Since 1961, Crowe Foederer has been committed to offering their clients the best possible service when it comes to accounting and advisory services. More and more services have been added in recent years, such as payroll, HR consulting, and related technical solutions. In 2018, these specializations were merged to form Crowe HR Services: a single proposition with a single team. We talked to Thomas Vos, Partner at Crowe HR Services, about his vision for the future of HR. According to him, what is the next step in unburdening clients?
Dyflexis in gesprek met Thomas Vos, Partner bij Crowe HR Services
This is Crowe HR Services
Crowe HR Services’ caters to clients ranging from local businesses to family-owned businesses and SMEs with up to 2,000 employees. Thomas explains: “Our goal is to completely unburden organizations in the field of HR. We get very involved, and are committed to long-term collaborations.”
Crowe HR Services has more than 2,500 clients in the Netherlands. “We can provide a complete package of HR services, including HR Technology & HR Analytics, to answer any question or need a client has. We recently included Workforce Management software in our offer as well.”
Crowe HR Services is a frontrunner when it comes to providing a total solution and service. “We are all about consistent quality and innovation,” Thomas says proudly. Companies often use multiple software solutions, but their records end up fragmented across separate parties in the process. “At Crowe HR Services, we actually consider the bigger picture and take all the different types of software into account. We make sure that they all interact and connect.”
Thomas explains Crowe HR Services’ approach: “We believe in Tech and Team: no matter how beautiful the technical solutions you offer, the human factor is still paramount. That is why we pay so much attention to this theme in our trajectories. Clients seek our help for the technical aspect: we make sure that the software is implemented properly. But their reason for staying is the personal touch: every client is unique and has their own story and needs. With our personal attention, we offer them tailor-made service that suits their organization.”
The future of HR
“We think HR in the Netherlands should become more digital and data-driven. That is why our aim is to support clients in this regard.” This is essential, according to Thomas, because the labor market is changing: Companies are facing labor shortages and their employees want more flexibility.
Manufacturing companies work with shifts, the hospitality and retail sectors have variable working hours, and every department needs staff with different skills. “With all these developments, scheduling the right person in the right place at the right time can be quite challenging. You’d be amazed how many people still use Excel or even paper to draft work schedules.”
This is where Workforce Management (WFM) software really comes to the rescue: it offers visibility into employee availability, hourly pay, skills and certifications, among other things. Scheduling becomes faster, and staff members are deployed efficiently and sustainably. “Dyflexis’ WFM software allows you to give employees responsibilities, such as recording hours and arranging leave requests. This method saves managers a lot of time. Partly because of this, the software makes a great contribution to the digitization of HR departments.”
“It is precisely by automating processes that the quality of client contact moments improves.”
Digitization may sound impersonal, but Thomas argues that the opposite is true: “It is precisely by automating certain processes that the quality of client contact moments improves. This is particularly true for employers and their employees. Streamlining administrative tasks leaves them more time to help them. That is why we are so happy with our partnership with Dyflexis. Our solutions complement each other beautifully, and are very much in line with our cleints’ needs. In this way, we can work together to offer our clients the best service.”
Crowe HR Services and Dyflexis: like-minded in ambition as well as innovation
Demand from the market is changing. Crowe HR Services is listening, and responds to their clients’ new needs. “We have strategic partnerships in order to provide a full range of HR services” Thomas says. Crowe HR Services works with Daywize, Cornerstone, Nmbrs, Loket and PowerBI, for example. The last missing piece in the puzzle was Workforce Management, which is why they joined forces with Dyflexis.
Thomas: “One important development we have noticed is that companies in certain industries need a WFM system. Some already have solutions that offer other features, such as recording hours or scheduling only. Although this is a step in the right direction, we still find that automation is missing to a certain extent, in terms of links and integrations targeting the other HR and payroll applications.” This is why they were on the lookout for a party that could complement them in this area. Thomas explains why he chose Dyflexis: “It was the final piece of the puzzle that completes our HR Technology portfolio. Their software offers exactly what our clients want.”
“Dyflexis was the final piece of the puzzle that completes our HR Technology portfolio. Their software offers exactly what our clients want.”
There are many technologies available in this industry, some of which focus on companies of a particular size. Dyflexis is also a good choice for SMEs, making it scalable and consistent with Crowe HR Services’ overall client base. “On top of these benefits, Dyflexis also a good fit for us as a company. Dyflexis shows entrepreneurship, specializes in Production & Logistics, Retail & Warehousing, Care & Welfare, Hospitality and Recreation. Moreover, they are an international organization, just like us. We both operate in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Since we have many clients in common, they also know what’s going on in the market and we can be flexible with each other and with our clients. This helps us keep the lines of communication short.”
Thomas tells us more about the partnership: “Dyflexis’ WFM software and the associated links are simply technically sound. We have been collaborating since 2022, and in 2023 we also became a VAR [Value Added Reseller] partner. Being a VAR partner means that we can independently onboard clients and perform implementations independently. This is how we can provide added value to our clients.
In order to realize this, Dyflexis offers us onboarding and implementation training.” Through these training courses, the Crowe HR Services team familiarize themselves with all the functionalities and applications of the software. Combining this with the Workforce Management demand from the market creates a sense of momentum: “We are responding to the changing needs of clients. If we are convinced that it is a good match, we recommend Dyflexis to them. Our new VAR status is a good foundation to grow even more and to help more joint clients.” All these elements have resulted in an active collaboration between Crowe and Dyflexis, which ultimately benefits clients the most.
Why automation is important for businesses
Clients all have individual strategies and policies, which the HR department must fall in line with. Given the tight labor market, finding new employees and retaining current employees is crucial. Automation helps to free up time for recruitment and selection, among other things, and you will find it easier responding to the needs of your current employees.
“Extracting data from different tools and working with it can be quite complex. Crowe HR Services and Dyflexis can help with that.”
Thomas: “Automation is top of mind for many businesses. We really notice that they want to take this step, but they are unsure how to go about it. Ideally, they seed a single solution for everything, although in practice it often works out differently. Exploring which software is the best fit for you can take up a fair chunk of your time. We unburden clients by doing this for them. We keep an eye on new developments and research innovative technologies. As a result, we are aware of all the trends. Clients outsource these things to us.”
“The added value of automation ultimately also lies in supporting your policy choices with the right data.”
In order to take the next step in WFM and automation, clients need to work with data. Combining data helps people come up with interesting insights for even more efficient operations, and allows them to make better decisions. “Extracting data from different tools, drawing the right conclusions from them and taking strategic next steps can be quite complex. Crowe HR Services and Dyflexis can help with that.
One of our warehouse clients isre a clear example of this: They were struggling with high absenteeism. Our HR analytics solution generated some interesting insights, leading this client to adjust the recruitment process and current absenteeism policy.
Following an in-depth analysis of absenteeism, the client was able to implement targeted interventions. Such results can only be achieved by working in a data-driven manner: Your policies must be measurable and decisions must be supported by data. And that is what the added value of automation is all about, thanks to Dyflexis and Crowe HR Services.”
