Beyond the Bottom Line: Why every Saving must safeguard Value
In the world of global mobility, the pursuit of cost savings is only meaningful when it goes hand-in-hand with the preservation, and elevation, of the customer experience. True value is never achieved by sacrificing quality for the sake of the bottom line.
As the landscape of international assignments grows ever more complex, and as cost pressures intensify, the instinct to cut costs can be strong. However, genuine progress is made not by indiscriminate reductions, but by crafting savings with precision: leveraging technology and expert advisory to deliver efficiency, clarity, and enduring value, all while maintaining an exceptional experience for the customer.
Intelligent Cost Engineering
Today’s cutting-edge, cloud-based mobility management platforms - such as VMware AirWatch, SOTI MobiControl, and IBM MaaS360 - bring together operations, automate routine processes, and offer real-time cost transparency. These platforms empower HR/GM teams to forecast costs, track expenses in real-time, and model scenarios with confidence, enabling them to make fully informed decisions and keep tight control of their budgets.
The impact is tangible: companies adopting integrated automation can make average cost savings of up to 30% within five years of adoption (paper from McKinsey & Company), and can achieve a reduction of up to 40% in time spent on administration (survey by Deloitte), all while boosting employee satisfaction by up to 68% (thought leadership piece from Microsoft). These are not just numbers: they are proof that technology, when thoughtfully applied, can deliver both savings and satisfaction.
As the landscape of international assignments grows ever more complex, and as cost pressures intensify, the instinct to cut costs can be strong. However, genuine progress is made not by indiscriminate reductions, but by crafting savings with precision: leveraging technology and expert advisory to deliver efficiency, clarity, and enduring value, all while maintaining an exceptional experience for the customer.
Intelligent Cost Engineering
Today’s cutting-edge, cloud-based mobility management platforms - such as VMware AirWatch, SOTI MobiControl, and IBM MaaS360 - bring together operations, automate routine processes, and offer real-time cost transparency. These platforms empower HR/GM teams to forecast costs, track expenses in real-time, and model scenarios with confidence, enabling them to make fully informed decisions and keep tight control of their budgets.
The impact is tangible: companies adopting integrated automation can make average cost savings of up to 30% within five years of adoption (paper from McKinsey & Company), and can achieve a reduction of up to 40% in time spent on administration (survey by Deloitte), all while boosting employee satisfaction by up to 68% (thought leadership piece from Microsoft). These are not just numbers: they are proof that technology, when thoughtfully applied, can deliver both savings and satisfaction.
Les raisons de FastTrack
Rob McFarland, CCO du groupe, explique comment FastTrack by K2 rationalise la transition vers la mobilité, plus rapidement, en offrant aux entreprises un moyen plus efficace de gérer leur programme. Il explique que le service a été développé pour répondre au besoin croissant d'agilité dans les opérations commerciales, permettant aux organisations de s'adapter rapidement à l'évolution des demandes du marché.
However, technology alone is not enough. It must be combined with robust advisory which spans the full mobility lifecycle and which incorporates the following:
• Developing a mobility strategy aligned with business goals
• Conducting stakeholder interviews to capture real needs
• Designing and reviewing policies and processes for efficiency
• Considering Core Flex models which give assignees greater choice and control, but all within a robust costings framework
• Benchmarking against industry trends to spot improvement areas
• Modelling cost scenarios to forecast and contain spend
• Reviewing and selecting partners based on transparent, data-backed criteria
Weaving these elements into a mobility programme allows for the proactive and holistic engineering of cost savings, enabling GM/HR teams to protect service quality and customer experience.
Unmasking Hidden Costs
Hidden costs are the silent adversaries of effective cost management. Whether it’s undisclosed partner mark-ups, administrative add-ons, or currency conversion fees, these unseen charges can quietly undermine a budget. The simple solution is complete transparency across the board:
• Advanced analytics dashboards now track assignment costs, partner performance, and relocation timelines, making anomalies and hidden fees immediately visible.
• Automated expense tracking and digital invoicing expose supplier mark-ups, while partner management tools ensure pricing structures are clear and auditable.
• Contract audits and transparency clauses in partner agreements require itemised billing and periodic reporting, holding partners accountable.
By maintaining full visibility of partner ecosystems and harnessing granular analytics, organisations can identify and address hidden costs across the full span of their mobility programme, ensuring that every potential saving is explored.
Not all savings are created equal. The most resilient and successful global mobility programmes are those that blend technology and advisory, delivering cost efficiencies without compromising the customer experience. They also leverage technology and advisory to make hidden costs visible, enabling GM/HR teams to analyse and then take action. Ultimately, the strongest mobility programmes are those driven by leaders who understand that the true measure of a saving is not just what it subtracts from a cost perspective, but also what it protects/adds in terms of the customer experience.
Download our guide, ‘Beyond the Bottom Line: Delivering Cost Savings which protect the Customer Experience’, for further insights.
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