As with most organizations that relied on live events to power their revenue, Encore, a global events organization, experienced near to a 99% decrease in revenue as live events came to a screeching halt in 2020. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Carl Schleyer, Vice President of Total Rewards and HR at Encore, about how he utilized his partnership with Wise Consulting to change the trajectory of Encore’s business operations. Several thousand team members were laid off as a result of the severe decrease in demand, leaving Carl and his team to juggle the continuation of payroll and benefits while managing the tax credits designed to help employers during the pandemic. (Full 30-minute interview is available here.)

Building the Wise Consulting + Encore Relationship

Encore’s ability to survive on 1% of their revenue would be directly impacted by their team—including Wise Consulting, who has been both a strategic and adaptive partner to them for several years.

Their partnership began when Wise Consulting’s President Steve Grem and VP of Client Services Marta Williams were at UKG Connections in 2019 when they met Carl, who was presenting a session on how Encore was using UKG’s Analytics and Business Intelligence system. This piqued the interest of Steve and Marta, as analytics was an area they were leaning into more heavily. Marta reached out to introduce Wise Consulting and set up a meeting with Carl to understand how he was using the platform. Marta and a few of her key team members met with Carl in Chicago to share the knowledge they had acquired throughout their time using UKG products, and thus the Wise + Encore relationship was born. 

Leverage Your Consulting Partner’s Expertise Through Thick and Thin

Fast forward to the beginning of the pandemic, Carl and his team were presented with multiple mission-critical projects. Thousands of team members were furloughed, and Carl’s team had to ensure the continuation of benefits and communication for impacted team members. Processing tax credits provided by the United States and Canadian government introduced a new layer of complexity for their team, all while the company was finishing the acquisition of five new companies.

With several projects to manage, Carl turned to Wise Consulting to help. They had already engaged on several projects after their initial meeting in Chicago and Carl noted, “what we find most valuable is that they [Wise Consulting] go beyond the details of the request to understand the full picture of the integration or implementation. They are thinking a step ahead.”

Wise Consulting’s team jumped into action. Their support for Encore ranged from tactical to strategic, being on-site with one of the recently acquired organizations to implement UKG Core and Payroll while also helping Encore utilize their UKG homepage as a communication portal for furloughed team members.

Wise Consulting’s mission is to put the client first. In one of Raven’s latest reports, our Guide to Top UKG Implementation Partners, Wise Consulting boasts a 9.7 / 10 customer satisfaction score and delivers 82% of their projects on budget (compared to the industry average of 66%)—making it clear that Wise Consulting customers experience this mission first-hand.

With 5 new HR system integrations and a communication system up and running, UKG products and Wise Consulting’s support had truly become the lifeline of Encore during the COVID-19 crisis.

How Wise Consulting Adapts to Ever-Evolving Client Needs

The pandemic prompted challenges that most haven’t encountered in their career, but with Wise Consulting’s ability to adapt to change and anticipate the needs of their clients, they were able to jump into action and augment Carl’s team.

As COVID-19 restrictions began to shift and Encore returned to nearly 80% of their normal operations, the support they needed from Wise would also evolve. Wise Consulting’s ability to understand and adapt to an organization’s current state while keeping their future goals in mind sets them apart from others in the HCM industry.

“We often don’t just look at what the need is today. We look at what the opportunity is going forward. Listen, Look, Understand. With this approach we have the benefit and knowledge to solve any particular problem,” said Steve.

In addition to their “Listen. Look. Understand.” approach, Wise Consulting also puts a strong emphasis on knowledge transfer to set their customers up for success in the long-run. Carl noted that Wise was very intentional and thoughtful with the way they’d leave behind documentation, such as displaying PTO plans on a paystub, or arranging training for their team members to ensure they were prepared if the situation ever comes up again.

“Wise helped my staff be better. I think about it as a staff augmentation. They help us take better care of our people which helps our company be successful,” said Carl.

Advice for Customers Starting an Implementation

Having been through several implementation projects with Wise Consulting, Carl believes that the implementation process is not just a one and done project—and that his best advice actually goes beyond just looking for the right implementation partner, but also to utilize that partner for best practices and continued training. 

Carl noted, “My number one piece of advice is to put away 10% of your spend for improvement activities. The software licenses are one thing, but adding in a bit to optimize, train, and have third-party best practices is the most forgotten thing that I see.”

When it comes to implementing a new software, most customers only think about the actual implementation and licenses needed for their project. Many forget to budget for additional training, end-user conferences, and third-party best practices, both during their implementation and beyond. 

The partnership between Wise and Encore has been a shining example of what can happen when the right people–and skill sets—come together. Choose your consulting partner carefully and lean on them for best practices, critical project support and knowledge transfer: they can be your secret weapon to achieving success during times of challenge as well as periods of growth