with duct tape longer than you'd like to admit. Either way, you've taken the hardest step: Choosing to do something about it.

Now what? What actually happens in those first 30 days? And what can you do to set yourself up for the smoothest transition possible?

If you're feeling a mix of relief and anxiety, that's completely normal. You're relieved because you finally have a partner who's going to help you fix things. But you're anxious because payroll is the one thing you absolutely cannot get wrong.

In this article, we'll walk you through what the first 30 days of The Whirks Way client journey actually look like, both emotionally and practically. You'll learn

• What to expect from us
• What we'll need from you
• And how to prepare…

… so your transition feels less like a leap of faith and more like a confident step forward.

What the First 30 Days Are Really About

The first 30 days of The Whirks Way fall within the Ignited stage, where you begin seeing what’s really happening in your back office. If you've been following along with this series, you already know that Ignited is about awareness.

But it’s also about laying the groundwork to replace what’s broken.

During the Ignited stage, you wake up to what's been hiding in your back office. During the first 30 days, we start laying the groundwork to fix it. Discovery and foundation-building happen almost simultaneously. And by the end of day 30, you'll have processed your first payroll with Whirks.

That's a big deal. And it's why preparation matters.

Your Kickoff Call: Where Everything Starts

Before we touch any of your data or process a single paycheck, we start with a kickoff call. This call typically lasts about 30 to 45 minutes, and it's where we get a deep understanding of what's happening in your business today.

We're going to ask you questions that might seem basic, but they matter more than you think.

• Are your business name and EIN accurate?
• Are all employees still active and paid at the correct rates?
• Are you registered in every state you operate in and filing for unemployment in the right places?

We ask these questions because we've seen what happens when they go unanswered. We've worked with businesses that discovered their EIN belonged to a completely different entity. We've found companies with mystery business entities they'd forgotten they opened years ago. These are the kinds of issues that can completely derail a payroll transition if they're not caught early.

This kickoff call is a conversation, so don’t think of it like a quiz. It's designed to make sure we're building your new system on a solid, accurate foundation.

What You Can Gather Before Your Kickoff Call

You don't need to be a payroll expert to prepare for your first 30 days. But having a few key items ready will make the process faster and smoother for everyone.

Here's what helps us hit the ground running:

• Your legal entity information. Business name, EIN, and state registrations. Do you have multiple entities or locations? Bring documents for each. If something’s outdated or unclear, that’s OK. We’ll review it together.
• A current employee roster. Who’s active, what they’re paid, and how they’re classified. Recent payroll reports help, even if they aren’t perfect. It gives us a useful starting point.
• Your current tax setup details. State tax IDs, unemployment filings, and unresolved tax notices. Don’t ignore notices you don’t understand. One overlooked letter can lead to months of penalties.
• Your employee handbook and HR documents. Even if your handbook hasn't been updated in a while, we want to see it. It helps us identify compliance gaps and prioritize what needs attention first.
• Your benefits information. If you offer health insurance, retirement plans, or other pre-tax benefits, we’ll need your enrollment records, carrier info, and deduction details to build an accurate system.
• Your timekeeping and integration details. Do you use a POS system, a time clock, or a scheduling tool? Knowing what needs to connect helps us plan smart integrations early.

You won't have all of this perfectly organized, and that's OK. The goal isn't perfection. It's participation. The more you share upfront, the smoother the road ahead.

What Happens Behind the Scenes While You Wait

After kickoff, a lot happens behind the scenes. We understand this can sometimes leave you feeling a little uneasy. You’ve handed over critical info, and now you're trusting us to build something better.

During this phase, we're migrating your historical payroll data, setting up your organizational structure (departments, pay codes, job classifications), connecting your timekeeping or POS systems, and validating everything to make sure our system matches reality.

We keep you in the loop throughout. Some clients want to know every detail, while others prefer a hands-off approach until something needs their attention. We adjust our communication to match your preferences, but we always let you know about major milestones and anything that requires your input.

Why the HR Risk Assessment Matters

Sometime during your first 30 days, we'll schedule a separate call focused specifically on HR. This is where we conduct a comprehensive review of your HR practices, and it's one of the most valuable conversations you'll have early in the process.

