Industry:
Staffing and Recruiting
Location:
Headquartered in Chicago, IL
Size:
<50 Employees
All-in-one HRIS ushers in new era of better employee benefits, improved communication, and paperless onboarding
The 20/20 Foresight team has more than 25 years of experience on both sides of the executive job hunt: consultants work with companies to find candidates to fill executive roles, and they also market skilled professionals looking for a new position. SentricHR’s all-in-one HRIS is critical to operations, helping the one-person HR department ensure compliance, while simplifying onboarding, benefits, and expense management. Through employee self-service, SentricHR also keeps all 20/20 Foresight employees—spread across the US—connected and engaged.
The Challenge
20/20 Foresight needed to efficiently manage benefits, payroll, and remote workers across the US
As 20/20 Foresight’s one-person HR and accounting department, Karen Sikora was overwhelmed. “I was looking for a company to help manage our HR in terms of payroll and benefits,” says Sikora, VP of Accounting and Administration. “Anything that an outside HR company can do to help me is greatly appreciated.”
Sikora joined 20/20 Foresight in April 2021. She had used SentricHR at her previous position—and was disappointed the HR software in place at 20/20 Foresight did not operate at the same level. In fact, the software was “very difficult and counterintuitive,” she says. Employee onboarding required an unwieldy series of emails and requests for information. Tax filing and compliance across eight remote offices in different states had not been done correctly. Every support request required at least 30 minutes on the phone. In addition, Sikora wanted to improve 20/20 Foresight’s employee benefits plan. She went to market in search of a better, all-in-one HR software solution and found what she was looking for with SentricHR.
The SentricHR Solution
SentricHR’s all-in-one HRIS has become a hard-working virtual HR assistant for Sikora, easing her workload and her worries. The software enables more efficiency through automatic workflows, approvals, and open enrollment. SentricHR also allows employees to update demographic information, change their direct deposit details, and make benefit selections on their own time.
Employee Self-Service Portal
Empowering employees with instant access to employee information, forms, and company news
Employee self-service was high on Sikora’s list of criteria when choosing a new HR software solution. SentricHR’s Employee Self-Service portal (ESS) was perfect, simplifying and automating a number of processes, including onboarding.
“The new employee can fill out everything, including their tax forms, right there in the ESS, on their own time,” Sikora says. “That’s a big help. I don’t have to chase them down for something separately or send rafts of emails.”
ESS in SentricHR also reduces paperwork and employee requests for information. It allows employees to access their payroll details, as well as upload expenses and receipt photos for reimbursement. The portal includes a company newsfeed, valuable for fostering connections between far-flung employees. “It’s like your personal homepage that tells you everything that’s going on,” Sikora says. “You can go from there to find anything you need. It keeps us all in the loop.”
Richer Health Benefits; Easier Enrollment
Switching from a regional to a national health benefits provider with ease
Wanting to offer the best possible health benefits to all employees, 20/20 Foresight was considering a change in carriers. The Sentric team stepped in to help, completing a financial analysis of providers and helping 20/20 Foresight restructure employer contributions.
Sikora was impressed. “I thought ‘Sentric will shop around for me? And find the best rates? Do all the comparisons and calculations and then send an email to all employees so they can self-enroll?’ Yes, please!”
In light of Sentric’s analysis, 20/20 Foresight switched from a regional to a national carrier, a better option for a disparate workforce. Using SentricHR’s ESS features, employees can now enroll for the insurance they want or are eligible for. “They can add their spouse and their dependents themselves, and then they can see the prices and the plan options right there,” Sikora says. “Everything is so easy.”
Ensuring Compliance in Every State
Automatic checks for confident deductions and tax filings
With 20/20 Foresight locations and remote workers across the US, calculating deductions, enrolling for workers compensation insurance, and filing taxes can be complicated: each State has slightly different requirements. With SentricHR, Sikora is confident she is meeting all compliance standards.
“Using our previous software, I found that we had not been paying proper New York tax for over a year before I got here,” Sikora says. “I know with Sentric I’m not going to miss anything.”
Streamlined Implementation
Step-by-step guidance from SentricHR ensured success
Sikora had used SentricHR’s HRIS in the past, but implementing it at 20/20 Foresight brought a few pleasant surprises. “SentricHR does a few more things than even I was aware of,” she says. “When the implementation calls came to introduce new products and project management, there was way more than I thought—in a good way!”
Sikora was never left on her own to learn about and begin using new features. “Everyone was patient, and everyone was helpful, ready to go at my own pace. No impossible deadlines were given. Everything was explained very well. Implementation was very easy once I got started.”
Always Available, Supportive Support
Accessible support saves time, reduces frustration
Sikora says she’s never left hanging if she has a question about the software. “I’m thrilled with the SentricHR Help Center. I can write out in detail my question or situation and then schedule a half-hour Connect session with Product Support. I love not having to call up and wait. The time saved means a lot.”
Being given proper attention and care also means a lot. “Everyone I’ve talked to at Sentric is so friendly,” Sikora continues. “I never feel like I’m interrupting them. I’m really happy with their attention, how they focus on my problem, and how they find solutions that meet our needs.”
And she doesn’t have to wait long to find that solution with the SentricHR support team. “The email response time is incredible. You are not a faceless client to Sentric. You are a harried administration official trying to juggle 10 balls at once, and they are happy, calming, and eager to give you less to do.”
You are not a faceless client to SentricHR. You are a harried administration official trying to juggle 10 balls at once, and they are happy, calming, and eager to give you less to do.”
–Karen Sikora, Vice President, Accounting & Administration, 20/20 Foresight
The Results
Six months since partnering with Sentric, Sikora feels more in control and confident of all aspects of her role. By automating open and annual enrollment, streamlining payroll, ensuring tax and insurance compliance, and enabling employee self-service, SentricHR has reduced paperwork, errors, and considerable workload.
“I don’t specifically track the hours saved with SentricHR but I know I have a lot less to worry about. Operations are smoother and I’m not even anxious about the open enrollment period at the end of the year,” she says. “And employees like SentricHR! The more the employee helps themself by looking up a pay stub or checking out what their vision benefits cover, the fewer emails I get.”
Sikora looks forward to continuing to explore SentricHR’s features, piece by piece. “I’m very open to reviewing more of Sentric’s offerings to see what else they can help me with,” she says.
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