Eliminate Time-Wasters This Fall: Simplify Payroll, Billing & Scheduling with Thryv

As fall sets in, many small business owners feel the crunch. The busy season means more customers to serve, more invoices to send, and more staff hours to track. Add in holiday schedules and end-of-year tax prep, and it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. What often gets lost is the owner’s most valuable resource – time. Too many hours are wasted chasing paperwork, following up on missed payments, or juggling scheduling conflicts.

This season, instead of letting administrative tasks pile up, small businesses can use the change of seasons to change the way they work. Thryv’s all-in-one platform, including its Workforce Center powered by Gusto, offers a smarter way to handle payroll, billing, communication, and scheduling. The result? More time for growth, happier employees, and fewer headaches as the holidays approach.

Simplifying Payroll with Workforce Center

Payroll is one of those necessary evils of running a business. It has to be accurate, timely, and compliant with regulations, but it can also eat up hours each month. Thryv’s Workforce Center takes the complexity out of payroll by automating many of the tasks that small business owners often manage manually.

With Workforce Center, you don’t need to be a payroll expert to get it right. Running payroll can be done in just a few clicks: review hours, verify pay, and submit. Whether you’re paying employees via direct deposit or paper checks, the system makes it seamless. More importantly, it automatically files payroll taxes and generates the forms your team will need at year-end, like W-2s and 1099s.

This feature becomes especially valuable in the fall, when end-of-year preparation is looming. Instead of scrambling in December to organize employee pay history, Workforce Center keeps everything in order throughout the year. Come January, you can easily review and distribute W-2s without the stress.

Holiday payroll can also be scheduled in advance, which is a lifesaver during one of the busiest times of the year. If your team is counting on holiday bonuses or adjusted pay dates, you can set it up ahead of time and know it will run smoothly, even if you’re away from your desk or focused on customer-facing work.

And for businesses transitioning from another system, Workforce Center can import payroll history, so nothing gets lost in the shuffle. The platform also ensures you only pay for what you use – charging only for active employees or contractors – keeping costs transparent.

Unifying Communication and Reducing Back-and-Forth

For many small business owners, communication is another hidden time-waster. Between answering client emails, replying to texts, monitoring social media messages, and coordinating with employees, it’s easy to lose track of conversations—or miss opportunities entirely.

Thryv eliminates the need to bounce between apps by bringing communication into one central inbox. That means whether a customer sends a text about scheduling, an email about billing, or a Facebook message with a question, you can manage it all from the same place. No more hunting through platforms or playing phone tag.

This unified approach doesn’t just save time – it improves the customer experience. Clients get quicker responses, and staff can stay aligned without messages slipping through the cracks. The fall season is an especially critical time to streamline communication, as businesses often face increased demand and seasonal spikes. Having everything in one place helps ensure no lead or customer inquiry gets overlooked.

Taking the Hassle Out of Scheduling

Nothing derails productivity faster than scheduling conflicts or missed appointments. For small businesses that rely on bookings – whether it’s a service call, consultation, or seasonal maintenance – time wasted coordinating calendars adds up.

Thryv makes scheduling simpler by allowing customers to book online at their convenience. They can see your availability, choose a time that works, and even pay in advance if needed. Automated reminders help reduce no-shows, which is especially helpful during the holidays when schedules are tight and distractions are plentiful.

This feature isn’t just for customer convenience. It also frees up owners and staff from constant back-and-forth communication. Instead of answering calls and emails to lock in appointment times, you can let the system handle it. For fall, when businesses are managing both increased customer demand and employee holiday schedules, having automated scheduling in place ensures you stay organized and efficient.

Billing That Keeps Cash Flowing

Chasing down payments is another time drain many small businesses face. Thryv simplifies billing by making it easy to create and send invoices, and even easier for clients to pay them. Invoices can be customized, sent via email or text, and include links for secure online payment. Clients can approve estimates, pay instantly, and even log into a customer portal to view their billing history – without you having to lift a finger.

For seasonal promotions or holiday services, you can send estimates ahead of time and secure approvals before the work begins. That means fewer delays and better cash flow during the months when it matters most.

By moving away from manual billing and into a streamlined system, businesses can reduce late payments, improve customer satisfaction, and eliminate hours of administrative back-and-forth.

Preparing for Year-End and the Holidays

Fall is more than just pumpkin spice season – it’s also the gateway to the end of the year. Small businesses need to be prepared for tax filings, W-2 distribution, and holiday scheduling. Thryv makes this preparation less stressful by providing tools that work together.

Payroll runs can be scheduled in advance, invoices can be sent and tracked in real time, and communications with both staff and customers stay centralized. The system essentially removes the guesswork and manual oversight that bog down so many small business owners during this time of year.

Instead of scrambling to close the books, you can focus on finishing the year strong – running holiday promotions, rewarding your team, or planning for growth in the new year.

Focus on Growth, Not Paperwork

At the end of the day, the goal of eliminating time-wasters isn’t just about saving hours; it’s about redirecting that time toward the parts of your business that matter most. With Thryv, you can reduce the stress of payroll, streamline communication, simplify scheduling, and take the friction out of billing.

That means instead of drowning in paperwork and chasing down payments, you can spend more time building relationships with customers, creating seasonal offers, and setting your business up for long-term success.

This fall, don’t let administrative tasks slow you down. Eliminate the time-wasters and set yourself up for a smoother holiday season – and a stronger start to the new year – with Thryv.