7 most important qualities of a successful extended workforce management partnership
AUTUMN VAUPEL, COO
"There are always going to be a few rainy days, but you will weather those storms a lot better if you have a foundation built on trust and partnership."
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1 • Analytics 2 • Data security & privacy 3 • Talent focus 4 • Global expertise 5 • Quality of service 6 • Scalability 7 • Innovation Conclusion
7 most important qualities of a successful extended workforce management partnership
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BRIGHTFIELD STRATEGIES
"The best technology is the right technology."
INTRODUCTION
When identifying and selecting a new extended workforce management technology partner, it is important to remember that minor differences in functionality and service offerings could have a major impact on your organization. Oftentimes, providers can appear very strong and demonstrate many features. However, it is critically important to consider your current business needs, objectives, and future goals. If you know what factors are driving your challenges and opportunities, you will be able to determine whether a particular technology—and the company behind it—is the right fit for your organization’s needs. Selecting the best technology partner can determine the success of your program. In order to find the right fit, you need to know what qualities to look for. This guide covers seven important factors you need to consider.
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1
Analytics Your data should tell a story.
It is important for you to know that you are running your program based on facts, not assumptions. Your program data contains an important story and Beeline’s award-winning workforce analytics help you tell it. Management expert Peter Drucker once said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” The true value in any business intelligence system is its ability to provide actionable information that drives good, strategic decision-making. The data, the right tools, and the right people are three key factors to a successful, analytics-based program. While it is important to ensure your technology has the proper tools to effectively deliver your data into actionable metrics, you also need a partner with the expertise to fill in the gaps. At Beeline, we provide expertise behind the metrics. Our team of business analysts, software engineers, and solution design professionals, with their extensive industry knowledge, help you to identify trends quickly and anticipate changes in your program that you may never see coming. Beeline pairs traditional reporting platforms with powerful analytics, which are embedded into your business process at critical decision points. Combined with an interactive data discovery platform, you receive unparalleled visibility into potential cost savings and quality improvement opportunities. Beeline gives you the tools to dive deep into your data for a full 360-degree analysis of trends, correlations, and causes impacting your business.
SPEND MATTERS
“Analytics is not just about technology; it requires the right combination of mind and skill sets.”
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Data security & privacy Ensure your information is private and protected. It is important that you have peace of mind knowing you are selecting a partner that is with you every step of the way, from the security of your data to the success of your program. Do you know who is accessing your data? Is it secure? In everything we do, protecting our clients’ data is our highest priority. For this reason alone, we invest heavily in systems and processes that conform to international security standards and comply with global data privacy requirements. At Beeline, this dedication goes beyond our internal practices. Our technology partners are recognized as leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for application security testing, endpoint protection, and analytics reporting. Clients rest assured knowing that Beeline recognizes that data security and data privacy are more than simple compliance with laws and regulations. They are business imperatives for ensuring the protection of your most valuable assets and those of the talent whose data you process through your technology.
Data Security Checklist Ensure your provider can answer “yes” when asked if their products and services can offer the following for your data security and data privacy needs:
□ Does your organization have secure, state-of-the-art data centers? □ Has your organization successfully completed SOC 1 and SOC 2 examinations? □ Does your organization adhere to rigorous annual SSAE 18, ISO 27001, and ISAE 3402 audit processes?
□ Do you have a well-defined information system management system (ISMS) that
encompasses policies that control and manage security risk levels across the organization?
□ Do you participate in data privacy certifications and regulatory programs, including the EUU.S. Data Privacy Framework?
□ Does your technology support the fulfillment of data subject access requests? □ Can you provide assurance that your data will not be sold? □ Can you provide the identity of any sub-processors with which data will be shared, including the purpose and locations of the processing activity supported by those sub-processors?
□ Can you provide a Data Transfer Impact Assessment (DTIA) for any transfers of EU or UK residents’ data to countries without adequacy under the GDPR?
□ Are your technology partners for security testing, endpoint protection, and analytics reporting recognized by Gartner as Magic Quadrant Leaders?
□ Do you have an intrusion prevention partner that helps detect and prevent breaches, as well as provide holistic analytics?
