Insurance Company Enhances Strategic HR Processes With Ultimate Software's Software-As-A-Service

Weston, FL - Ultimate Software, a leading provider of end-to-end strategic human resources, payroll, and talent management solutions, announced recently that its customer FCCI Insurance Group, a Florida-based provider of comprehensive property and casualty insurance, has improved employee-centric business processes with Ultimate Software's UltiPro delivered through Intersourcing, a software-as-a-service offering.

FCCI started looking for a new vendor to replace the in-house system it had been using when the insurance company realized it needed a more up-to-date solution that was flexible, easy to use, and included a wide range of functionality to help the business handle its employee-management processes more effectively. FCCI chose Ultimate Software, and after an on-time and on-budget implementation of core UltiPro for human resources, payroll, and benefits administrative processes, completed in just over three months, FCCI immediately turned to implementing Ultimate Software's UltiPro Recruitment for its talent acquisition functions. Since going "live" in January 2007, FCCI has:

• Streamlined compensation management with UltiPro Salary Budget Administration
• Improved talent acquisition practices with UltiPro Recruitment
• Enhanced management of and communication with its geographically dispersed workforce through UltiPro's workforce portal

Insurance companies must handle relatively complex compensation that includes performance-based increases and bonuses in addition to base salaries. UltiPro's Salary Budget Administration helps FCCI's managers easily analyze and assign increases without manual calculations or spreadsheets. Once managers determine the allocations, they can submit the raises for approval. Through UltiPro's automated workflow, each employee's recommended salary increase is routed to the appropriate executive(s) for authorization.

"UltiPro's Salary Budget Administration has given FCCI an easy-to-use tool that has simplified the salary increase process for us. Prior to UltiPro, we had a different solution that was supposed to automate the process, but it was not Web-based and was more difficult to use," said Nilda Mercado, compensation analyst for FCCI. "UltiPro is easier for both managers and the HR team to use. For instance, once the amounts for the salary increases are established and approved, I can make them ‘live' in seconds. UltiPro makes the wage increase process painless for all of us and is one of my favorite things about UltiPro."

Insurance businesses often experience moderate turnover, and automating the recruitment process speeds the effort to find qualified people who are the "right fit" for the business. FCCI is using UltiPro Recruitment to empower managers with more information about their open positions and applicants. With UltiPro, managers can log into the portal to quickly review applications for open positions, evaluate candidates, and communicate with applicants through templated letters.

"UltiPro Recruitment makes it easier for our human resources team and managers to work cooperatively in bringing on the most talented people in our field. The system shortens our ‘time to hire' and ensures that we are making good decisions about our new hires," said Mercado. "Everyone who needs to be in the loop is included in the process electronically, and we can all see the status of an open position and monitor the next steps."

FCCI's approximately 700 employees are spread throughout many locations, so UltiPro Recruitment's Web access provides a central vehicle for managing the decentralized hiring process for FCCI. Managers can log into UltiPro to accomplish more than addressing their hiring needs – they can automate the candidate-to-new-hire process, set up salaries, look up performance review dates and results, and perform daily tasks such as locate employees' home phone numbers, review skills and certification history, and access many other details about their teams that are stored in the system. Plus, they have the convenience of Internet access from home, a remote location, or while traveling. Managers also are preparing to handle goal-setting and monitoring along with performance reviews through UltiPro Performance Management.

"Intersourcing includes UltiPro's full range of Web functionality, and we are taking advantage of it to improve virtually all of our processes and services," said Mercado. "Managers and employees love the convenience of UltiPro's Web tools, and HR appreciates having the tools to benefit the business without the hassles of working around upgrades or system maintenance since Ultimate Software handles those functions."

"FCCI has joined the increasing numbers of companies that are electing to centralize and unify their strategic HR, talent management, and payroll process through Ultimate Software's UltiPro," said Greg Swick, senior vice president of Sales for Ultimate Software. "Intersourcing, our software-as-a-service delivery model, makes it possible for companies like FCCI to get up and running quickly over the Internet with a comprehensive, integrated solution that includes not only core HR, benefits administration, and payroll but also new-age, high-demand solutions like recruitment and performance management."

SOURCE: Ultimate Software