“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is a success.” —Henry Ford
Forming a partnership, whether professionally or personally, brings opportunities and risks. For Immedis, it means we can cultivate relationships with other companies that serve to give our customers the best global payroll service. However, these relationships only work because we invest the time to nurture and support our partners. It is work, but the fruits of this labor make it a worthwhile and valuable enterprise.
I have worked in payroll for most of my career, and I use this experience now to manage all the Immedis in-country service partners. I have worn many hats, so I have a deep understanding of the challenges that payroll professionals face. Recently I learned- by way of attendees at one of our webinars– that there exists a lack of transparency in the industry around the role of in-country providers. As a result of this news, we are planning a series of blogs that will explore the in-country partners’ function to offer customers a better understanding of the part these companies play within the wider Immedis Platform. To kick-off the series, this blog will explain why we work with these companies and how we both form and nurture these uniquely valuable relationships.
Why does Immedis use in-country providers?
We rely on our in-country partners to use modern and reliable local payroll engines to provide expert knowledge and local legislation advice. As a result, we can ensure customers are compliant and continuously kept up to date and informed of any local changes that may affect payroll operations, no matter how small. We know that by using the very best-in-class companies in each jurisdiction, we can give our customers the absolute best experience. Customers do not interact with the partner- we do. Immedis is the global payroll provider. We take full responsibility for providing this service, and work with our partners to deliver on this goal.
How does Immedis select these providers?
My incredible team is fantastic at finding partners that are a good cultural fit- an extension of ourselves- companies that share a similar vision to Immedis. We begin by completing a thorough evaluation and assess their suitability based on specific criteria. Given our emphasis on continuous innovation, one of the areas we focus on is technology. We evaluate how they are currently leveraging technology to improve the accuracy and efficiency of their payroll. We also assess how easily their solution can integrate with our platform. If a potential partner does not yet have these capabilities in place, we will evaluate how feasible it is to facilitate an integration.
Security is a significant concern for every organization, and so is another field we target. Generally, we look for companies that already are ISO 27001 certified or have policies in place that establish protocols around GDPR compliance, information security, business continuity, and disaster recovery plans.
Our selection process is quite extensive and rigorous. However, we’ve found that taking the time before jumping into any partnership is best for customers. It means that the relationships that we forge are stronger and better for this prudent approach. We make sure that the due diligence process is thorough and that we carry out reference calls.
The different types of partners
Our in-country partner network operates on a few levels. Some of our partners work in just one county, while our regional partners work in several neighboring countries in a region. If the payroll legislation is similar in these countries, there are obvious benefits to doing this. Most of our partners focus only or mainly on payroll, but some also provide other related services.
Once a partner is chosen, what are the next steps?
Once a new partner is selected, we implement measures to ensure that they perform as expected and are regularly updated on any changes in standards, processes, or strategy at Immedis. To start, all partners attend an onboarding process whereby they receive an introduction to Immedis and how we work- our standards, values, methods, and procedures.
Throughout the year, we meet – either monthly or quarterly-with and review partners. Typically, during these meetings- held either in-person or via video conference, we discuss everything from audits to service reviews. In my experience, these reviews are great for building relationships, plus pre-COVID-19, I got to travel the world and meet many of these incredibly talented people in person.
I am excited to say that soon we will hear from one of our in-country partners. In the meantime, you can check out this webinar Global Payroll Service Providers: The Key to Unlocking a World Class Partnership.
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