We'll ask questions like:

• Do you have up-to-date W-4s for all employees?
• Are your I-9s complete and properly filed?
• Is your employee handbook current and compliant with federal and state laws?
• Do you have a Premium Only Plan document if you're offering pre-tax benefits?

If you're missing some of these items, don't worry. We'd rather you tell us honestly that something isn't in place than discover problems later. It's much easier to fix missing documents upfront than to untangle compliance issues down the road.

This assessment helps build a clear picture of where your HR stands so we can help you strengthen it over time. Many of the most common issues we find, including outdated handbooks, missing documentation, and inconsistent recordkeeping, are fixable. They just need to be identified first.

Training: Learning Before You Go Live

Once your data is loaded and validated, we move to training. We won't go live until you're comfortable with the system.

Training covers:

• Payroll processing (entering hours, running payroll, reviewing reports)
• Employee management (new hires, terminations, updates)
• System logic (understanding how the software works)
• Process changes (how our system might differ from what you're used to)

You can choose how you want to learn: With videos, live sessions, or having a team member sit with you during your first payroll run.

Most clients can be fully up and running with about 45 minutes of basic training. If your organization is larger or more complex, we'll adjust that time.

Day 30: Your First Payroll with Whirks

This is the milestone everything builds toward. By day 30, you've been trained, your data has been converted, and you're ready to process your first payroll with Whirks.

Our number one priority is simple: Your people must get paid correctly and on time. Everything else can be fine-tuned later, but missing payroll is never an option.

Whether you want hands-on help or prefer to run payroll solo with us on standby, we’re here either way.

When that first payroll processes successfully, something shifts. The anxiety that came with switching providers starts to ease. You begin to feel what we call Relieved, the second stage of The Whirks Way. 

Your first payroll with Whirks felt better, and you know you're headed in the right direction.

That shift from Ignited to Relieved is one of the most meaningful moments in The Whirks Way. It's the first proof that progress is real.

How to Set the Right Expectations for Your Team

If you're the person managing this transition, here are a few things that will help your team adjust:

• Let them know what's changing and why. Your employees don't need every detail, but they should know payroll is moving to a new system and that the goal is a better experience for everyone.
• Be honest about the learning curve. Any new system takes a little time. The first payroll cycle might feel different, but by the second or third cycle, it will feel routine.
• Designate a point person. If multiple people are involved in payroll or HR, decide who will be the primary contact for training and questions. This keeps communication clean and prevents things from falling through the cracks.
• Give yourself grace. You're making a significant change for the health of your business. If something feels uncertain during the first 30 days, remember this: Uncertainty is temporary. Clarity is coming.

What Happens After Day 30

Your first successful payroll isn't the finish line. It's really just the starting line.

After day 30, we shift into optimization mode. This is where we address compliance gaps uncovered during discovery, improve processes that were held together with workarounds, and begin moving you deeper into The Whirks Way, from Relieved toward Capable and beyond.

By day 90, our goal is to have five critical areas working for you:

• Efficient payroll processing
• Updated HR foundation
• Accurate benefits administration
• Reliable reporting
• Connected systems that reduce friction instead of creating it

All of that starts with the foundation built in the first 30 days.

Your First 30 Days Are the Hardest Part, and the Most Rewarding

Switching payroll providers is scary. But the first 30 days of The Whirks Way are designed to take the uncertainty out of the process and replace it with clarity, structure, and support.

You've already done the hardest part by recognizing that something needed to change. The Whirks Way exists because we've guided hundreds of businesses through this exact transition. We know what to expect, where the pitfalls are, and how to help you avoid them. Your job isn't to have all the answers. It's to show up, participate, and trust the process.

By day 30, when payroll runs smoothly and relief sets in, you’ll know the decision was worth it.

You’ve made it through the first 30 days. Now, here’s what’s ahead.
▶ Read: What to Expect in Your First 90 Days with Whirks

Still trying to figure out where your biggest back-office challenges are?
▶ Read: 7 Most Common Hidden Back Office Problems in Small Business Payroll, HR, and Benefits.