Mobility Program Facelift Increases Efficiency

Driving innovation can be difficult when company stakeholders insist on doing things the way “they’ve always been done.” But, often, innovation is exactly what’s needed to foster growth. Such was the case when Lauren, a newly appointed Director of Mobility, reviewed her company’s previous mobility program. She noted that her predecessor had followed the same processes throughout her decades-long tenure, despite working in an industry associated with rapid change. A variety of issues resulted, ranging from assignee dissatisfaction to process inefficiencies. Lauren reached out to Dawn Brozik, SIRVA Account Manager, for guidance on optimal areas for change in their small-volume mobility program.

To begin, Dawn audited every aspect of the client’s mobility program with the SIRVA Advantage team (a group of trained account managers and front-line support specialists that help companies that move fewer than 30 employees per year). Priority areas identified for improvement included:

Minimizing the number of vendors in the client’s management and billing chain: Prior to Lauren’s involvement as Director, the client used multiple vendors for moving, billing and insurance. As a result, there were multiple people and processes to manage, segregated timelines to coordinate and three times the paperwork to process. Since every aspect on the timeline of a move is dependent on others, Dawn knew that integration was the first step toward efficiency. She and her team set up a new model for Lauren that included integrated services and one Relocation Consultant (RC) to manage every aspect of each relocation. A birds-eye view of an integrated timeline meant that the RC could easily guide the process, trouble-shooting problems and advocating before they occur instead of reacting after they do. Thanks to this change, the client has benefitted from decreased invoicing and payables traffic, while employees benefit from always knowing who to contact when they have a question. Finally, by integrating timelines and utilizing preferred vendors within the SIRVA network, movers can now be assigned optimally, based on location, logistics, regional expertise, and demand, rather than choosing one moving company based simply on familiarity.  

Improved communications and visibility: While Lauren’s predecessor typically utilized emails to coordinate relocation functions, Dawn suggested utilizing SIRVA Connect, a proprietary digital platform that connects assignees and clients via a single hub and provides them with access to all of the information they need at every step in the process – at any time, on any device. By entering each assignee into the platform, all stakeholders can view where an employee is on his/her move timeline, manage program requirements, evaluate expenses and performance, and collaborate in real time.     

The improvements in employee satisfaction and efficiency were so significant that the company chose to work on revitalizing other aspects of its mobility program, too. In addition to centralizing its billing, exception management, and reporting, for example, we have generated marked client savings by moving them away from traditional home sale programs toward more innovative ones. As we implement these exciting changes, we anticipate further growth via a productive, ongoing partnership.

The Face Behind the Story:

Dawn Brozik, Account Manager, SIRVA

Dawn joined SIRVA in 1999. She’s held several positions, including closing officer in SIRVA Mortgage, senior relocation consultant and training specialist in SIRVA Relocation and, for a decade, was a member of SIRVA’s legal team as a documentation specialist. Since June of 2014, she has been an account manager for U.S. domestic relocation, cultivating and managing relationships to meet client expectations. She works to ensure overall client satisfaction, service quality and performance.

Dawn earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Cleveland State University and holds the Certified Relocation Professional™ designation from Worldwide ERC^®. She enjoys spending time with her daughter (a budding musician), her son (who is learning to drive and is currently considering colleges) and her partner, Joe. During her free time, Dawn enjoys bicycling, journaling, and engaging in personal / spiritual development – along with exploring interesting places, often on her motorcycle. She’s about to depart on a 2-week, 2-wheel tour of southern Spain and Morocco and is very much looking forward to the adventure.