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An integrated payroll system supplied by Sargent-Disc has proved to be a huge success with the finance team behind BBC drama Call The Midwife, for its ease of use, accessibility, time-saving capability and top customer service
On any returning series, it’s important to consider new tools and systems that could increase the efficiency and accuracy behind the scenes from one season to the next.
The finance team behind the Bafta-winning Sunday night drama Call The Midwife recently switched to an integrated payroll system provided by Sargent-Disc (a Cast & Crew company) for the show’s 14th series, which is currently in production.
“Historically, I’ve always used Sargent-Disc if I could,” says production accountant Mehwish Butt. “For example, on Marcella and a number of other shows in my previous roles.
“This is my first season on Call The Midwife. The team had started using DPO and PSL+ last year, but had carried on using their traditional in-house payroll facility. This year they were willing to try something different and I’m glad to say it has been a real success story”
Easy access
The integrated system now in place for series 14 combines PSL+ and DPO with Sargent-Disc’s Payroll applications. “It means everything is under one umbrella, which is great. It just makes everything more accessible and easier to use,” says Mehwish.
The team handles a payroll of around 270, comprising the 90-strong crew, 120 dailies, 55 cast and a handful of stunt professionals. They also work to a busy purchasing schedule: more than 800 purchase orders were processed during the first three months of the shoot, which began in April.
“Transition has been a smooth process,” says Mehwish. “Everyone has access to their online portals so their payslips, P45s and P60s are easily to hand, and the Payroll application even has a dedicated pension team within it. A couple of people had teething problems because they hadn’t followed the set-up link, but these were sorted out quickly. Overall, it has been very straightforward.”
“It’s so much easier now we are a paperless accounts team. Everything is cloud-based, and filing our deliverables back to All3 Media is all done online. It’s a massive time-saver”
Mehwish Butt
Teams are often apprehensive about installing new systems in case it leads to time-consuming problems. Did the changeover to DPO’s integration with PSL+ cause any disruption? “No, it was very easy. Once the set-up was completed, there was little to nothing for us to do, apart from use the system,” says Mehwish. “Previously, DPO had to do a manual upload and now we don’t have to do that, so I definitely prefer it.
“It’s so much easier now we are a paperless accounts team. Everything is cloud-based, and filing our deliverables back to All3 Media is all done online. It’s a massive time-saver.”
Having long-term returners on a crew initially caused concern that some would find it harder than others to adapt to the new systems. Yet according to Mehwish, the user-friendly nature of the applications made getting used to the changes stress-free. “It helped that they’d used DPO on their previous show, so they were already familiar with that. But the interface is easy to find your way around, which also helps.”
The positive outcomes have led Mehwish to consider taking integration further – for example, by adding Sargent-Disc’s new AP Automation integration for DPO, which enables invoices received by email to be immediately analysed and processed using AI, then automatically matched to purchase orders.
“AP Automation definitely appeals to me,” she says. “The fact that it eliminates the need for additional software licences and extra steps within the approvals for invoices and purchase orders is an attractive prospect.”
Yet amid the technological advances and changes in working patterns, person-centred customer support remains a priority for Mehwish when deciding which services she’ll implement on the productions with which she works.
Customer-centric
“One thing I value about Sargent-Disc is their consistency,” she says. “It helps that they’re UK-based, of course – a lot of the other software systems are American, so support is often based over there or in Australia, for example. But it’s more the fact that no matter how many times I’ve gone back to Sargent-Disc over the years, there has always been excellent customer support.
“They’re always willing to answer questions and try to be flexible. Even now, when they are busier than ever, they are maintaining their high standards. I’ve only had good experiences.”
