HR Transformation and the Integral Step of Integrating Businesses and Systems Together 

When embarking on their digital transformation projects, many organizations overlook the importance of a strong and strategic consulting partner. Many businesses going through digital transformations are doing so for the first time—meaning they don’t always know best practices for how to maximize their digital transformation efforts and drive ROI for the organization. The right consulting partner can help you avoid pitfalls and ensure you’re considering all of your business systems and processes as you design the right solution for your organization. 

Raven Intelligence recently had the opportunity to speak with UKG customer Carl Schleyer, Vice President of Total Rewards and HR at Encore, about his experience implementing a full suite of UKG products and integrating nearly 4,000 team members from five recently acquired organizations into their new HR systems.  (Full interview here: https://youtu.be/P52A65oocpI)

Carl is a member of the HR leadership team focused on the design, development and implementation of Benefits, Compensation, HR technology and Payroll Administration throughout Encore, a large global events production company that creates memorable experiences that engage and transform organizations. 

We also spoke with Wise Consulting’s President Steve Grem and Vice President of Client Services Marta Williams. Steve has been on the Wise Consulting team for over five years and boasts 30 years of experience as an HR/Payroll Practitioner. In a unique position, he was often a customer of Wise Consulting in a prior role as VP of Special Projects at UKG. Marta Williams, VP of Client Services, recently celebrated 24 years with Wise Consulting and supports customers with her background in HCM and Payroll. Throughout her tenure at Wise Consulting, she was actually the consultant who supported Steve when he was client-side and utilized Wise Consulting before he ever joined their team—small world!

Encore’s HR Transformation Journey 

As with most organizations that relied on live events to power their revenue, Encore experienced a nearly 99% decrease in revenue as live events came to a screeching halt in 2020. 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 juggling new responsibilities of managing the tax credits designed to help employers during the pandemic. 

Those who remained in the Human Resources function embarked on a challenging and ambitious HR transformation to fill their downtime—to integrate the HR systems of 5 recently acquired organizations and nearly 4,000 team members into Encore’s main HCM system—UKG. 

Encore was also faced with the challenge of organizing pay continuation and benefits for furlough employees. Since furlough employees didn’t have access to company email, creating a systemized communications approach became a top priority.

The Beginning of a Long-term Partnership

The Wise Consulting team originally met Carl Schleyer at a UKG Connections conference where he was presenting on how he used the platform for his analytics needs. The Wise Consulting team reached out to introduce themselves 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. 

Fast forward to the beginning of the pandemic when Encore was about to embark on their digital transformation journey, Carl knew the magnitude of the project he was about to spearhead—and that in order to be successful, he would need a strong, strategic partner by his side. Carl and his team turned to Wise Consulting for their support, leveraging Wise Consulting’s team members to help augment their existing team members’ capabilities.  

With both tactical and strategic work to do, including PTO consolidation across two countries and five project integrations ahead, Wise’s consultants jumped into action. They supported one of the recently acquired organizations with on-site expertise to implement UKG Core and Payroll for more than 1,000 team members. Other areas of the project included setting up benefit coverage for 1,800 new team members. 

With the help of Wise Consulting, Encore was also able to utilize their UKG benefits homepage as a communication platform for furlough employees to provide updates on the state of the company and any other critical messages. With five new HR system integrations and a communication system up and running, UKG products had truly become the lifeline of Encore during the COVID-19 crisis.

Operating as “One Team” 

In Raven’s latest report, our Guide to Top UKG Implementation Partners, Wise Consulting boasts a 9.7 / 10 customer satisfaction score. With these metrics trending higher every quarter, it’s no surprise someone may wonder, what are they doing to keep their customers happy?

Wise Consulting operates as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and all consultants are equal owners of the company. This is just the start of why their team prioritizes the client and their success over all else.

“All of our employees really have that ownership of the organization. Not that we didn’t have it before, but the ESOP drives it home and makes every single engagement that we have with clients something that we want to excel in,” Marta noted in a previous conversation with Raven Intelligence.

Beyond that, Wise Consulting also feels strongly that if you’re going to implement a new HCM system with an outside partner, that partner needs to take the time to understand your business while guiding you with best practices for the future. With so much depending on the synergy between an organization and their implementation team, the consulting partner team should act as a natural extension of your business.  

“Clients are Wise Consulting’s lifeline, and we are here to support our clients and make sure they are successful. That is our mission. 90% of our clients have been partners and clients for life. We believe in and value that relationship,” said Marta.

Carl also reinforced Wise’s stance on customer relationships with his own experience: “We think of Wise as members of our own team and grant them that same level of autonomy.” 

Wise Consulting’s Take on Driving Successful Implementations 

Hire Consultants with Practical Experience

One of the most important qualities that Wise Consulting looks for in their future employees is practical experience. 

“Everyone that we bring into the Wise Consulting organization has worked in HR, Payroll, or IT prior to coming to Wise. We work really hard to select the right candidates. They understand our client’s needs because they have sat in their seats themselves,” said Marta.

Steve Grem emphasized: “Wise is always about putting the client first.” By identifying resources and consultants with practitioner knowledge, the client receives true expert advice and relatable support throughout their project. For Wise Consulting, it’s not just about leveraging technology, but also teamwork.

Adaptability and Understanding Challenges 

Another key pillar that sets premium consulting partners ahead of the crowd is their ability to understand and adapt to an organization’s current state all while keeping their future goals in mind. The solution and processes being implemented needs to be scalable and flexible enough to support future goals.

“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.

As COVID-19 restrictions began to shift, the needs of Encore continued to evolve, meaning the support they needed from Wise Consulting would also evolve. Carl noted that Encore is now 80% back to normal operations, and within just three months, Encore hired back nearly 4,000 employees with the help of Wise Consulting. 

Carl commented: “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.”

Balancing Tactical and Strategic Work 

Running a large, global organization like Encore comes with a broad range of tactical and strategic projects. Wise Consulting has helped Encore with tactical work such as life insurance, billing, and Business Intelligence (BI) as well as strategic integration acquisition work. “There is a lot of value from Wise Consulting across projects over the past three years. They have helped us take better care of our people, which helps our company be successful,” said Carl when discussing how Wise Consulting brings value to everyday operations within the business. 

Currently Carl manages, with the operational help of Wise Consulting and UKG products, 72 PTO plans in the United States and Canada provinces, timeclock and paycheck discovery for over 5,000 employees, as well as high priority legal documents and plans. 

Dealing with HR Transformation Challenges & Changes

Nearly a year later and five acquisitions completed, Encore has over 21 pay groups and 72 pay plans. Tasked with complexity, Encore looks for best practice and sustainable implementation in every aspect of the organization moving forward with Wise Consulting. 

“From our perspective, we listen to the client and what their needs or issues are. Then, we go back as an organization to strategize and think through the right way to handle each situation and identify the right resources to bring to the table,” said Marta.

Following Wise’s approach of “Listen, look & understand,” their team was able to adapt their strategy to meet the needs of Encore both throughout the pandemic and as they shift into their new project—simplifying their processes.

Advice for a Future Customer

Having been through several HR transformation 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. 

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. 

Carl also noted, “My number one piece of advice is to put away 10% of your spending 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.”