Client Snapshot

A leading commercial real estate firm with over $20 billion in annual transactions and a growing national footprint. With 200+ property management offices and six regional headquarters, the company required scalable, efficient processes to support its rapid expansion and evolving IT needs.

To address inefficiencies in manual employee administration, the firm partnered with us to standardize and automate critical onboarding, change, and offboarding workflows. This initiative reduced repetitive tasks, reclaimed valuable IT resources, and enhanced operational efficiency across its nationwide operations.

The Challenge

As a rapidly expanding organization transitioning from a regional to a national presence, the client faced significant inefficiencies in its manual employee administration processes. Onboarding, offboarding, and change requests for employees across 200+ property management offices and six regional headquarters were consuming valuable IT resources.

These repetitive, labor-intensive tasks diverted attention from critical IT support functions, leading to delays, inconsistencies, and missed opportunities to streamline workflows. Additionally, the lack of standardized processes posed compliance risks, jeopardizing the firm’s ability to maintain clean SAS70 audits, particularly in areas concerning user access and cybersecurity.

The company required an efficient, scalable solution to eliminate manual tasks, ensure compliance, and align with their broader operational goals.

Our Approach

Tier One Consulting partnered with the client’s IT and HR teams to design and implement an automated solution that transformed their employee administration workflows. The project focused on streamlining onboarding, change, and offboarding processes while ensuring compliance with industry best practices.

Key steps included:

• Workflow Standardization – Collaborated with HR to define clear processes, approval workflows, and notification systems for all employee lifecycle events.
• Automation Design – Developed scripts and system integrations to handle tasks such as account creation, mailbox provisioning, directory access setup, and access revocation for terminated employees.
• Security Enhancements – Implemented controls to ensure compliance with cybersecurity policies and clean SAS70 audits, including access monitoring and proper data handling.
• Scalable Implementation – Rolled out the solution across 200+ property management offices and six regional headquarters, ensuring consistent application and functionality nationwide.
• Knowledge Transfer – Provided comprehensive training and documentation to ensure ongoing success and adaptability of the automated systems.

This collaborative approach not only addressed the immediate pain points but also positioned the firm for sustained operational efficiency and compliance excellence.

Key Actions

1. Collaborated with HR – Defined workflows, approval chains, and notification systems for all employee onboarding, changes, and offboarding processes.
2. Developed Automation Solutions – Built custom scripts and system integrations to handle repetitive tasks, including mailbox provisioning, directory access, and access removal.
3. Enhanced Security Compliance – Implemented controls to meet SAS70 audit requirements, ensuring proper access monitoring and secure data handling.
4. Executed Scalable Rollout – Deployed the solution across 200+ property management offices and six regional headquarters, ensuring seamless integration and consistent application.
5. Provided Training and Documentation – Delivered comprehensive materials and sessions to equip internal teams with the knowledge and tools to maintain and adapt the system effectively.

Results at a Glance

• 97% time savings – Manual employee administration tasks reduced, allowing IT resources to focus on higher-value initiatives.
• $100,000 in reclaimed time – Achieved over three years through automation of repetitive processes.
• 100% clean SAS70 audits – Maintained compliance standards for user access and cybersecurity.
• Nationwide scalability – Successfully implemented across 200+ property management offices and six regional headquarters.
• Seamless onboarding/offboarding – Improved employee experience with consistent, automated processes.

Why it Matters

Efficient and scalable employee administration processes are critical for organizations undergoing rapid growth. By automating manual workflows, the client not only reduced operational inefficiencies but also freed up valuable IT resources to focus on strategic initiatives.

This project demonstrated how aligning IT and HR functions could drive measurable business outcomes, such as cost savings and improved compliance. Maintaining 100% clean SAS70 audits underscored the importance of robust cybersecurity practices and regulatory adherence, building trust with stakeholders and reinforcing the company’s reputation for excellence.

Moreover, the scalable solution provided a foundation for continued growth, enabling the organization to seamlessly manage a nationwide workforce without compromising efficiency or security.