ManpowerGroup
Transforming the credit management process
With previous implementations of Onguard solutions having taken place in its divisions in Belgium and the Netherlands, ManpowerGroup was keen to progress with further transformation of its credit management in the United Kingdom. In particular, the UK finance team was at the time still using Excel spreadsheets, and so they wanted to implement a smart solution that provided better automation and reporting capabilities, alongside delivering improved levels of customer communication and satisfaction.
From Excel to specialised software
Fortune 500 American multinational corporation, ManpowerGroup is the third-largest staffing firm in the world, with 3,000 offices in 80 countries. The organisation connects more than 600,000 people to work every day and helps more than 400,000 clients worldwide.
Manpower UK selected CreditManager to aid their credit management process, following discussions and a first-hand demonstration of the solution from the Onguard team. As an intuitive cloud solution, CreditManager automates processes and offers a comprehensive suite of tools to enable the effective, efficient and secure execution of a credit management strategy - just what ManpowerGroup was looking for.
“The team in the UK was using an outdated system to manage the order-to-cash process, with manual spreadsheets, emails and letters being used to cover its shortfalls, which was proving inefficient. Having been aware of the benefits being enjoyed by other regions using Onguard’s solutions, our UK team wanted to explore how they could leverage a new credit management tool to remove the need for high volumes of manual intervention. In particular, using the same software was appealing as it would enable the syncing-up of ways of working across regions, which opened up new opportunities for data sharing and reporting." - Maria Benjamin, Project Manager at ManpowerGroup
Configuration in the implementation process
A key part of the implementation was the training delivered by Onguard to ensure that the relevant Manpower teams not only felt fully empowered in their knowledge of the software, but also how to obtain the best results from using it, and particularly when it comes to creating customised workflows based on customer segmentation. The Onguard team worked closely with Maria Benjamin and her colleague Laura Hemming, the Credit Risk Analyst & Legal Senior Team Lead to ensure effective implementation of the solution, with the collaboration between the two parties ensuring that all phases of implementation were completed on time. For Manpower UK, this in-depth training from the outset, plus ongoing technical support from the Onguard team when needed, means they are best placed for ongoing future success, achieving the maximum kickback from using the solution.
Wide-reaching benefits
Having now had the CreditManager platform in place since early 2021, ManpowerUK has reported the following benefits:
- Aged debt level has decreased
- Top-level reporting of the team’s activities throughout each administration
- Precise task listing for individual collectors to work on daily, leading to a reduction in risk and a lowered DSO
- Manpower-specific dunning cycles that ensure the team share deploying a personalised approach to collecting cash efficiently and effectively from each customer
- Creation of letters and email templates with consistent messages and clear content form or efficient sending to customers, leading to faster payments
Future plans
Onguard has continued to support ManpowerGroup following the implementation of CreditManager, including helping the business in its future plans to enhance the reporting functions, with other regions currently exploring the potential benefits offered by Onguard’s other solutions.
“Now that our credit control team is using CreditManager effectively, we’re looking forward to working closely with Onguard to explore the ways that we can drive efficiencies further. I’m also excited that we’ve now started project discussions and kick-off for implementation into our Experis brand, with plans for implementation of the solution in another of our UK administrations soon.” concludes Benjamin.
