WPS Health Solutions, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is a not-for-profit company and one of the state’s largest health insurance providers. WPS contracts with healthcare providers across the state to provide comprehensive provider networks of physicians, specialists, clinics, and hospitals.
Challenges
After using its UKG Pro® human capital management solution for a few years, including payroll, recruiting, and onboarding, WPS had concerns about its workforce data. Brandon Dorr, now director of people technologies at WPS, had recently taken on an HR role at the company and used his applications background to review the data and the system. He determined that the issue wasn’t just the data but also a lack of processes and how WPS was using its UKG Pro solution.
Solutions
After making foundation improvements to its UKG Pro configuration, WPS engaged UKG Extended Services to maintain these process and configuration improvements.
“Extended Services helps us keep what we implemented through these improvements and make sure it doesn’t get out of control,” said Dorr. “They also help us with new projects and initiatives to make sure we’re doing it the best way possible within the system.”
“We use UKG Extended Services in a very consultative way and to keep us on track and make sure we’re going the right way. These insights protect us from making mistakes that may waste time or money in the long run, and they can make sure that we’re on the right path moving forward.”
Director of People Technologies
Results
Having built an experienced technical team within HR, Dorr said that WPS leverages UKG Extended Services a little differently than other organizations might. His team doesn’t need assistance in learning how to set up a benefit, configure a deduction, or write a report but instead uses UKG Extended Services to more fully understand the UKG Pro suite of solutions.
“Our key insights, what we really get out of this is a true holistic understanding of how UKG Pro works on the backend and why it looks the way it does on the front end,” Dorr said.
Dorr adds WPS also values the relationship that his team has developed with the UKG Extended Services consultants.
“They know how to have the discussion with us on our level, which makes our partnership strong,” Dorr said. “They know our business, our skill sets, our UKG system, how we use it, and want to use it. Time savings, cost savings, and fewer errors are byproducts of their system knowledge and understanding of our business.”
Before WPS begins a new initiative, the organization consult with UKG Extended Services, tapping the consultants’ extensive knowledge of UKG Pro to learn the best way to use the solution and utilize best practices to achieve WPS goals. As an example, Dorr says if they make a change in one area in UKG Pro, they want to know how it will affect the data and how the data appears.
“We use UKG Extended Services in a very consultative way and to keep us on track and make sure we’re going the right way,” said Dorr. “These insights protect us from making mistakes that may waste time or money in the long run, and they can make sure that we’re on the right path moving forward.”
When new UKG Pro functionality is released, Dorr and his team review it to see how the functionality might help the business. If it is a feature they think WPS should leverage, they talk with the UKG Extended Services consultants to determine how it would benefit WPS.
“They walk us through the best ways to configure it or share what other customers might be doing, to help us configure these things the right way and in the best way for our employees,” said Dorr. “So, we use them for all new functionality discussions, holistically and strategically evaluating workflow and efficiency.”
Having insight into how to best leverage the solution and creating a sustainable process for the future is important to the company.
“UKG Pro is a critical system at WPS, and the partnership with the Extended Services team is invaluable because we can trust them,” said Dorr. “We can make sure that we’re giving employees what they need, and we’re doing it in the best way possible. It’s been wonderful.”
