Why did your company decide to adopt this sophisticated cloud solution from SAP? What is the primary reason behind your company's decision?
Global Services was established in 2011 in the Czech Republic, and since then, it has been experiencing constant growth. Currently, we have a workforce of over 2.000 employees, with approximately 1.200 located in the Czech Republic and more than 800 in Bulgaria. When we first started in the northern part of the Czech Republic in 2011, we began building our data processes from scratch, gradually evolving to where we are today. This journey involved significant development, transitioning from manual spreadsheets to the current state of affairs. Implementing SuccessFactors has been a crucial part of our transformation.
In 2016, when we reached 500 employees, we realized that we could not sustain the same pace of growth without digitalization and optimization. This prompted us to seek a system that could meet our requirements while also providing implementation support. Consequently, we selected SuccessFactors due to its cloud-based ecosystem, which effectively addresses our process needs. So far, the system has facilitated all our requirements, and its flexibility allows us to manage changes and progress by continually implementing new HR practices aligned with industry trends. Regarding the partner selection process, we conducted a tender and chose Success Solutions (or as we often refer to them) because they proved to be a reliable partner with prior experience in similar implementations.
What specific benefits have your company experienced? How do your employees perceive the advantages of SuccessFactors in their daily processes and within the company as a whole? What would you highlight as the most significant advantage of using Success Solutions for KBC?
The employee experience has significantly improved since implementing SuccessFactors. There is a notable difference between communicating and sharing files via emails compared to having a sophisticated system with streamlined workflows that caters to all aspects of the employee life cycle. Enhancing the employee experience was one of our top priorities, and SuccessFactors has played a crucial role in achieving this goal.
Which module do you find most favorable or beneficial to your role and responsibilities? As someone in charge of the implementation, which module do you believe has the greatest impact on the organization as a whole?
It can be challenging to pick a single module as each one contributes to the employee life cycle and adds value to the organization. It's commendable that you perceive all the modules as important and valuable for your company's overall operations. The comprehensive suite of SuccessFactors modules collectively enhances the employee experience and supports various aspects of HR management.
What advice would you offer to potential customers who are currently watching this video and considering the implementation of SuccessFactors, but have no prior experience with it?
It is important to have a clear vision of what you aim to achieve. Our vision was centered around complete HR process automation and digitalization, ultimately transitioning to a paperless HR environment. Although we have made significant progress, implementing all the necessary modules, we still have a few remaining areas to address. HR is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement, collaboration with people, and refining of the processes, which in turn impacts the system. This is why I appreciate SuccessFactors; its flexibility allows us to constantly enhance our processes and work towards improvement.
With the support of our partners, we strive to enhance our systems for the benefit of all companies considering a similar implementation. It is essential, prior to implementation, to have a clear understanding of your vision and objectives, as well as thoroughly reviewing and aligning your existing processes with the capabilities and best practices of the system. Even if you believe your processes are perfect, it is important to assess how they align with the system and be open to making adjustments and embracing change management, as we learned during our own process transformation. Cloud-based infrastructure and data control are also critical factors to consider.
How did you effectively communicate the need for learning new processes and implementing a new system throughout the organization, considering the challenge of continuous work responsibilities and the importance of change management in the implementation process?
The success of our project was greatly attributed to thorough planning and extensive preparation of our internal communication strategy. In particular, we recognized the significance of including employees as active participants in the process. To achieve this, we appointed ambassadors from various business units who played a crucial role in disseminating the message throughout the organization. Gathering feedback from employees and involving them in testing were vital aspects of our approach. Our implementation process was truly a co-creation effort, involving collaboration with the business, other departments, and employees.
Who do you consider the standout or hero among your suppliers or partners, specifically Success Solutions? In your perspective, what are their greatest strengths or trends? Additionally, where do you see potential improvement in their offerings or services?
The most critical aspect for us was establishing trust, and Success Solutions has proven to be a reliable and trusted partner. They have extensive experience and are always available to provide advice, assistance, and deliver on our expectations. This is the most significant strength we have observed in our partnership. During the conference, they also mentioned their vision to challenge companies more during the system implementation process. While we were initially confident in our processes, it was evident that they made an effort to challenge and offer insights, aiming to become HR consultants beyond system implementation. I anticipate that they will continue to push their customers to think critically and thoroughly before embarking on process implementations, which is something I value and expect from them.
Can you elaborate on how Success Solutions helps their clients build a future-oriented digital HR strategy, not limited to just implementing SuccessFactors, but also shaping the company mindset towards embracing digital transformation?
We have successfully embraced digital transformation, allowing us to operate anytime and anywhere. This has been particularly beneficial for our learning initiatives, as we aim to provide our employees with the flexibility to develop themselves whenever they desire. Our utilization of SuccessFactors has played a crucial role in achieving this flexibility, thanks to its wide range of applications and the significant role of the mobile application in our implementation.
The mobile app is extensively used by our employees. Moving forward, our HR strategy focuses on prioritizing people. However, our ambitions do not end there. We have plans to leverage artificial intelligence as well. Currently, we are working on a specific concept that revolves around leveraging the competencies of our employees. We are excited about implementing a new module called "Internal Market," which we expect from Success Solutions (SSP) to Council. This module will serve as an internal market for candidates within our company.