The Dilemma
Working in a busy environment with a constant stream of workers coming in and out, an esteemed university needed to make some vital changes. They needed a comprehensive compliance model for temporary talent and a consolidated invoicing process. With no prior compliance program in place and only an outdated, time consuming invoicing style, the university knew that they needed to partner with a company they could trust to alleviate risks.
The Strategy
Knowing this process would require arduous buy-in from all of the university’s schools, the client needed a high-touch partner that could help integrate all components seamlessly, which is where DZConneX (DZX) came in. Known for our ability to tightly manage compliance programs and applying people-centric approaches, there was no better team to fulfill their talent needs. We customized our work to meet each individual school’s needs. We held consistent meetings, informational roadshows and tutorial sessions with end users prior to the live date to ensure a seamless program transition.
The Impact
DZX successfully integrated both an easy-to-use compliance system and a significantly more efficient invoicing process, all while drastically cutting costs for the university. For a prestigious university, DZX delivered convenience and security while helping the school cut costs at every turn.
Education Industry Fast Facts
380 million students globally are expected to be enrolled in higher education by 20301
$559 billion is cumulatively spent by universities across the U.S .in one year2
There are roughly 1.3 million university teachers in the U.S.3
Sources
1 http://monitor.icef.com/2018/10/study-projects-dramatic-growth-global-higher-education-2040/
2 https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=75
3 https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm
Across the United States, higher education is no longer a dream goal, but one that most people must pursue if they want to compete for jobs in today’s economy. But this trend isn’t only true for 18-year-olds; high school graduates are packing their bags alongside many lifelong learners, who now want to take advantage of the university education they previously didn't. As the higher education industry grows and the number of universities increases, the competition for the talent responsible for operating these institutions is becoming stronger than ever.
In short, there’s more of a demand for this talent than ever, and schools have to keep pace while still meeting the same educational standards as always. This isn’t a problem for DZX’s client, a prestigious university by just about anyone’s standards, but as the school has grown, so has their workforce. With its workforce complexity growing by the minute, they needed a more efficient and more secure process to keep track of them.
To make matters worse, the school had no compliance program in place to vet incoming contractors, and they had an outdated invoicing system that left them spending hours manually imputing data. They were also paying an extortionate markup of 80% on their talent, so the university came to DZX for help.
Efficient And Secure
It would be an understatement to say that this project required a hands-on approach. With multiple schools, a decentralized system and a very large workforce – the university needed a high-touch partner that could seamlessly work with fast-moving parts.
DZX introduced a vendor-neutral managed services program (MSP) that allowed each individual school within the university to meet their total talent needs through unique customizations. Schools of law, engineering, liberal arts and more each had their own talent supply chain and required an individualized plan to fit their talent acquisition needs, while still maintaining a clear standardization in the process. DZX’s dedicated team created an adaptable program so future schools within the university could move into the existing structure with ease.
Complicating matters further, the client needed to maintain nearly all of its existing vendor relationships while still lowering costs. DZX introduced efficient systems that helped the school save over $800,000 within the first year of program implementation through a tighter invoicing program, negotiating lower markups and the introduction of a compliance system.
Graduating With Honors
When it comes to managing multiple teams (or schools), and handling complex issues with a people-centric approach, DZX’s clients know they can rely on us. Our comprehensive experience and unique approach delivered a best-in-class, easy-to-manage compliance system and the implementation of a significantly more efficient invoicing process, while drastically reducing costs for the university.
DZX's dedicated team also assisted in ensuring a positive adoption of the centralized programs across the university. Ensuring key stakeholders were satisfied and informed with the updates was a major focus in this process. DZX took the additional step to add open meetings prior to the live date, as well as informational roadshows and tutorial sessions with end users. Ensuring comfortability with our processes is a priority for DZX, and these programs helped ease any concerns the client may have had and dramatically increased confidence in our process
Within the project’s span, DZX’s compliance program cut the time between job post distribution to job offer acceptance in half. Additionally, the program delivered on the client’s pre-set performance goals from the first measurement.
Now with a live program that has been rolled out for more than a year, DZX isn’t finished yet. We’ve formed a long-term MSP relationship with the client, as we often do, to deliver continuous process improvements, efficiency and budget maximization. Our program was built to grow, designed to encompass additional schools and handle excess growth expansion to help the client consolidate their spend. Beyond that, we are also in the process of expanding the university’s compliance program’s reach to SOW management and IC vetting.
Through our best-in-class work and forward-thinking process, DZX is helping this renowned academic leader organize its talent and bolster savings while consistently increasing client satisfaction.