Challenge: AssetHR began as a cloud-based payroll provider serving clients with an average of about 25 employees. As the company looked to offer more than payroll, disconnected systems made it harder to deliver a unified experience and pursue larger organizations.
Solution: Through the isolved Network, the company expanded beyond payroll with a connected platform, implementation training, ongoing product resources and access to isolved experts for specialized support.
Impact: AssetHR has increased revenue 60% since joining the Network and moved upmarket. Today, the company competes strongly for employers with 100–300 employees and has won business with organizations with up to 1,300 employees.
A Business Built on Relationships
AssetHR has centered its business on a simple principle: everything the company does should be in the best interest of the client. Founder and President Chris Kelly calls it ROR, or “return on relationship.”
For nearly 20 years, that philosophy has shaped how its team serves employers. When Kelly saw the opportunity to move beyond payroll services, he recognized that bringing more HR capabilities together could change what AssetHR offered clients and the types of employers it could serve. At the time, the company’s average client had approximately 25 employees, and functions such as applicant tracking, onboarding, benefits administration, payroll and time tracking were spread across separate systems.
“Our systems really didn't speak to each other before isolved, and we had a lot of issues,” Kelly said. “If we were working on a benefits administration project, it wouldn't talk to payroll. And if a company had an applicant tracking system, it wouldn't work inside the payroll software at all.”
For AssetHR, the isolved Network, a partner program that helps payroll providers broaden the technology and services they offer clients, offered a way to bring those capabilities together.
Growing Into a Full HCM Provider
Joining the isolved Network gave AssetHR the human capital management (HCM) technology the company had been looking for. Instead of relying on separate systems for payroll processing, time and attendance, benefits administration and talent management, the team could bring the employee experience together through the isolved People Cloud™ platform.
isolved also helped the company get started with training on HCM implementation and sales, while other Network Partners shared their experience as the team began bringing the platform to clients.
After joining the Network, the company went back to some of its existing clients with 150–200 employees to demonstrate the expanded offering. Those clients adopted isolved through AssetHR and remain customers today.
Over time, AssetHR continued to win business with larger employers. Today, the company competes strongly in the 100–300 employee market and has won business with companies with 900–1,300 employees. Overall, revenue has increased 60% since joining the Network.
That broader HCM offering helped AssetHR grow into what Kelly describes as a “true human capital management company.”
“isolved allows us to be scalable, whether you're a 30- or 1,000-person shop. There's truly everything you need inside the employee lifecycle.”
Chris Kelly
President at AssetHR
Taking More Off Clients’ Plates
As AssetHR expanded from payroll into broader HCM software, the team could take on more of the work clients had been managing themselves.
Payroll tax filing is one example. When challenges with an outside provider created the need for a new approach, the company moved hundreds of clients to isolved Tax. With implementation support from isolved, the new process was running in about 1.5 weeks. The move gave the company greater visibility when clients had tax questions and reduced the need to wait on another provider for answers.
“You gain so much more flexibility using isolved Tax compared to an outside firm,” Kelly said. “You're able to tell the clients why and, if they do get a form, why they're getting it. You're not guessing or waiting, and it's let us become a lot more efficient.”
The team can also work directly with brokers on renewal information and help clients prepare for open enrollment. One of its clients, Kensington Bank, reported spending 80–90% less time on the enrollment process after implementing isolved through AssetHR.
“If you use the benefits software properly, you can save a lot of time for the client,” Kelly said, adding that taking on more of the process can also help the company “gain a great deal of loyalty.”
Expertise When It Matters
As AssetHR moved upmarket, knowing the platform became even more important. The team puts time into learning the HR solutions it sells so it can answer detailed questions and show prospects how the HCM technology can work for their business.
When a conversation calls for deeper expertise, the company can also tap into the broader isolved team. Kelly said he has direct relationships with isolved leaders and knows he can reach out when an issue needs attention. The same access extends to client opportunities, where product experts can join calls to help work through more complex questions.
“If you're working on an account and you need some help, they'll actually go on the call with you and work through it when you need an expert,” Kelly said.
That combination has helped AssetHR stand out when competing against established HCM providers. In one example, he pointed to a 900-plus-employee organization that was using UKG and also considering Rippling, Paycom and Paylocity before ultimately choosing AssetHR.
As isolved adds new capabilities, AssetHR continues to build its expertise so the team can bring more to clients and pursue new opportunities. Ongoing training, product enhancements and new modules help the team stay current as the platform evolves.
The People Behind the Partnership
After 13 years in the isolved Network, technology remains an important part of the partnership, but it isn’t the reason the relationship has lasted.
“The technology is great, but if you’re chasing technology, you’re always going to be looking at the next color that looks better or the next technology that has a different functionality. It’s really the people.”
Chris Kelly
President at AssetHR
That sentiment extends across the whole team. Anthony Avallone, senior account manager at AssetHR, said isolved listens to its partners and makes the company feel like part of the Network rather than just another account.
isolved’s support became personal for Kelly when his family was navigating his daughter’s cancer diagnosis. People across isolved reached out with support, including personal outreach from company leadership.
“We’re forever grateful to isolved,” Kelly said. “The technology is amazing, but the people are even better.”
