The casino that fired bad service and got recruiting for free
They didn’t call because of price. They called because their national payroll and HR provider gave them a call center, four in-depth HR conversations a year, and price increases on 30 days’ notice with no cap.
We ran their actual invoices — not the marketing rate — against the market. The answer wasn’t a PEO.
A gaming operation running around the clock with about 110 employees. Their provider was a national name you’d recognize. When they needed real HR help they got a queue. Their agreement allowed four in-depth HR conversations a year — four, for 110 people — and pricing could rise on 30 days’ notice, uncapped. Internal HR was buried in postings, screening, and interview scheduling on top of the day job.
Pulled the real invoices and priced the whole arrangement against the market — PEO options and HR-outsourcing options side by side. The comparison showed they didn’t need co-employment. They needed payroll, tax, time and attendance, HR support, and recruiting without the PEO structure. So we placed an ASO, an administrative services arrangement, with a dedicated account manager instead of a call center and flat-rate pricing instead of open-ended increases.
- Actual invoices, not list rates, as the baseline
- PEO and ASO options priced on identical assumptions
- Service terms compared line by line: who answers the phone, how often, and what it costs
North of $6,000 a year back, on pricing that can’t jump on 30 days’ notice. Full-cycle recruiting now included, so somebody else fills the pipeline. A pooled 401(k) they can finally offer — with no required employer contribution — which, in an operation that lives and dies on keeping people, is worth more than the six grand. Nobody switches for six thousand dollars. They switch because HR is drowning and people keep walking. The savings just made the decision easy.
I don’t sell PEO. I sell the comparison. Sometimes the comparison says ASO, and I say so.Jeff Gibson, SHRM-CP · Founder & PEO Advisor
If your provider treats HR support like a rationed resource, or your pricing can move faster than you can react, the market has probably changed since you signed. We’ll price it — PEO, ASO, or staying put — and tell you which one actually fits.
Names withheld on purpose. The numbers are the point, and our clients’ business is theirs. See every client result →
Frequently asked questions
What is an ASO, and how is it different from a PEO?
An ASO (administrative services organization) runs payroll, tax filing, HR support, and often recruiting and benefits administration, but you stay the sole employer. A PEO adds co-employment, which is what unlocks a pooled workers’ comp master policy and large-group benefits pricing. Which one fits depends on where your cost and risk actually sit. Read more on our PEO, ASO, or stay put page.
Why did an ASO fit better than a PEO here?
Their pain was service and recruiting, not workers’ comp or benefits pricing. Co-employment would have added cost and structure without solving the problem they called about.
Do you charge for the comparison?
No. The provider you choose pays our fee out of a budget it already carries, and it’s the same fee whichever provider you pick — so we have no reason to steer you.
Can you compare against the provider we already use?
Yes, and that’s the most useful version. Bring the last three invoices and we’ll price the market against what you’re actually paying.