Coastal Payroll Scales from $3M to $33M as an isolved Network Partner

Challenge: In 2014, Coastal Payroll had outgrown its legacy system. The team needed more stable, scalable technology that could meet the needs of larger clients and keep pace with the company’s next stage of growth.

Solution: By joining the isolved Network, Coastal Payroll gained a flexible HCM platform, along with training, resources and dedicated support, to expand beyond payroll into HR, onboarding, time and attendance and other workforce solutions.

Impact: Since becoming a partner 12+ years ago, Coastal Payroll has grown revenue from about $3 million to more than $33 million and now serves more than 4,000 clients. The partnership has also helped employees build deeper HCM expertise and move into leadership roles.

Supporting Clients Beyond Payroll

When Coastal Payroll started introducing clients to isolved, CEO Jonathan Gallagher said many had the same reaction: “Where has this been?"

As an end-to-end HCM service provider with more than 19 years of experience, Coastal Payroll helps local and national businesses manage payroll, HR, workforce management and the full employee lifecycle, from applicant tracking and onboarding through retirement.

That work has always been bigger than payroll processing. The company’s goal is to be a resource partner clients can rely on as they manage the everyday challenges of running a business.

The Need for a More Scalable Platform

To keep delivering a superior level of service as client needs became more complex, Coastal Payroll needed HR technology that could evolve with them.

"We were on a legacy application that was unscalable,” said Gallagher. “It couldn't meet the needs of our larger customers. It was unstable. And we knew it didn't have the capabilities to grow with us as we were growing. It became apparent that we were going to have to make a switch in the near future."

Coastal Payroll joined the isolved Network in 2014 and began offering their clients access to a broader set of HCM solutions and services. That shift helped the company expand beyond payroll, strengthen its HCM expertise and support clients at more stages of the employee lifecycle.

Since then, the company has increased annual revenue from about $3 million to more than $33 million. For Gallagher, the numbers tell only part of the story.

Scaling Client Support and Employee Growth

The impact showed up in two places: the organizations Coastal Payroll served and the people doing the work.

One global retail client started working with the company when it had just two employees. Today, that same client has more than 3,000 employees across the country and around the world. As the organization expanded, it continued to rely on Coastal Payroll for support managing the added complexity that comes with growth, from scaling operations to supporting a much larger workforce.

The partnership with isolved has also opened new opportunities for employees to develop their skills and move into leadership roles.

Suzanna Ten Eyck is one example. She joined the company 11 years ago as an HCM specialist. Today, she serves as senior director of product and training, leading a team that works closely with isolved, Coastal Payroll employees and clients to help put the technology to work in practical, meaningful ways. Along the way, Ten Eyck has become an expert for the company in complex areas like certified payroll and evolving compliance requirements.

Training, Tools and a Network Built for What’s Next

For Coastal Payroll, the value of the Network goes beyond the technology itself.

"When it comes to training and development at Coastal Payroll, we have a really robust team that is out there providing opportunities for us to stay up to date with the quickly changing payroll industry," said David Usher, director of client success at Coastal Payroll. "I was able to take some sales training through isolved directly, which really allowed me to grow in terms of client success."

As client needs and industry requirements change, Usher said isolved helps the team stay current on payroll tax filing updates, evolving regulations and emerging product needs.

That same value carries through to the employee experience for Coastal Payroll’s clients. Through isolved’s self-service capabilities, employees can quickly view pay stubs, access tax documents and submit time-off requests in one place.

The isolved Marketplace gives Coastal Payroll another way to respond as client needs change. By bringing trusted partner solutions into the isolved People Cloud™ experience, the Marketplace makes it easier for clients to add support in areas like employee benefits, talent management, compliance and financial services.

For example, with Marketplace partners like Icon, the company can help clients navigate state-mandated retirement plans and evaluate options with more confidence.

Technology That Continues to Advance

After more than a decade on the platform, Gallagher said isolved has continued to scale with Coastal Payroll and the clients it supports.

"We've been working with isolved for more than 12 years now, and it continues to evolve," Gallagher said. "There is a team behind the scenes that just pushes the envelope on technology."

For Coastal Payroll, that ongoing investment matters. It gives the team confidence that the platform can keep pace with the business, its clients and the HR, payroll and benefits needs they bring to the table.

For HR outsourcing companies, payroll providers and other service providers considering isolved, Gallagher’s recommendation is direct: "Don't wait, partner with isolved today. It's going to be the biggest impact to the acceleration of your growth as an organization."