La tarea crucial de la implementación en la movilidad global

Poner en marcha una nueva empresa de gestión de traslados (RMC) puede ser una tarea abrumadora. Hay muchas partes interesadas tanto en la RMC como en su organización, hay que completar el papeleo, hay que crear integraciones tecnológicas y hay que atender a los trasladados existentes. Pero, ¿cuál es la mejor manera de gestionar el proceso? Me senté con la Directora de Iniciativas Estratégicas e Implementaciones de WHR, Jenny Blechl, para conocer su opinión sobre las implementaciones y el papel que desempeñan en la movilidad global.

AH:     Let’s start with an easy question… Can you tell me more about your role with WHR Global?

JB:      Absolutely! So, my role at WHR transitioned from Client Services Manager to Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Implementations in the last year as we continue to expand our footprint and partner with more organizations. We really want to take time to focus on implementation and make sure that we get these partnerships off on the right foot. I think this goes along with WHR’s ability to retain clients — we haven’t lost one in a decade.

New Client Implementations

AH:     Explain to me more about implementation, helping to retain clients. What does that mean to you?

JB: La implementación es el momento en el que aprendemos todo sobre la cultura, las políticas y los procedimientos del cliente. Es nuestra única oportunidad de asegurarnos de que establecemos los planes para una gran asociación. La asociación es la alineaciónPor eso, desde el primer día intentamos alinearnos con la empresa que nos contrata. Un ejemplo muy sencillo de esto es "¿cómo se refieren a sus empleados? Hemos trabajado con empresas que los llaman socios, compañeros de trabajo, propietarios... ya sabes, un montón de palabras de moda. Pero tomamos incluso esos pequeños detalles y formamos a nuestros equipos de asesoramiento para que los utilicen en su discurso diario.

AH: ¿Qué cree que hace WHR de forma diferente al incorporar un nuevo cliente?

JB:     We celebrate every new client. We give them an exceptional experience from the initial sales call all the way through to the end of implementation, so they know exactly what to expect as they continue their partnership with us. We truly only have their best interest in mind and are extremely proactive. Furthermore, we keep up on what’s happening in the industry and pay keen attention to our current clients. Then we take that information to customize and recommend best practices to new clients. We have over 3,000 data points and processes that we can customize to the unique clients’ need. I’m also involved in the sales and proposal processes and there, too, we’re constantly customizing. Again, this is one of the things that I love about WHR. We’re just the right size where we can have extreme agility to navigate all these processes with a knowledgeable, strategic group. I love being involved in the sales process because then when it’s time for implementation, I already know those key stakeholders.

AH: Aquí hay mucha fluidez entre los departamentos. Puede hablarme más de ello?

JB:      Absolutely! So, definitely, this is unique to WHR. We don’t have siloed departments that are strung out across the world. Our single location means that I can be that familiar face and voice for the new client from sales to implementation to their first full file with WHR. The Client Services Manager is also very involved in implementation so that they can hear first hand exactly how the client desires the program to be run.

Relocation Management Technology

AH : Aquí hay un ambiente de comunidad, sé lo que quieres decir. ¿Y la tecnología? ¿Qué papel desempeña en la aplicación?

JB:      I’m so excited about our newly developed ‘Implementation Guide.’ It was a bit of a labor of love, but it’s such an impactful piece. I think some of our initiatives for this project were trying to figure out being proactive and asking the right questions, but then how do we make it simple. Our niche is ‘making the complex simple,’ and I really think we do that through this new development. Implementation is such a widespread, complex process, and our job is to take out the stress and streamline it. Our new technology allows us to input all the knowledge we already have and put our suggestions in as well. Then we can sit down with the new client and have a conversation instead of just sifting through paperwork. It also allows for specific information to get routed directly to the right stakeholder, whether that’s payroll or AP, it’ll do it all. It really helps to make sure that no stone is unturned, and we’re supporting the new client as best as we can.

AH: ¿Cuándo hay que hablar de la implementación cuando se busca un nuevo RMC?

JB:      I think it’s not a first date question, but it definitely needs to be discussed. I’ve been glad to see questions included in the RFP process — and especially glad when policies are included. We learn so much from a policy beyond the benefit components, it’s even the wording of the policy… or the style and length of it. Sounds like silly things, but they can make a big difference. Do they keep things brief and succinct? Or are things explained very thoroughly, with every base covered? I also think that RFPs that ask about the client time and involvement in implementation is a very insightful question. Understanding the timeline, who needs to be involved, and how much time on the client end… it sets the expectation for time and resources so that you know what you’re getting into. It’s a big deal, to choose a new RMC and to get things implemented. We’ve heard horror stories about other RMCs with unknown implementation fees or long, drawn out timelines, but my job is to make it as painless as possible and to minimize the amount of time needed.

AH: Por último, ¿qué pasa con los archivos de transición? ¿Cuál es la mejor manera de manejarlos?

Transitioning Ongoing Relocations & Assignments

JB:      That’s such an interesting topic when it comes to implementation because again, I think a lot of times so much of the focus is placed on the overall program and how to handle new files. The reality is that transition files are almost always there, and we really want to make sure that they have a great relocation even though their contact has changed. We try to minimize the amount of vendor changes — and that speaks to our independence and being able to work with really anyone. We do a lot of work to minimize the ripple effect of transition files and do anything we can to work with the client. That can include working with suppliers that aren’t normally part of our network, or sometimes even joint calls with the former RMC to review the transition file status. We make sure we understand what services are needed to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

AH:    Great, thank you so much, Jenny.

JB:     Thank you!