Goldsmith Medical Transport provides care and comfort

Powerpay helps the family-owned medical transport company stay focused on client needs.

2020 and 2021 were quite the years at Goldsmith Medical Transport, a family-owned business based near Ottawa that safely and securely transfers people to and from medical appointments and hospital stays.

In January 2020, two of the company’s main competitors closed their doors, greatly reducing medical transportation options for the city’s residents. Requests flooded Goldsmith Medical Transport’s phone lines and, led by Founder and Operations Manager Gordon Goldsmith (Mr. Goldsmith), the company’s small workforce went into overdrive mobilizing its 18-vehicle fleet to serve clients’ needs. Then the pandemic hit.

Suddenly, the company had to navigate new public health regulations and changing rules at the hospitals and clinics it services. Mr. Goldsmith needed to acquire and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) to staff and clients and implement safety protocols for the company. He was also trying to ensure that staff continued to get paid, invoices were going out, and the tasks necessary to run his business were getting done.

“I've never been so busy in my life,” remembers Mr. Goldsmith. “We had every vehicle on the road driving 12 hours a day, working nonstop. The peace of mind in knowing that my team members were being paid came because of Ceridian.”

Providing a helping hand in a time of need

Mr. Goldsmith and his parents launched Goldsmith Medical Transport in 2008. Mr. Goldsmith, whose background is in business and hospitality, was already working in the medical transportation industry when his mother was diagnosed with a degenerative bone disease and began needing medical transportation to the hospital. At the time, most companies were only offering curb-to-curb services which, while helpful, didn’t completely meet people’s needs. He and his parents founded their company to deliver comprehensive client-centred services that are door-to-door instead of curb-to-curb.

“Our goal is to be able to give people the comfort of a high-end experience when they're at their lowest health aspect of life,” says Mr. Goldsmith.

And the company found a market. Goldsmith Medical Transport has grown from a one-vehicle operation in 2008 to an 18-vehicle fleet that now completes 900 patient transfers each month. Its experienced and knowledgeable team of 16, most of whom are full-time and paid hourly, ensure clients get to medical appointments in comfort and on time, and provides clients and their families with peace of mind at an otherwise stressful time.

“I always joke that when you go into the hospitals, you check your dignity at the front door,” says Mr. Goldsmith. “It’s our role to be able to pick that up and bring it home with you.”

Managed payroll services that meet small business needs

When the pandemic hit, Goldsmith Medical Transport’s services were both in greater demand and more difficult to provide due to changing regulations and health protocols.

Luckily, payroll didn’t add to Mr. Goldsmith’s list of stressors. The company was able to rely on Powerpay Managed Payroll Services, which it adopted in April 2020, to ensure employees were being paid accurately and on time.

Mr. Goldsmith’s need for a managed payroll service arose organically. In the early days, his father, Peter, managed payroll using a homemade system of spreadsheets. But as the company grew in both size and complexity, so did payroll. Mr. Goldsmith saw an opportunity to lessen the burden on his father, create efficiencies, and reduce risk to the company by migrating to a managed payroll service.

Unfortunately, the provider Mr. Goldsmith first chose did not meet the company’s needs. The system didn’t have fail-safes in place to prevent incorrect data from making its way into final payroll, and accessing customer support was challenging. Instead of reducing stress, the provider sapped Mr. Goldsmith’s valuable time and energy. He decided to make a change.

On the advice of his accounting firm, Mr. Goldsmith contacted Ceridian, and soon moved to Powerpay Managed Payroll Services. With Powerpay, Mr. Goldsmith inputs total employee hours into the system, verifies the hours against the schedule, and approves the payroll. Ceridian’s managed payroll team handles the rest of the processing and helps to make payments that comply with current withholding, remitting, and tax requirements. Mr. Goldsmith receives confirmation and a report when the payroll has been processed and funds have been deposited into employees’ bank accounts.

“Ceridian has been nothing but an absolute pleasure,” says Mr. Goldsmith. “We went from taking two or three days of prepping to get ready for payroll in our spreadsheet system to submitting payroll in 20 minutes. And the cost savings are unbelievable.”

The managed payroll team also supports Mr. Goldsmith with Records of Employment (ROEs), tax filings, WSIB obligations, T4s, and handles year-end activities. “All I ask myself is, “How come I haven't been using this solution all along?””

Data accuracy, push-of-a-button reporting, and responsive customer support

Mr. Goldsmith says Powerpay has been a game-changer for his business in many ways. The user-friendly interface makes it easy for Mr. Goldsmith, who isn’t a payroll professional, to add new employees, and perform other essential tasks. He now has peace of mind knowing the system has guardrails in place to reduce errors. This has allowed him to delegate payroll tasks to staff, which gives him more time to use the reporting features, support employees, and drive company growth.

Before, when an employee had a question about their pay cheque, Mr. Goldsmith would dig through piles of papers and spreadsheets to find the answer. Now, he can access accurate information with the click of a button.

“Powerpay gives me reports that help with budgeting, forecasting and analysis,” he says. “For example, I can easily see how many people I have in overtime, which allows me to gauge how many new staff members I need to recruit.”

When Mr. Goldsmith has a question, he knows he can call the managed payroll team for support.

“I've learned so much because of the kindness that has been shown to me through Ceridian,” says Mr. Goldsmith. “And I have peace of mind knowing that my staff are properly taken care of. When people can take care of themselves, then they can extend that caring to our clients.”

Giving more people the care they deserve

Mr. Goldsmith is planning for growth in the coming years. The company has secured a lease on a new property that will become its operational home base and allow it to reach even more clients with personalized services.

“Full-service transportation means that each client is treated like family. That's very important for us. We work hard to understand each individual’s needs, and to tailor the experience to the individual,” says Mr. Goldsmith. “We had one client who loved ice cream. So, when we were transferring her, we stopped off and got her some ice cream. That ice cream put a smile on her face from ear to ear, and really dropped her stress levels.”

Goldsmith Medical Transport will go to any length to provide excellent care to its clients. And it takes comfort in knowing that Ceridian will do the same.

“Our company’s values really align very well with Ceridian,” says Mr. Goldsmith. “We are very excited for the future. And I have peace of mind knowing that, in working with Ceridian, I’m working with people who have the best interest of my team members at heart.”