Greenhack Streamlines HRMS_Payroll System

Two years into an unsuccessful human resources management and payroll system installation, air movement and controls manufacturer Greenheck switched gears.

It fired the company that was charge of the system, and began looking for a new firm that would offer a robust, modern payroll/human resources management system.

Greenheck went full speed ahead with a test drive.
Employees who were attending a trade show noticed Ultimate Software and “came back pretty excited,” according to Don Brekke, vice president of information technology at Schofield, Wisconsin-based Greenheck.

However, Brekke requested proposals from several companies, with the stipulation that Greenheck be allowed to test-drive the system on its own server for one week. Few would permit a test-drive, so the field narrowed quickly. Ultimate Software’s willingness to permit a week-long test-drive really set the company apart from the competition and showed the strength of its belief in its UltiPro software, Brekke says.

Then, rather than evaluate systems based on features, “We used a scenario-based approach. We took a hard business problem, documented it, constructed test data around it and gave it to the vendors so they could show us how their systems would solve the problem. When the test-drive actually occurred, Ultimate Software’s system was up and running within 45 minutes. We were satisfied we had the right application.”

They made the right decision — implementation of UltiPro.
Implementation of UltiPro began in mid-December 1998 and was completed by the following July. “It could have been up sooner,” says Brekke, “but we ran three separate testing scenarios to ensure data integrity and that we were using the system properly. There were very few bugs.” In fact, Brekke says, “This is one of the smoothest implementations and one of the ‘most right’ decisions I’ve ever made.”

It was a good financial decision, too. Ultimate Software’s UltiPro HRMS/ Payroll system was installed on time and priced under budget. As a result, IT staff can concentrate on core competencies rather than on support and service issues. Payback is expected in less than 18 months.

Who knew a single application could offer so much?
The UltiPro HRMS/ Payroll system supports direct deposit, connectivity to outside services for FLEX and 401(k) administration, and tracks family leave, recruitment information and training. UltiPro is bundled with Cognos tools for reporting, resulting in very flexible report generation. Now that Greenheck uses UltiPro, both payroll and HR departments can access the same, uniform set of data and can update that data throughout documents — just by using one software application.

“Ultimate Software had a true client/server application, the UltiPro HRMS/Payroll system, that used the Delphi language and NT sequel server technology — and we’re an NT sequel server shop,” he says.

Additionally, “It had a robust graphical user interface and its advertised claim, ‘two clicks to anywhere,’ was true. But, having been burned once, we remained skeptical,” says Brekke.

Brekke, however, wasn’t finished with his investigation. He paid a visit to Florida to inspect firsthand Ultimate Software’s support center. They were using a lot of the right tools, and they knew how to properly solve problems and record incidents. “We were supported out of the Schaumburg, Illinois, office and had a team assigned to us during implementation, but we haven’t had to use technical support very much.”