It's no secret that, at UKG, our purpose is people. Everything we do is with the intention of delivering an exceptional customer experience, so our customers can focus on creating extraordinary work experiences for their own people. It may sound like a fairytale, but it's our reality and a critically important part of fulfilling our "Partner for Life" promise.
I recently had the great pleasure of speaking with two UKG customers — TravelBrands and Independent Bank — about the power of their UKG partnership and the impact of that relationship on their organizations and their people.
The Magic of Purpose-Driven Partnerships: Two UKG Customers Share Their Success Stories
Jane: We know you have choices when it comes to selecting a technology partner. Why UKG?
Diana Valler, chief human resources officer, TravelBrands
We selected UKG a few years ago after we went through a merger and acquisition. Our main goal was to consolidate our human capital management and workforce management systems and create a single experience for our employees, but we also wanted to partner with an organization that aligned with our core values of harmony, integrity, and success. UKG’s purpose is people and that is exactly what TravelBrands believes in, so it was a perfect fit. We also know we cannot achieve our goals alone. It takes a village and UKG works collaboratively with us, so we are constantly innovating together.
Jack Klott, vice president of total rewards, Independent Bank
We’ve been a UKG customer for about seven years now. For us, while the technology itself is crucial to running our business successfully and efficiently, it’s equally as important to have a partner that’s dedicated to helping us meet and exceed our goals. I love the UKG technology, but I truly love the company. I love our partnership, and the support we get has just been incredible. Any time I have a question or need something new, I can reach out to someone at UKG and feel confident that I’ll get a response and they will provide me with a solution.
Jane: Beyond the success you’ve experienced with UKG technology, you feel particularly aligned with the culture at UKG. How has that cultural alignment manifested itself at your organization?
Jack Klott
Our culture is very unique as our business has been around for more than 150 years. We have a strong family culture, and our CEO cares about every employee from our top executives down to our part-time tellers. UKG also has a very strong culture, and I believe that partnering with UKG has really propelled us forward and made us recognize just how important culture is to our organization. On the one hand, the technology has helped us identify key areas to improve employee engagement, and we’ve successfully made those changes. But we’ve also learned that UKG listens and genuinely cares about its people, and we use UKG as a benchmark for our culture and say, “We want to be like that, too.”
Diana Valler
From a business improvement perspective, the results we’ve experienced with UKG are magnificent and the transformation has been quite magical. That’s also true when it comes to diversity and inclusion. There’s an amazing opportunity for employers to look at today’s diverse workforce and understand where everyone is coming from. People think differently and are coming from different cultures. By truly understanding diversity and inclusion, you can recognize where your people belong and create tools and a work environment to meet them where they are and meet their unique needs. UKG is helping us do just that — but not through the technology alone. UKG is committed to diversity and inclusion for all and having a partner that is invested in those same values and beliefs means we can work together to enact meaningful change.
Jane: TravelBrands and Independent Bank have been recognized by UKG for your contributions to the wider UKG community as well as your innovative use of technology in transforming the workforce experience—congratulations! Why is that meaningful to you?
Jack Klott
For me, being an award winner is about evangelizing my use of UKG. Again, I love the system and we’ve experienced tremendous results, but I truly love the company. Having a platform to talk to other UKG users and potential users has been a great experience for me, and I love every minute of it.
Diana Valler
Our Innovation Award was very meaningful because we implemented UKG during the pandemic, and it was an incredible team effort to make that happen during a very challenging time. We had an excellent partnership with UKG, and the award is recognition of our collective efforts. I was extremely proud because it’s not just about one individual—it’s about an entire team’s efforts. It goes to show that success is possible when you have a committed partner like UKG that is willing to go above and beyond.
