As well as the introduction of new software releases, all kinds of technical issues must be resolved while internal developments within the organization may sometimes require the redesign of processes.
I ran the Amsterdam marathon and I can see some parallels
Basic-Fit, European market leader in affordable fitness subscriptions, is well aware of this. It chose Workday AMS (Application Managed Services) from SuccessDay to handle the after go-live support for their new HRIT system. “It’s like sport: you do need to stay committed to maintaining it,” says Marie-Véronique Bernard, CHRO at Basic-Fit.
The HRIT application patchwork
Basic-Fit has experienced extremely rapid growth in recent years. The fitness chain now operates in five European countries and employs over 6,000 people. This meant that the HRIT system had to be overhauled—or rather, the HRIT application patchwork. Previously, we worked with no less than 16 different applications, all of which had to be maintained. In addition, the overview was lacking, and relevant data was not properly accessible.
When Canadian-born Marie-Véronique Bernard took over as Head of Human Resources at Basic-Fit in Amsterdam in June 2018, she was already at the boardroom table, advocating the purchase and rollout of a single integrated global HRIT system within months.
She manages a team of 50 HR professionals operating in five different European countries. Marie-Véronique is responsible for rolling out the new HR strategy for all countries where Basic-Fit operates. In doing so, it aims to transform into a more mature organizational culture.
Improving HR professionality
“In order to improve the professionality of HR at Basic-Fit, as well as to streamline and standardize the processes, the obvious choice was an integrated all-in-one system. We are facing several important HR challenges, moving towards a central policy, in which we want to focus more on data.
Often, the approach is not thought out properly in advance
We are growing incredibly fast, and turnover is high. Many of our instructors are doing this work alongside their studies or other jobs, and they are being pulled from all different angles in this current job market. So, we need to take recruitment and retention to the next level. We also want to standardize and professionalize the training and development opportunities for our staff.” Basic-Fit also wanted to relieve the IT department, which until then had to manage all the different systems.
Intensive process
Basic-Fit was quick to choose Workday. The implementation was not without its problems. Bas Eggelaar, founder and director of SuccessDay—which was only brought in at a later stage to smooth things over—sees this happen more often. “The transition to a new HRIT system is an intensive process that poses major challenges. Often, the approach is not thought out properly in advance and organizations don’t know where to start or what’s involved.”
“In the ideal situation, you always start with an analysis of the HR organization, followed by a comprehensive selection of the software package. Then you make thorough preparations for implementation, put serious time into testing the tools and managing your data, and then finally you get to setting-up the support organization after the go-live.”
Providing ongoing attention
Marie-Véronique acknowledges that, in retrospect, she and her team underestimated this. “I think someone from TomTom once said to me, ‘Take a year to just streamline the processes.’ At the time I thought he was crazy. Boy, was I wrong…” After a considerable delay, the HRIT system finally went live, accompanied by the necessary blood, sweat, and tears. “I ran the Amsterdam marathon yesterday and I can see some parallels,” laughs Marie-Véronique.
Even after the go-live, the work never stops. In fact, systems always require maintenance to get the most out of them. New releases, tweaking and fine-tuning, and solving security problems are just a few examples of why an HRIT system needs continuous attention. New systems also require users to get used to them, no matter how user-friendly it may seem at first.
Take on the support themselves
While some organizations choose to take on the management and support themselves, others prefer to leave this to external specialists, like SuccessDay. “We can support organizations not only before and during implementation but also after the go-live.”
“For example, we can take on release management, resolve technical problems and incidents, perform regression testing, configure business processes, or take care of environment optimizations and integrations,” explains Steven Thangathurai, AMS Team Lead at SuccessDay. AMS stands for Application Managed Services (AMS), the service SuccessDay created for the maintenance of Workday.
We create a war room and solve (also non-technical) issues
Smooth Landing
The after go-live support always starts at SuccessDay with the Smooth Landing service. In the first weeks after implementation, brand new users often overload the internal support organization with questions, issues, and tickets. SuccessDay supports organizations during and after go-live in realizing a smooth landing and user acceptance.
Steven: “During the go-live the implementation partner only solves technical problems. The internal support organization has often just been set up and is often overwhelmed by the number of (non-technical) help questions from colleagues, such as forgotten passwords or “How do I do this again?” questions. SuccessDay therefore supports organizations with a smooth landing. We create a war room and solve (also non-technical) issues. We do everything to give the user the right experience. At the same time, we ensure that the customer’s support team is equipped with the right knowledge and information. We will not close the door behind us until the customer is sufficiently equipped and confident to continue the journey themselves.”
Basic-Fit also opted for Smooth Landing from SuccessDay. Following this, they selected Workday Application Managed Services (AMS). “Our IT department is already pretty overloaded, and we wanted to secure the knowledge. By the time someone knows all the intricacies of managing Workday, or some of its modules, they may have left the company, given the huge demand for this area of expertise,” says Marie-Véronique, who wanted to ensure her organization was protected against this.
Cream of the crop
Basic-Fit decided to appoint one application consultant internally for Workday support. For everything else, it used the expertise of SuccessDay’s external consultants. “That’s where the cream of the crop is. Moreover, we were looking for a long-term partnership and that is exactly what SuccessDay is aiming for. We keep the reins and SuccessDay stays in the background.” The organization is called in almost daily for support and management tasks. About twice a week the two parties have a call to go over the situation and to transfer knowledge to people at Basic-Fit.
Steven: “During Smooth Landings there is often a deluge of requests for help, but after that the situation often stabilizes. This was also the case at Basic-Fit. The HR-team was inundated with requests for help from employees. We took the lead in this and managed it, keeping the pressure off the daily operations, and enabling the situation to stabilize more quickly. Afterwards, the need for support remained. More modules will be implemented, there will be new releases and we will monitor security threats and intervene, where necessary. Basic-Fit is growing fast. As a result, things will have to be done differently than originally envisioned and implemented.”
There is hard work here, but also hard laughter
SuccessDay AMS differentiates itself from the competition in several ways. For example, it uses transparent pricing. Can a junior consultant solve a ticket? Then the customer pays a junior rate. In addition, the approach is focused on customer interaction and satisfaction. Steven: “We don’t work with an anonymous ticket box. We prefer to make a phone call.” Moreover, there is no outsourcing everything to a country in a different time zone and we preferably support employees in their native language and/or English. Finally, purchased support hours can also be used for small projects and for staff training.
Good fit with the organization
Marie-Veronique is pleased with the smooth collaboration. The IT and HR departments are significantly unburdened, and the communication is running smoothly. “We like working with a local partner that is a good match for our organization. There is hard work here, but also hard laughter. I hope we can continue to work side-by-side like this for years to come. I’m a big believer in partnerships like this.”
Bas also looks back on the collaboration with satisfaction and is confident about the future. “This way Basic-Fit has more time to focus on their core business and can rest assured that solving Workday issues is in safe hands with us. We are happy to pass on our knowledge and always take organizations by the hand as they face the next hurdles. We are independent consultants, know the ropes and always look for a solution that best suits the customer. For this to happen, a good match is indispensable.”