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Data Privacy Your technology provider should be able to provide you with the following indicators that they conduct ongoing assessments of the processing activity they will undertake of your data including how they will meet data protection requirements for that data: •P articipation in applicable data privacy certifications and regulatory programs including the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. •A ssurance that their technology supports the individual rights of data subjects. Will their technology support your fulfillment of data subject access requests? •A ppropriate technical and organization measures for the security of the data in place and updated to reflect any changes to processing activity or applicable regulations. • I nternal policies and procedures designed to meet data minimization requirements. •A ssurance that your data will not be sold. • I dentification of any sub-processors with which the data will be shared, including the purpose and locations of the processing activity supported by those sub-processors. •D ata Transfer Impact Assessment (DTIA) made available for any transfers of personal data from the EU or UK to countries without an adequacy decision. •A ssurance that the provider has the ability to quickly recognize and adapt to ongoing changes in data protection regulations and requirements.
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3
Talent focus Solutions to engage with people, not manage them like a spend category.
More than twenty years ago, vendor management system (VMS) technology was introduced and focused on controlling contingent workforce costs. In the last few years, the business landscape has changed dramatically, and VMS technology must change with it. While some VMS providers continue to focus on managing workforce spend, others are built to deliver the best external talent, in all labor categories, using talent channels. Sourcing and managing contingent talent presents different challenges than hiring and managing employees. Different laws and regulations apply and can vary dramatically from country to country. It takes special expertise, tools, and processes to acquire and manage this workforce efficiently and in strict compliance with laws and company policies. Make sure your provider puts its focus and technology where you need it most: delivering the non-employee talent your business needs.
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4
Global expertise Combine global solutions with local expertise.
Global program expansions are front of mind
32% 47%
of programs using a VMS are for companies with contingent workers in 3 or more global regions. of companies say they are very likely to expand globally within the next two years.
Some companies believe translation and globalization are one and the same. Not Beeline. we understand that globalization is an ongoing process whereby we carefully plan, implement and localize services to meet the very specific needs and regulations of different cultures and countries around the world. Combining global solutions with local expertise, we now have active program in more than 125 countries. With our deep understanding of the laws, regulations, financial, and reporting requirements within the countries and regions where we do business, our global clients trust us to implement even their most ambitious program.
Simple Global Partner Checklist If you want the best technology for a global program, ensure your provider can answer “yes” when asked if their products and services can offer the following for your international needs: One platform for all non-employees, globally. Don’t settle for multiple logins by country or inflexible workflows that do not support your local requirements End-to-end process and automated support of complex taxes, local rate rules, and simple non-U.S. centric business practices like monthly time sheets Flexibility to handle currency conversion, language translation, and culture settings by user Flexibility to handle variations in data requirements, workflow, and business rules by country Solution options to overcome barriers to entry in new markets
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4
Where do you want your program to go next—Europe, Asia, Latin America? Do you know the right questions to ask to get started? Preparing to expand or implement an extended workforce program into foreign countries can seem complicated and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In addition to understanding the vast cultural differences for each region, Beeline knows what you have to do to abide by local laws, cater to government regulations, meet compliance requirements, and more! Is your organization looking to expand globally? Do you have the tools to ensure this will be a successful investment? Are you interested in potential expansion opportunities, but want more information about the maturity of the extended workforce in other regions of the world? The Beeline team has worked to establish our global footprint and is prepared to partner with your organization to help drive your expansion initiatives. Learn how our teams have successfully partnered with clients around the world. Are you prepared to take your program around the world? Let us show you how.
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5
Quality of service Do not accept anything less than unbelievably great service.
As your organization grows and your program is presented with new challenges, change is certain. Your technology partner should be committed to tackling these demands with you, no matter what. Success for your program starts with solution design and implementation, but it doesn’t end there. Neither do our services. Based on our industry perspective and market knowledge, we provide extensive operational and strategic guidance to our clients for the optimization of their extended workforce program. From program office development and market rate analysis to business process engineering and advanced scorecard creation, we do everything we can to help you realize your program’s full potential. All Beeline clients are part of a larger community. Throughout the year, we provide many avenues for peer-to-peer collaboration, such as conferences, focus groups, teams, the Beeline Client Advisory Board, our online Beeline Community, our collaborative Productboard, and more. AUTUMN VAUPEL, COO
“We believe that delivering unparalleled service is something you never master—you work hard at it, every day.”
