Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions from EAP(Early Adopter Programme) participants. 

This document will be updated regularly over the course of the programme.

About Oscar

Q. What is Oscar?

A. Oscar is BrightPay’s AI employee onboarding assistant. When a new starter needs to be added

to payroll, Oscar contacts them directly via WhatsApp to collect all the information needed for

payroll setup. Oscar sends the data to BrightPay, where you review and approve it. Once

approved, the data is added.

Q. How does Oscar collect information from employees?

A. Oscar sends the employee a WhatsApp message introducing itself and explaining what it needs.

It then guides the employee through a structured conversation, including their personal details,

National Insurance number, bank account details, and tax information. Oscar can also receive

pictures of a P45, utility bill or bank statement and will extract the data to be loaded into

BrightPay. The conversation is designed to be simple and takes less than 10 minutes for most

employees.

Q. Is Oscar available in BrightPay Connect or desktop as well as BrightPay Cloud?

A. Oscar is only available with BrightPay Cloud. Onboarding invitations can be sent from directly

within BrightPay or through the Client Portal. Speak to your EAP contact if you have questions

about your specific setup.

Q.  Does Oscar only work via WhatsApp?

A. Yes, during the EAP WhatsApp was chosen as the primary channel because of its near-universal

adoption and high open rates in the UK. Employees also receive a confirmation email when the

request is sent. Additional channels may be considered in future releases.

Q. What information does Oscar collect?

A. Standard payroll onboarding information: full name, address, date of birth, National Insurance

number, bank details, tax code information (or starter declaration), prior employment details

and any other details required by BrightPay to set up the employee record.

Setting Up and Using Oscar

Q. How do I enable Oscar for a client?

A. Oscar is enabled per employer client through BrightPay’s Client Portal settings. Go to Employer

→ Client Portal → Settings, scroll to the Permissions section, and tick ‘Enable employee

onboarding for’. Choose whether all users or super users can access the feature, then click Save.

Full instructions are in the Quick Start Guide.

Q. Can my clients send onboarding invitations themselves, or does it have to come from our

practice?

A. Both options are available. You can enable the onboarding feature for your clients in the Client

Portal, allowing client staff to send invitations directly. Alternatively, your practice can manage

all onboarding centrally from BrightPay. Choose the approach that suits each client.

Q. How long does it take to set Oscar up for a client?

A. Enabling Oscar for a client takes seconds, by checking the box within the BrightPay Client Portal

settings. Once enabled, sending a first onboarding invitation takes under two minutes.

Q. Can I change the mobile number after the invitation is sent?

A. No. The mobile number is locked once the onboarding request is created, as WhatsApp

messages are sent immediately. If an incorrect number was used, cancel the request (via the

spanner icon on the dashboard) and create a new one with the correct number.

Q. What if the employee doesn’t respond?

A. The Employee Onboarding dashboard shows the response deadline (default is two weeks). If the

employee hasn’t responded, you can resend the invitation via the spanner icon. You can also

edit the deadline date if you need more time.

Q. Can I edit onboarding details after the request is sent?

A. You can edit the deadline date, the employee’s start date, and their email address at any point

while the request is in progress. Use the spanner icon next to the employee’s name and select

‘Edit Onboarding Details’.

Data, Security & Compliance

Q. Is Oscar GDPR compliant?

A. Yes. All information collected by Oscar is processed securely and stored in line with GDPR

requirements. Data is transmitted through BrightPay’s secure infrastructure and is subject to

the same data protection standards as the rest of the BrightPay platform.

Q.  Where is the data stored?

A. Employee data collected by Oscar is stored within BrightPay’s existing cloud infrastructure. No

data is stored by Oscar in isolation outside of BrightPay. Bright SG Ltd, 3 Shortlands,

Hammersmith, London, W6 8DA is the registered data controller.

Q. Do employees need to consent to their data being collected?

A. Yes. Oscar’s WhatsApp introduction message informs the employee that their responses will be

processed securely and stored in line with GDPR requirements before they begin providing

information.

Q. What happens to the data if an onboarding request is cancelled?

A. If a request is cancelled before the employee completes it, no employee data is committed to

BrightPay. Any partial data collected during the process is handled in accordance with

BrightPay’s data retention policies.

The EAP Programme

Q. What is the purpose of the Early Adopter Programme?

A. The EAP gives a select group of BrightPay bureaus and practices early access to Oscar before

general release. In return, we ask for active use and honest feedback. Your experience during

this phase will directly inform the development and refinement of Oscar before it launches

more widely.

Q. How long does the EAP run?

A. The EAP duration will be confirmed by your BrightPay contact. We will give you advance notice

before any transition to general availability.

Q.  How do I submit feedback?

A. Please use the feedback channels provided by your EAP contact at BrightPay. Structured

feedback is most useful, but we’re equally interested in informal observations, questions that

come up with clients, and anything that surprises you about how Oscar works in practice.

Q. What happens at the end of the EAP?

A. At the end of the EAP, Oscar will move to general availability for BrightPay Cloud customers. EAP

participants will be given advance notice and details will be communicated by your EAP contact.

Q. Who do I contact if I have a problem?

A. Please contact your dedicated EAP contact at BrightPay directly. Their details are included in

your welcome email. For technical issues, use the standard BrightPay support channels and flag

that you are an EAP participant, so your query is handled with priority.

the best email address to use us oscarsupport@brightsg.com