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PlatformOne Announces 2006 Successes in the HR Outsourcing Mid-Market; Growing Pipelines Demonstrate Renewed Market Momentum and New Buying Trends for HR-BPO
PlatformOne signs five more mid-market clients in first half of 2006 for HR-BPO services, representing over 35,000 new employees under management.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) August 15, 2006 -- PlatformOne today announced that its Human Resources Business Process Outsourcing (HR-BPO) initiative has recently signed five more key clients, representing over 35,000 new employees under management. Also, its sales pipelines are growing faster than anticipated, due to recent identification of new buying preferences in the HR outsourcing marketplace.
PlatformOne offers HR Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) solutions that include HR Technology, HR Administrative Services, and HR Professional Support to mid-market companies, those companies with approximately 500 to 15,000 employees.
In previous years, new clients chose PlatformOne for its ability to deliver comprehensive HR-BPO solutions, that included hosted HR information systems technologies, a wide array of administrative tasks aimed at reducing the client’s back office workload, such as payroll, payroll tax filing, garnishment administration, benefits administration, and more, and various support services performed by its team of HR professionals. Then, beginning midyear 2004 and continuing throughout much of 2005, interest in comprehensive HR-BPO slowed in the mid-market. Mid-market companies were continuing with old practices – looking to payroll service bureaus, insurance brokers, and others for solutions they could not effectively deliver.
This year, as of the end of its first half of operations, PlatformOne has quickly finalized five new outsourcing contracts and anticipates at least that many more business deals in its second half of 2006 operations.
So what’s changed? Not the solutions, really. PlatformOne still customizes its HR services to the client’s needs, still implements to the customer’s specifications, and the underlying solutions and services offering of technology, administrative services and support are all still provided.
What seems to have changed, or maybe was there all along and not fully recognized by the market, is that the mid-market buys outsourcing solutions differently than the Global 2000. Unlike top Fortune companies that buy long-term service contracts, cost reduction projections and facilities management approaches, mid-market companies tend to start HR outsourcing initiatives by replacing poorly functioning and weakly integrated technologies that they have lived reluctantly with for years. The results are almost immediate improvements (within a few months) in the company’s HR business processes.
Later, the administrative workload of the HR staff is reevaluated, and certain troublesome tasks are identified for outsourcing. This can happen as quickly as a few weeks or months into the project, as the superior technology is being implemented. In short, the new technology (and the associated training classes) actually helps the HR staff recognize poor HR business processes they have tolerated for years due to poor information systems and support. When they see what superior technology can do for them, they start considering the new possibilities (and the providers that can deliver them).
The distinction in approach may seem very subtle on the surface, but to the typical mid-market company, the difference is real and significant. Change just doesn’t happen; Change happens when people can visualize a better way, and then embrace it.
PlatformOne has numerous case studies that strengthen the point, representing a wide variety of industries, from community banking, retail and hospitality to business associations and other business / professional services – Below are several cases from our group of most recent new clients.
National Association Management Group (NAMG) has provided key business services to industry associations and their members for over two decades. As they enjoyed explosive growth, their members pushed for an ever-expanding offering of services, until their systems could no longer support the workload for the over 23,000 eligible members of their benefits programs. The technology solutions they had been using to deliver HR services such as benefits administration were being overwhelmed. The increasing demand for NAMG services brought larger, more sophisticated clients, whose requirements could not be met with their current system’s capabilities. They also badly needed to automate a billing process that was performed manually. After deploying the Lawson integrated HR, benefits and billing suite and completing staff training and certification, NAMG now feels confident it can deliver and bill for its benefits
administration services using its own staff. PlatformOne’s client services and shared support services teams presently act as a staffing alternative, a backup personnel plan and a training capability for NAMG and its planned continuing growth.
Business Advantage, Inc. delivers technology and services solutions to small business entrepreneurs who prefer to focus their attention on their business, and not administrative tasks. The information systems Business Advantage used were so insufficient they were impeding the company’s growth and its ability to deliver its professional services to over 700 employees. Its systems were inflexible, and could not respond to immediate client needs, such as reporting. Clients could not access their own data and, as a result, could not get current information to run their businesses. Also, the lack of systems integration was forcing a huge, unnecessary workload on the Business Advantage office personnel. Reconciling information across various systems was an every day task. After implementing the full suite of Lawson applications, Business Advantage personnel experienced, for the first time, what integrated HR, benefits, payroll, billing and financial systems can do. Real time and accurate data, remote client access, and flexible reporting all contribute to labor cost savings and improved customer service. Today Business Advantage outsources its full HR, benefits and payroll administration workload to PlatformOne, and it focuses its attention on client care, more strategic services, and marketing its professional services to the next small business entrepreneur.
AccelHR, a PlatformOne channel partner, provides HR outsourcing solutions to their clients in select markets. On behalf of AccelHR, PlatformOne is providing HRO technology and services to the Georgia Bankers Association Insurance Trust (GBAIT), who also demonstrated similar buying preferences. With over 12,000 members, GBAIT was unable to provide certain technologies and benefits administration services to its members that they desired, such as web based benefits enrollment. Longer-term plans for additional service offerings, such as payroll processing, were being put off. Once implementation is complete, GBAIT will have access to a broad suite of Lawson applications, including HR, payroll, web based benefits administration, benefits billing, and reporting. The new technology will empower GBAIT to finally deliver long awaited benefits administration services, as well as go to market with a brand new set of comprehensive payroll services.
Stellar Partners, hospitality industry retailer, and Park ‘N Fly, transportation services company, each had similar experiences. Stellar Partners could not get personalized services to meet its requirements from a national PEO. Park ‘N Fly demanded more responsive service and better, integrated technologies than it could get from its insurance broker and payroll service bureau. Having had poor experiences prior, both companies decided to implement PlatformOne’s comprehensive HR back office solution, with integrated HR systems and custom-fit administrative services, from a single source.
“Two years ago our organization believed that PlatformOne had at least an 18 month advantage over our nearest known competitor in the mid-market.” said Tony Foley, President of PlatformOne. “ We attributed our advantage then to three areas in which our accomplishments were unmatched – first, our ability to deliver truly integrated HR, benefits, payroll, financial, and billing systems, next, our over 20 years of experience providing HR outsourcing services and our recent advancements in international service delivery capabilities, and lastly, our lead in attracting new mid-market clients. Having just completed our first half with over 35,000 new employees to service under contract, we are still confident of our front running position in the mid-market, and look forward to the balance of 2006 with anticipation of even greater successes. Whether a company wants to begin outsourcing with just a “specialized” technology solution, a full comprehensive HR-BPO solution, or select administrative services, PlatformOne is a provider you should consider. We have all three outsourcing models implemented and working successfully. ”
About PlatformOne
PlatformOne is an innovator and leader in the delivery of state-of-the-art Human Resources solutions. Evolving over 21 years, PlatformOne offers HR Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) solutions that include HR Technology Infrastructure, HR Administrative Services, and HR Professional Support. Our comprehensive HR solutions, when combined with our world-class people, processes, and technology produce efficient, consistent, and cost-effective results for our clients. Additional information on PlatformOne may be found on its web site. www.PlatformOne.com
This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.
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