The Myth of the Global Relocation Service Provider

Most relocation service providers offer global solutions. Partnerships, alliances, networks, affinities and connections are widely used in the relocation industry to describe how a domestic service provider can become "global" without much change to infrastructure or resource investment. Corporate employers who relocate their workers globally often cannot distinguish between those service providers who are truly integrated globally and those who create alliances for service delivery.

Many utilize the "white label" format in aligning with partners in other countries. This methodology calls upon the lead service provider – which is the one that has established the relationship with the corporate client – to brand all services being provided to the client by the global partners. The partner will often carry all business collateral under this brand name and will often even have a dedicated telephone line which is answered with a greeting using the brand name.

At face value, one might ask: "What's wrong with this arrangement, anyway?" The answer, in a perfect world, would be "absolutely nothing." If the corporate client is serviced in a congruous manner, with equivalent service levels and well-integrated technology, what does it matter if the service delivered in different countries is delivered by different companies?

The reality is that all companies have differing visions and differing definitions of service excellence. In part that is due to their cultural predilection, but in larger part it is due to the individual mindset of the company's managers. In order to provide a homogeneous service level throughout the world, each of the individual partners would have to share the same perception of how to deliver the service. To achieve this is somewhat similar to herding cats — not easily accomplished.

Is it all that important to have a congruent service level throughout the world? Isn’t it true that the transferees from different countries will have differing expectations of service levels? Someone moving from India to the U.K. may expect more or less than someone moving from the U.S. to Egypt. What if that India - to - U.K. transferee is actually a native of Hong Kong; or the U.S. - to - Egypt transferee is a native of Germany? Too confusing? Exactly why this issue needs to be addressed. Do corporate employers really care whether or not the service level is consistent? If they are striving for well-adjusted, productive employees in the host country, then they should care.

Even in today's efficiency-minded corporate culture, the underlying desire is to have globally mobile and intercultural-savvy employees who remain committed to their tasks and their employers' objectives. Making this ideology a reality is the goal of all relocation service providers — to keep customers/employees happy, thereby keeping clients and employers loyal.

One would conclude that the possible advantages of a global service enterprise, with local offices throughout the world, are even more obvious in the technology area. Whether it be the CRM or currency issues, having all world offices working on the same technology platform is inarguably simpler.

The whole idea of a one-stop shop for company or government – directed relocations, reaches the total solution level more easily with a globally located enterprise. Of course, as many levels of globility in the corporate world that exist, there are an equal number of global solutions for their relocation needs.

Whether the corporation chooses a globally affiliated service partner or a globally located partner will depend on where the relocations take place, how many relocations occur, corporate policies and the commitment to service consistency. In either case, the service partner must be able to provide a single point of contact, an integrated billing process and congruent technology solutions.

One thing is for sure...the choices are much more complex and the decisions have much greater impact than ever before. Whether corporations use expert consultants or make their decisions based on their internal expertise, the evolution of global requirements and solutions is without a doubt, a certainty.

Written by:
Donna Bergles, CRP, GMS
Manager, Global Mobility Services
Crown Relocations
Toronto, Canada

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