The ongoing success of your program is a top priority. That is why beeline has a full portfolio of services designed to support your vendor management system. Our high-touch, consultative approach to providing client support is what sets Beeline apart.
Technical & Operational Services
Training
Customer Success
Beeline technical and operational service teams work with clients and partners, from implementation, through steady state, and beyond. They provide you with peace of mind, knowing that you will always have support and be equipped with the tools you need to work most efficiently. These services include:
Training is a key factor in successful program adoption. Beeline understands every organization has unique training needs and places a high degree of emphasis on both initial and ongoing education. Beeline offers extensive training solutions including:
We make sure your Customer Success team understands your business, not just ours, and offers holistic support, including day-today operational services and strategic business services to ensure that you get full value from your technology.
• I mplementation • I ntegrations
•P roduct training •O nline training •B eeline Help
•A ccount management •G lobal strategy & governance •W orkforce management consulting
•S upport
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6
Scalability Manage all of your needs in one solution, now and in the future.
As your contingent workforce needs change, you need a technology partner that is one step ahead. Beeline provides an extended workforce platform to manage all of your non-employees’ needs globally. The extended workforce is the core of our business. That is why we reinvest our annual revenue in product development. Our teams of product managers, developers and analysts continually research changes in the workforce in order to create the client-centric innovations you need. As a result, our clients’ roles in extended workforce talent acquisition and management get 100% of our attention, focused on helping them succeed.
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7
Innovation Believe the impossible is possible.
Beeline's products are fueled by customer engagement. We innovate in direct collaboration with our customers, focusing on solving real world problems. The workforce is changing and technology innovations—like artificial intelligence—will change the way you source and manage your workforce in the future. Beeline is using advances in artificial intelligence technology to increase efficiency, uncover insights, and drive better outcomes while ensuring confidence and compliance. The best technology partner is someone who believes the impossible is possible. So be inspired to seek new possibilities, gain insight from unlikely places, and believe in something greater than what you currently know.
BEELINE CUSTOMER
“Beeline thinks beyond their organization and is involved in efforts to make the world a better place.”
Beeline is invested in the future and every day we are building concepts that will influence how you manage your extended workforce. We have a variety of channels that promote innovation and collaboration amongst both employees and our clients. We firmly believe every person who engages with our technology should have the opportunity to influence its future direction.
Product Reviews
Productboard
Beeline Product Reviews are led by our product team and designed for customers to see demos of the latest product developments and understand how the features can bring value to their program.
Productboard is a collaborative product management solution that supports ideasharing with Beeline's active user community. Through this and other processes and activities, we work with clients to develop products and enhancements that deliver the greatest value. Here, clients have the opportunity to submit application enhancement ideas or vote on other ideas they deem valuable.
35%
An average of 35% of new Beeline enhancements come directly from suggestions by our clients. Through our continuing investment in innovating our services and our technology, we are confident that we can create better ways for our clients to manage their external workforce.
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CONCLUSION
Whether you are just beginning your research, find yourself in the middle of an acquisition, or are simply wondering what other products might be out there, doing the research and understanding the small differences that make each provider unique is essential to selecting the right partner for you.
During the evaluation process, remember to consider the following: •A nalytic capabilities •D ata security • Stability •G lobal expertise •U nparalleled service • I nvestment in application development •D edication to innovation
Additional resources: •b rightfieldstrategies.com • f orrester.com •g artner.com •s ig.org •s pendmatters.com •s taffingindustry.com
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The leader in workforce solutions. For over 20 years, Beeline has empowered businesses worldwide to achieve competitive advantages with their extended workforce. Beeline’s contingent workforce management solutions give companies the visibility to mitigate risks, achieve cost savings, and meet dynamic business needs. With tailored solutions that solely focus on the complexities of the extended workforce, clients leverage Beeline products that fit their unique requirements. Through thousands of integrations, clients can connect their extended workforce data from all technology stacks, including major procurement and HR systems. Join the list of renowned brands benefiting from Beeline’s deeply seasoned experts, collaborative innovation, and industry-leading partner network. Explore more at Beeline.com.
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