When we started Gusto, we spent time talking to business owners and understanding what their pain points were. One recurring message we heard was about how the tools to run a business don’t work well with each other and that a significant amount of time is spent re-entering data and managing multiple disparate systems.
Think about how nearly every business is run: someone has to assign work, make sure it gets done, and pay people. While small businesses have started using cloud-based, mobile-friendly tools to do all of those things, none of the applications could share information automatically with each other. Business owners had to complete tasks separately and synchronize systems manually.
Today we’re introducing an API to fix that.
The Gusto API transforms payroll from being a vertical silo to a horizontal platform that seamlessly connects applications for HR, finance and other important back office functions.
The immediate benefit of enabling systems to “talk” to payroll is efficiency. No more fussing with data entry or importing and exporting clunky files. By eliminating all that extra work, we’re reducing errors and allowing everyone to do what they do best. Business owners can focus on motivating and rewarding people, and their employees can look forward to getting paid with delightful, modern payroll. Everybody wins.
Here’s an example of our API in action:
Vick Tran is the founding partner of zeroUV, an eyewear boutique in Southern California. He’s been a Gusto customer ever since we launched:
“Any time there’s an option to go paperless, I go for it. Gusto was exactly what I needed because it’s simple to use, the pricing is straightforward, and I never deal with paperwork,” he said.
Vick believes small businesses have to adapt quickly to new technology. He’s relieved about not having to manually transfer data the “old school” way:
“We used to have our employees sign in and out on paper sheets and I had to enter all the hours by hand every two weeks. After we started using a time tracking solution that syncs with Gusto, we were surprised to see gaps in our employment schedule, and quickly figured out how to better staff those shifts. The connection between the products saves time for me, and it even helps people get to work on time because they’re so eager to clock in and out and view their timesheets!”
In the long run, opening up the flow of information between applications isn’t merely about saving time.
We are creating new ways to manage work.
For instance, imagine a point-of-sale system that could tell which products are moving slowly, dynamically offer incentives to salespeople, and automatically reward them through connected payroll when they sell those items.
Another example could be pulling compensation data into employee performance reviews. For the first time, business owners would be able to see a full picture of the relationships between employee compensation and performance.
Gabriel Torres, co-owner of Custom Built Insurance, can envision how an open ecosystem would create new opportunities:
“We run our insurance business virtually and efficiently, applying many lessons picked up from various industries. It’s a pain to use lots of disconnected systems to run your business and we’re excited about all the possibilities that Gusto’s API opens up. For example, we can easily see us integrating our CRM with payroll. If you’re not constantly figuring out new ways to be efficient, you’ll be swallowed up by competitors.”
Businesses use countless tools to manage and pay people, and our customers have been asking us to synchronize their favorites with payroll. That’s why we decided to make some friends with like-minded companies. We’re all helping small businesses run more efficiently and elegantly, so it makes sense for our products to work together. Gusto has already started working with leading time and attendance, HR, accounting, expenses, business management and point-of-sale solutions. Check them out on our integrations page.
This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to see what creative solutions others can build with our API. If your company is making modern applications to power small businesses, we’d love to hear from you.
Here’s to reinventing work together!
