A successful cooperation for better HR Services and HR IT
January 7, 2025
Ton Groot (Managing HR IT Consultant) of Consultday in conversation with Saskia Bekkers-Verbraak (Chief People Officer) and Peter van Ham (Head of HR Services and Facilities) of Odido.
Odido, a leading telecom provider, decided to take its HR Services and HR system landscape to the next level. The focus was on improving internal customer experience, data ownership, and reporting capabilities. It was clear that the current -completely outsourced- HR Services model was no longer adequate. This was particularly evident due to the heavy reliance on the external party for essential processes. In addition, it was clear that the cooperation with the provider had not brought what was expected. Therefore, Odido initiated a major project aimed at modernizing the HR systems and processes to better serve the internal customer – such as employees and HR professionals. With that, Odido made the decision to take back control of some crucial issues as well.
Odido is known as a flexible provider for mobile services, fiber, and television. But rapid growth and various acquisitions created several variants of data capturing within the HR domain. This created challenges in data quality and consistency as well as in improvements in HR Services. “It was difficult for our HR professionals to report and gain insight into the correct and relevant data,” says Saskia Bekkers-Verbraak, Chief People Officer at Odido. “To gain more control and better insight into our own data, we chose to revamp the HR technology and keep more control ourselves.”
Odido was struggling with challenges in three key areas: internal customer experience, data quality, and ownership of data. “We had a full outsource service with Visma Raet, but that was no longer adequate,” Saskia explains. “The internal customers didn’t find the accessibility and speed of the service sufficient, and the HR professionals had no or insufficient control over the data and reports.”
The organization also faced the effects of previous acquisitions when migrating and managing data, which created inconsistent information and a lack of central ownership. “Customer satisfaction was mainly determined by the speed of handling and quality of solutions, especially for our internal customers such as flex workers and call center employees,” says Peter van Ham, Head of HR Services at Odido.
Consultday became involved in the project because project delivery was not going smoothly. “The plan was already there and Odido’s vision was clear, but there were a number of challenges in project delivery,” says Ton Groot of Consultday. “Our focus was on improving governance, structuring the program, building a solid model, and ensuring a successful go live. In addition, it was necessary to put the new supplier in a more pointed position: do what you say and say what you do.”
In doing so, Consultday explicitly took the role of mediator between the various parties involved in the project. “Our strength was getting the new model right and actually bringing it live. After that, we started with inspiration sessions to make sure Odido actually kept making progress,” Ton explains.
With Consultday’s help, Odido has taken a big step in improving data quality and ownership. “Where we now see almost weekly benefits from, is that we are in full control of our data and can do trend analysis ourselves,” says Saskia. “In every presentation with a people-topic, we work fact-based on the data and no longer make assumptions. In addition, internal customer satisfaction has greatly improved and access to HR services has become much more user-friendly.”
Odido has also made significant strides in terms of customer experience. Peter: “Customer satisfaction is driven by first time-right solutions and the quick follow-up on tickets. We now have the tools to collect data on why our internal customers contact us. Of course, we still have challenges for excellent service, but we get a better understanding of needs and further areas for improvement this way.”
Consultday, according to Saskia, finally brought “traction” to the project. “In a no-nonsense way, they really picked up the pace. That helped us set priorities and get the project moving. It was also important that Consultday was able to connect well with the external parties who were responsible for payroll. This ensured effective cooperation and fewer escalations.
Odido looks back with satisfaction on the cooperation in this project with Consultday. “From the sidelines, it was clear to me that the project was not running at first,” Peter says. “There was insufficient connection between the various parties, and priorities were not sharp. With the arrival of Consultday, that changed. Especially when Remco from Consultday stepped into the role of program manager, it was really accelerating. That also forced us as an HR organization to go along with his pace. Consultday played an essential role as a link between Odido and the other parties. This ensured better communication and clarity, but above all, results.
Ton also looks back with satisfaction: “We were there at the right time to help Odido in a hands-on way, which characterizes our way of working. And so, we were able to bridge the gap between the HR organization and the previously chosen implementation partner. Together, we are now ready for the next phase, in which further optimization of systems & processes and data-driven decisions are central.”
In summary, the cooperation between Odido and Consultday has led to significant improvements in data ownership, customer satisfaction, and internal processes. The successful restructuring offers Odido the opportunity to further optimize their HR services and continue to invest in their internal customer experience. Ton: “We are happy to continue to help with that and we are in discussions together for that currently.”
