Success story: M&Co
The M&Co team were suffering from system failures with their legacy payroll software which were causing delays to salary payments.
Access People provided the desired long-term HR solution to achieve record-breaking 10 day speed-to-value.
Challenge
- Replace legacy payroll software
- Reduce attrition rates caused by late payments
- Remove manual processes & data duplication
Approach
- More cost-effective system
- Automation of rostering to give teams greater flexibility
Results
- Seamless & streamlined processes to drive overtime costs down
- Greater visibility of workforce
Background
M&Co is one of the largest, privately-owned fashion retailers in the UK and has been selling quality clothing for over 50 years.
Originally a small family business of only 6 shops in Glasgow owned by the McGeoch family in the 1960s, M&Co, has more than 260 stores nationwide.
What was the objective?
The M&Co team were suffering from system failures with their legacy payroll software which were causing delays to salary payments. With over 3,900 employees, payroll processing is a critical function for the business; late salary payments could result in staff unable to pay their rent, mortgage or household bills.
To reduce attrition rates caused by late payments and improve the overall employee experience, M&Co were keen to invest in a new HR system that would support their workforce and rebuild trust within the organisation.
What were the requirements?
With the contract on their current HR solution due to end and aggressive growth plans in place, M&Co wanted to review and upgrade their HR software to remove manual processes and data duplication incorporating:
- The automation of rostering to give teams greater flexibility;
- Digital timesheets to improve accuracy;
- A seamless, efficient connection between T&A and payroll.
M&Co wanted a more cost-effective system that provided a full end-to-end employee lifecycle solution, removing the need for employees to use lots of different apps.
The new system had to be seamless and streamline processes, driving down overtime costs as well as providing greater visibility of their workforce to senior business leaders to facilitate more informed business decisions.
The investigation and selection
Following several onsite meetings to demonstrate the product in detail, discussing their requirements at length and demonstrating how Access People could help them achieve their vision, M&Co found the breadth and depth offered by the entire Access PeopleXD system provided the long-term HR solutions and functionality they desired.
Access People were selected as the vendor of choice after successfully demonstrating the impact of our software and proving our ability to implement Access PeopleXD Payroll to an exceptionally challenging deadline.
It was refreshing to come across a team with the same work ethic as our own in-house teams!
The implementation
The M&Co team had a specific implementation goal – the Access PeopleXD Payroll software had to be up and running within 10 days. Both teams worked solidly together during evenings and weekends to transfer the payroll data across from the old system to the new.
Working as a close-knit unit, any issues were worked through quickly and within 7 days M&Co were ready to test the system in full before it went live.
The results
The combined efforts of Access People and M&Co resulted in a successful implementation, paying over 90% staff only 10 days after the contracts were signed.
The initial impact of Access PeopleXD Payroll software was felt immediately, with all staff receiving their salary payments on time, without interruption.
All employees enjoyed a seamless payroll experience and the HR team are now keen to roll out additional transformations including Self-Service Portal and Workforce Management solutions.
The processes worked well and the team’s professionalism definitely played a role in achieving what was an extremely tough feat in such a small timescale.
Every solution, in one place, for your people
Access People offer an unrivalled suite of HCM solutions for businesses of all sizes, including HR and Payroll, Absence Management, Workforce Management, Compliance, Recruitment, Talent, Learning, Employee Benefits and Engagement, Health & Safety, all of which are underpinned by the powerful Access Workspace platform.
We have operations across the UK and Ireland including 16 offices in England and three offices in Ireland. Today, we have over 13,000 customers in the UK, over 500 customers in Ireland, and over 60,000 customers across the globe.