How Instill AI Escaped Payroll Provider Hell
Calculation errors. Unresponsive support. Two weeks of runaround. They switched to a provider that actually picks up the phone.
The Situation
Instill AI develops artificial intelligence models for real-world applications - automated image segmentation, synthetic data generation, and other cutting-edge AI infrastructure. They’re a technical team solving hard problems.
They shouldn’t have been solving payroll problems too.
Their previous provider kept making calculation errors. Simple stuff - the kind of mistakes that erode employee trust and create accounting nightmares. When Instill AI tried to get it fixed, they got two weeks of inadequate customer service: slow responses, incorrect escalations, and support reps who clearly didn’t understand the urgency.
The Challenge
Payroll errors create compound problems:
Employee trust erosion. When someone’s paycheck is wrong - even by a small amount - they start questioning everything. Is my tax withholding correct? Are my benefits set up right? Am I getting paid what I was promised?
Accounting complexity. Every error requires correction. Corrections require documentation. Documentation requires time from people who should be building product.
Support dysfunction. Instill AI’s provider either didn’t have the resources to fix issues quickly or didn’t care enough to prioritize them. Two weeks of back-and-forth for a calculation error is inexcusable.
Turnover risk. The AI talent market is brutally competitive. Giving employees a reason to doubt your operational competence is giving competitors an opening.
The Approach
Instill AI switched to Worca’s payroll services. The difference was immediate: one platform, in-house processing, and a dedicated account manager who actually picks up the phone.
The switch included:
- Dedicated HR specialist and account manager for direct support
- Single-platform payroll review and approval with full visibility
- Accurate electronic pay slips in local currency
- Tax compliance and timely filing handled automatically
- PTO request management integrated with payroll
- Expense reimbursement processing without separate workflows
- Time and attendance tracking for any hourly staff
No more subcontractors. No more escalation chains. No more waiting two weeks for someone to care.
The Results
Key Outcomes
- Zero payroll errors since the switch
- Same-day support response when questions arise
- 100% employee retention - no turnover from payroll frustration
- Eliminated third-party complexity - one provider, one platform
- Hours of admin time recovered monthly
Instill AI stopped thinking about payroll. Their finance team stopped fielding complaints. Their employees stopped wondering if their paychecks would be correct.
That’s what payroll should be: invisible.
Why It Worked
Two reasons:
In-house accountability. We don’t outsource the hard parts to subcontractors. When there’s an issue, we own it and fix it. Our reputation depends on getting payroll right the first time, every time.
Human support. Instill AI has a named account manager. Not a ticket number. Not a queue position. A person who knows their account and responds the same day. In a world of chatbots and automated replies, that matters.
AI companies are building the future. They shouldn’t be stuck debugging their payroll provider’s mistakes. Instill AI found a partner that treats payroll with the same precision they bring to their AI models.
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