activpayroll

activpayroll, a global payroll, mobility, tax and HR solutions provider is a trusted partner to their customers, helping global organisations navigate ever-changing complexity and enabling them to achieve their global ambitions.  

At the core of these services is a multi-country payroll solution that covers over 150 countries and annually produces more than 2 million payslips for their customers employees. They tackle the complex task of helping their customers maintain legislative compliance and accuracy in multiple countries, a challenge compounded by their customers vast scope of operations and the differing local labour laws and tax regulations per country. Despite a remarkable customer retention rate, activpayroll is continually driven to enhance the customer experience, striving to continually maintain a leadership position in the global market.

This commitment was highlighted at the Zendesk London Showcase during a discussion between Hideki Hashimura, CMO at redk, Claire McDermott, Customer Success Project Manager and Stephen Wratten, Product Director from activpayroll. This event provided a platform for sharing insights and strategies on leveraging customer service technologies to improve business processes and client satisfaction.

The Challenge of Global Payroll Management

activpayroll, already renowned for their excellent customer service, embarked on a project with redk and Zendesk to further enhance their capabilities. Despite their success, the challenge of providing payroll services in many countries with different laws requires continual review and enhancement.

The challenge was introducing greater visibility and consistency into the experiences customers had, whilst upholding their commitment to data accuracy and high-quality service. After rapid and sustained growth, and through engaging continually with their customers, activpayroll identified several initiatives to further enhance their customer experience and accelerated their activity in these areas. 

The team set a clear goal: to find a solution that had the capability to elevate their global customer query management, bringing greater visibility both to their customers and their teams. They identified the need for a new global case and contact management system that could integrate with the data systems that their global customers and teams used daily, and Zendesk was the perfect choice.

Finding the Best Approach with redk

After a rigorous process to identify the best solution to meet their needs and those of their customers, activpayroll decided on Zendesk.  As part of the process Zendesk introduced activpayroll to the redk team. As a Zendesk Premier Partner with over 17 years of experience, the redk team ensured the implementation was seamless and successful.

We showed activpayroll what was possible with the right solution and guided them through a manageable and valuable rollout strategy that covered technical, process and change management. The experience of the redk team increased the confidence activpayroll had in delivering Zendesk as a best in class solution.

Setting a Competitive Edge

activpayroll set out to differentiate their service from competitors by turning to the feedback of those who matter most: their customers and employees.

The team engaged with their employees to discuss how these big operational changes would impact their day-to-day work. Across the process they gathered feedback on the employee experience and continued to check in with teams across their global business.

activpayroll also engaged their customers through their advisory group where a focus on the outcomes that mattered most, pinpointed to three areas where further exciting value could be added: visibility, outcomes, and consistency.

Customers need visibility into their global payroll, the process, and the performance of the entire payroll management.  With activpayroll they get this through their powerful SaaS based Customer Experience Platform called activ8 and it was critical to create a seamless query management experience for customers in the flow of their crucial daily work. Understanding every aspect of the payroll process and the people behind it is of course crucial.

Furthermore, the customers of activpayroll benefit most when they also have visibility of the advisory services and global insights they provide, such as guidance on complex immigration and business tax across countries.

Finally, consistency across the entire service is key – and that’s where Zendesk and redk can help.

Collaborative Solution Development with redk

The redk team made a concerted effort to grasp the complex needs of activpayroll’s extensive service model. The partnership began with dynamic workshops to dissect and fully understand existing processes from operational and customer-centric perspectives. These sessions were crucial, effectively aligning technological solutions with business strategies. This meticulous approach ensured the new system was flexible enough to meet diverse global demands while consistently delivering exceptional service quality.

Furthermore, a structured governance model was essential to manage this project’s scale and complexity. Regular updates and feedback sessions became the norm, allowing for timely adjustments and risk management. Claire McDermott, Global Customer Success Project Manager, was a vital link between redk’s technical team and activpayroll’s business strategy, ensuring all technological advancements aligned with the broader goals.

Outcomes and Future Directions

The rollout of the new system received positive feedback from the customer advisory group and through direct interactions, and from the activpayroll teams supporting those customers. This step into using Zendesk has sharpened insights into service delivery processes, boosting tactical execution and operational transparency. It improved activpayroll’s customer experience and led to positive results all around.

While significant strides have been made, this project is seen as an evolving journey with more milestones. activpayroll is committed to continuously refining their processes and systems driving further integrated value for their customers and their internal teams. Their long-term vision includes ongoing technological enhancements and service improvements, positioning activpayroll as a global industry leader for years to come.

“Over a year ago, we embarked on this project with Zendesk, and very early into that relationship, they introduced us to redk. Payroll is a different beast altogether, and we’ve got quite a unique culture when you look at the different industries. redk spent a lot of time understanding our business, our culture and our processes.” – Claire McDermott, Global Customer Success Project Manager at activpayroll