When a business builds its reputation in a certain area, consistency matters. For the UX Design Institute, that area is user experience. The online edtech company produces and sells courses in various aspects of UX design, user interface design, user research, and content design.
That’s why, when it was evaluating providers for a new HR information system, look and feel, together with ease of use, were top of mind. The UX Design Institute wanted to replace the “basic” system it had, which wasn’t enough for what it needed, says Janet O’Sullivan, Head of People Operations.
“The performance management wasn’t good, document management and time off management wasn’t good and it didn’t have the layers we would need for the future as the team grew. It didn’t afford a nice experience,” she says.
She shortlisted five companies, with clear criteria for what the new system needed to deliver. “The most important one was the experience: we’re the UX Design Institute, so we needed something that not only looked nice but was easy to use and intuitive for the team,” Janet says.
This was the critical factor that gave Grouper the edge. Its cloud-based HR service met the UX Design Institute’s needs and offered a significant improvement on the system it had been using until then. Grouper’s assigned account manager used demos to show the implementation process and describe how data would be transferred to the new system.
“He made it sound quite a simple process, and that’s what it was. My expectations were managed. It was very transparent from the get-go how long this would take, and what the necessary steps would be,” Janet says.
The UX Design Institute has grown to 30 people, but at the time of the original HR system, the team was much smaller. That’s what made the dedicated level of service so valuable. “Our account manager was on the ball and really responsive. It’s not a small task to move software systems so we were in contact quite a lot. He made sure I got what I needed back in time. I was kept in the loop, and the communication was very transparent so I always knew what’s happening or when a process was finished,” Janet adds.
Once the Grouper system was set up, Janet quickly began to see the benefits, including improved information security and a variety of tools to do her job. Having all employee-related information in one place has streamlined administration. “Having a less manual process has definitely given me back more time. The data management side of things has been so much easier. I would say I’m easily gaining five days a month if not more on the admin side. Now, because it’s all housed in one place, it’s so much easier.”
What’s more, the system has also simplified the recruitment process, saving Janet from having to combine data from multiple sources. She can easily manage job listings and distribute them to various online platforms and jobs boards from her desk.
Since then, the engagement with Grouper is less frequent because the system is up and running, but just the same, Janet appreciates how quickly and professionally any of her queries are dealt with.
“The massive difference going with Grouper was the personal touch and the personal service. There was never any ticket raised: if I needed something, I would pop an email to our account manager. There was no 48 hour wait: you would hear back from him that day, sometimes within the hour. It was a really good experience from that point of view,” she says.
“I have found, especially with bigger companies – not necessarily with HR – that you’re back and forth with various people. The personal touch is more valuable to me because of the role I’m in. You can’t put a price on service like that. It’s so refreshing and a delight. It’s surprising to get such a comprehensive service with no ticketing, and no bots… it’s the really nice human touch and transparency and ease. You don’t feel like you’re dealing with a corporation. It’s just real.”
