When you’ve been in the relocation business for more than two decades, you learn that you need to be a little like Goldilocks when incorporating technology into a relocation program. Too little technology, and your clients struggle with the logistics of moving their employees. Too much technology, and they end up wasting time figuring out how to make it work – and start to feel like they aren’t a priority.
We believe that when it comes to something as important and ultimately as personal as relocating, technology should support the relationship, not replace the relationship. All of us at the WHR Group are committed to saving our clients time, lowering their costs, and increasing their happiness – and our technology plays a big part in accomplishing these goals. That’s why we built our technology in-house, to adhere to the unique needs of our clients.
Building the Program Within the Technology
When bringing technology into a relocation program, the worst thing you can do is try to fit the technology into the program. You end up with limited functionality, customization, and having to settle for half-measures and workarounds. Or, worse, you have to try to adjust your internal processes to accommodate the limitations of the tech.
We take a different approach. During implementation, we talk with you about every last detail of your program and policies; including best practices, benefit recommendations, and your preferences in how you want to run and analyze your program. We then build all of these details directly into the technology, so that when you and your relocating employee go to use it, it’s already working within the parameters of your exact policy.
For example, consider the specific timing requirements for a relocation. For a relocation to be time-efficient and cost-effective, the timing of the individual stages – from the sale of a residence to property storage to moving day – has to be precise (if moving day is a Wednesday, you can’t have the trucks show up on Tuesday or, worse, on Friday). The challenge lies in controlling for the myriad policy possibilities: Every policy is different in terms of timing, and an out-of-the-box solution won’t be able to address your policy’s exact needs. The answer lies in crafting a client-focused and customizable solution: We build technology around your specific relocation program details, taking into account the timing details of the benefits you select and creating a timeline accordingly. By creating proprietary tech that responds to your specific needs, our technology serves as an extension of our personal client relationships.
Another example might revolve around relocation data reporting. Let’s say you decide you want your data split out by cost centers instead of location. In our initial discussion, we make sure we understand exactly how your reporting data should be formatted and then set up the tech accordingly. That way you’re not wasting time trying to reformat the data or adjust your own internal systems to accommodate us.
And these aren’t the only ways our technology can facilitate both the relocation and your needs:
- Project management. The predictive workflow system is completely customizable, tracking over 3,000 data points and 300 critical events in the relocation process
- Data security and compliance. Our implementation of the over 260 controls outlined by NIST SP 800-53 proves our dedication to data security and compliance.
- Expense management. Many companies allow you to submit expenses through a mobile app. But far fewer take the important next step: comparing a submitted receipt against the predetermined policy benefit and automatically alerting a relocation counselor if there’s a misunderstanding.
- Invoicing. Our program automatically submits invoices on your preferred schedule and in a way that works with your internal systems (down to the order of columns within Microsoft Excel), helping to increase accuracy and efficiency.
Ultimately, technology is an extension of the company that uses it. At the WHR Group, we take a holistic, personal approach to our client relationships. Whether it’s through our two-person counseling teams, our no-voicemail policy, or our commitment to prompt issue resolution – we make sure you can feel care and support through every interaction.
Want to take that technology for a spin? Map out how much a relocation might cost with our free Domestic Relocation Cost Estimator, or explore what your company’s relocation policy might look like through our free Domestic Relocation Policy Designer.
