‘Start thinking about your future processes by choosing HR software’
Interview on House of Executives.be (in Dutch) by Wout Ectors
The implementation of a new HRIT system is a time-consuming process and inevitably goes hand-in-hand with significant investment costs and lot of preparation. We consult SuccessDay, an organization that focuses very specifically on the translation of the strategy behind an HR transformation to its implementation. “Before you can choose the right software, the holy grail, you must understand exactly why you want to digitize.”
Some companies have only just started digitizing their HR department, others have already gone through a whole procedure and are mainly looking forward to using software to optimize their processes. Whatever stage a company is at, a digital transformation is invariable a complex issue and the need for assistance is clearly present across all sectors. Consultancy organization SuccessDay carefully tapped into this market potential and developed a unique approach that fundamentally relieves customers of their worries. The company has already gained a good deal of experience in its home base in the Netherlands, but it is also already an established name in numerous other countries, including Belgium where SuccessDay hopes to build on its current growth in the coming years.
The importance of digitization
“The average HR department is not yet equipped with the modern systems needed to streamline its processes”, explains founder and managing director Bas Eggelaar. “Many simple things are still done by hand, such as a change of address or answering the question of how many people are actually on the payroll. But jumping on the digital train has so many benefits. As a new employee, you don’t want to have to fill in your name and employee number thirty times on as many forms. When applying for a job, you don’t want to be answering the same questions over and over again for eight weeks.”
“This is inextricably linked to employer branding”, emphasizes Koen Stevens, who started working for SuccessDay in June as a sales representative for Belgium and the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). “Nowadays, everyone is used to living in a digital environment and expects the same in their workplace. This is something to keep in mind, especially in a competitive market in which many companies are looking for the right people.”
Digital HR transformation: a challenging process
“What you often see is a conservative approach from HR”, says CEO Bas Eggelaar. “Particularly in the mid-market where innovations are more common in the value chains and less so in the support departments. The major players implemented this digitization ten years ago, but we’ve only seen the same happening in the mid-market in the last five years. This is partly because software suppliers have started focusing on mid-sized companies. Only, the methodology and prices of consultancy firms have not been adjusted to suit this market.”
Nowadays, everyone is used to living in a digital environment and expects the same in their workplace.
“Family businesses are not interested in hiring expensive consultants who turn up with fancy PowerPoints and pay little or no attention to the practical side of things”, continues Bas. He points out that there is a widely shared need that he experienced many years ago. It sowed the seed that would eventually become SuccessDay.
“When I worked together in the automotive industry, we rolled out HRIT packages worldwide”, Bas ƒreflects. “We came up against the fact that there was not one company that could really take you by the hand and lead you through that kind of transformation. The traditional implementation partners are very system-oriented and don’t focus enough on what exactly HR means for an organization. As a result, you therefore have to buy in all kinds of roles, people who are involved in project management, test management, change, system training, support after the go-live… In short, the investments were significant while there was no guarantee at all of quality.”
Unique methodologies
SuccessDay took a decidedly different approach and now guides organizations from A to Z through their digital HR transitions. “It starts with what we call phase zero, in which we let the customer think about the future processes”, explains Bas. “What should your employee journey look like? What are the most important moments during a job application process? Before you can choose the right software, the holy grail, you must fully understand what you want to digitize.”
There can be many different answers to the question ‘why’: working more efficiently, realizing a sophisticated employee experience, gaining better insight into your data, …
“We are not affiliated with software companies and do everything we can to help our customers make the right decisions”, says Juul. “And there can be many different answers to the question ‘why’: working more efficiently, realizing a sophisticated employee experience, gaining better insight into your data. Thanks to our years of experience, we were able to develop methods that enable us to support companies in the right way. We lead each customer by the hand through the whole transformation and focus specifically on the translation from strategic to practical. This guarantees quality.”
On the same side of the table
Bas Eggelaar emphasizes that SuccessDay looks further than simply compiling a good plan. It also helps its customers with the execution. “We are not an army of consultants in expensive suits. We really become part of the customer’s team”, he emphasizes. “DEME once described us as the second skin of the project, like an extra layer of knowledge and capabilities.” “HR itself isn’t rocket science; it is similar for almost every organization”, adds Juul. “It’s the culture that makes it more complex. We have clients in different countries, speaking different languages and with different cultures. We are sensitive to this, and we always take it into account, in every phase of a project. At the end of the day, you always manage to get a system live, the most difficult thing is that it must also be adopted by the organization”, says Bas. “That’s why we always speak the client’s language, literally and figuratively.”
You can sit opposite your customer at the table. But what we do is sit next to the customer, on the same side of the table.
SuccessDay takes customer service very seriously. For example, for maintenance projects – the go-live is by no means an end point – it does not work with an anonymous ticketing box, but customers effectively talk to a helpful contact person. Quality assurance is also a code word: status meetings take place regularly for each project, both with the consultant involved and with the client. “And if we notice certain risks in aspects of a project that we are not responsible for, we also identify and share them in these calls”, says Bas.
Koen Stevens summarizes the human side of the company with an apt metaphor. “You can sit opposite your customer at the table. But what SuccessDay does is sit next to the customer, on the same side of the table. This allows you to feel the pulse of the organization and you can respond very quickly.”
Belgium interesting Growth market
SuccessDay’s customer base consists exclusively of international players and covers seven countries. The head office of most of these companies is in the Netherlands, but the company also has a base in Belgium – with large clients like DEME Group and H.Essers – and in Germany. The objective is to further expand this area in the coming years. Not least in Belgium, as became evident in June with the appointment of Koen Stevens. “Belgium, and certainly Flanders, has a typical SME landscape”, says the sales manager. “We have a broad middle layer of companies, many of which are internationally operational. That is really our target group, so we firmly believe that Belgium, alongside the DACH region and the Nordics, is a very interesting growth market for us.”
“We are positioning ourselves in the Belgian market with the same unique approach”, adds Koen, who came to the company with a great amount of HR and international expertise. “Offering customers added value is what it’s all about. Personally, I hope to track down lots of new projects and find companies that are at the starting point of their journey into the digital world. Because the sooner you get involved in a project, the better you can achieve a successful result.”
SuccessDay is a sponsor of the Executive Forum, our inspiration day on October 11th with the theme ‘Battle for Balance’
Want to know more about the HRIT implementation support of SuccessDay?
Koen Stevens
Sales Manager
