Looking back, Looking forward

The start of a new year seems like the appropriate time to take stock of what has occurred over the past twelve months, both in our personal and professional lives and to set realistic goals and objectives for the year ahead.  It is safe to say that no one could have imagined how 2020 would turn out. By taking a step back and reflecting on the road travelled, it is important to take a positive stance and to recognise and celebrate our successes and achievements along the way.

I’ve just celebrated my third year of working at Tugela People, the company is just about to reach 9 years since its inception, and we’ve been offering Managed Services to clients for just over two years now. When I joined Tugela People as a Junior Implementation Consultant, I had no idea that my role would evolve into where it is today. I was an integral contributor to the set-up of the Managed Services division and am now leading the team and expanding our offerings. The past two years have probably been the most challenging, yet exciting and rewarding of my career.

Over the last two years, Managed Services has:

• Grown to support 11 global clients, offering a wide range of additional services that help organisations get the most out of their HR System investment.
• Taken on Zoe Van Lokven as an apprentice, who recently passed her Business Administration course (with a distinction) and is now the first point of contact for the majority of cases that come through to our team.
• Hired Renata Tenorio Boesche, an experienced HR professional with a strong background in analyst type roles, as a dedicated resource to a specific client. Renata has provided Sage People technical support to multiple countries in terms of system enhancements, training and day-to-day support.
• Maintained a 100% happiness rating for clients that use our Managed Services.
• Solved over 2,500 tickets raised by 120 customers and assisted with their questions, troubleshooting, enhancements and day-to-day administration.
• Achieved a 100% renewal rate with clients re-signing for a further period.

Highlights from the past year include:

• Further growth of the team with the appointment of Susan Martin to help support the expanding client base and develop the services offered by Managed Services. Susan is an experienced HR professional with over fifteen years’ experience in HR systems.
• Introduced Sage People Health Checks as a service. Through experience of working with our clients, it is an undeniable fact that after the implementation of a system, businesses and processes change and progress. This allows us to conduct a deep dive into areas of the system that may need some improvements or enhancements. We can provide recommendations to get the client’s system to where it needs to be.
• Developed a Sage People adoption overview process where we work with clients to establish what functionality is/is not being utilized, what is of interest in the future and how new functionality can meet requirements. We then work with clients to produce a roadmap for the coming year.
• Provided clients with temporary HRIS admin support when key system users are on a period of leave. This was a brand-new opportunity for us, and we supported a client for three weeks where we monitored their HRIS inbox and received some great feedback (read more).

From a personal perspective, I have transitioned from a HR Generalist to a HRIS specialist, become a member of the Tugela management team and taken on the responsibility of managing a team of consultants for the first time. My personal goal over the coming year is develop my management and leadership skill set and undertake a certification that is relevant to my role.

In going through this process of reflection, I am extremely optimistic and excited about the year ahead in terms of what we and the business can achieve for our clients. This too sits nicely with our company ethos of 2021 being the year of recognition for our colleagues, clients, partners and industry contemporaries.

As always, I am grateful for our clients who have put their trust in me and the rest of the Managed Services team here at Tugela People, and look forward to working with you all going into 2021.

This article has been authored by Jamie Wilkins, Head of Managed Services for Tugela People. Jamie has a degree in Business and Human Resource Management and is CIPD qualified with over 10 years’ experience in the HR industry. Jamie is responsible for leading a team of consultants that offer technical solutions and comprehensive Sage People HR System support through our flexible managed services function that spans the full spectrum of HR disciplines.

What Next

To find out more about our Managed Services offerings or engage to our services,  contact us  on tel +44(0)1908 030360 or email: info@tugelapeople.com. Alternatively complete the ‘Get in touch’ form and a member of our Managed Services team will contact you directly.