Navigating Global Mobility Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
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What solutions do you have in place to identify issues before they escalate?
Benivo has several solutions in place to identify issues before they escalate. One of them is the use of dashboards to highlight critical warnings or "red flag" moments. This allows for action or intervention to be taken before issues become escalations. For example, if there are incomplete needs assessments, notifications are issued to the employee. If no action is taken or it's still incomplete, a second intervention is triggered three days later to the relocation consultant, and after five days, the mobility team is notified. This process helps identify and solve issues before they become bigger problems.
Additionally, Benivo monitors employee feedback daily. Any pulse survey score of 6 or lower is escalated to the Head of Employee Success who analyzes the issue and collects additional information from the low-scoring employee. Immediate remediation steps are taken to help the employee who is having a bad experience, and a root cause analysis is conducted to prevent the issue from happening again.
Benivo also has a clearly defined escalation path for each cause, which includes initial communication requirements to all stakeholders, clear roles and responsibilities, ongoing communication, communication documentation, and process SLAs. This ensures that everyone knows who is responsible for handling different types of issues and that involved stakeholders receive prompt and regular updates about issue resolution status and required actions until the issue is resolved.
Furthermore, Benivo has a case management system in place to manage escalations effectively. This includes identifying or getting notified of an issue, assessing the impact on the employee's relocation, engaging the vendor responsible for the issue, coordinating the resolution of the escalation, and tracking and reporting on the escalation's status and outcome.
Lastly, Benivo has implemented security controls in its operations to identify security and privacy incidents as quickly as possible. This includes regular review of log files for signs of intrusion and utilization of Microsoft Azure Defender for Cloud and WAZUH tools.
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What integrations are supported? Is there a cost to integrations? Is so please detail any parameters and fees.
Benivo supports various integrations with its platform. This includes integrations through API or other approaches with a client's HRIS, ATS, Tax, Immigration, and vendor-partners. These integrations are designed to streamline processes and improve the user experience.
As for the cost, Benivo includes all integrations at no additional cost. This means that clients can integrate their existing systems with the Benivo platform without incurring extra fees. This is part of Benivo's commitment to providing a comprehensive and cost-effective solution for its clients.
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Will our company have a dedicated person or team during onboarding?
Yes, during the onboarding process, your company will have a dedicated team from Benivo to guide you. This team will help you understand the various aspects of the platform, the services offered, and how to make the most of them. They will also be available to answer any questions and provide support as needed. This is part of Benivo's commitment to ensuring a smooth and successful onboarding experience for all its clients.
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How often are there upgrades? Is there an additional cost for onboarding, support, and upgrades?
Benivo releases upgrades every month and clients receive automatic updates. There is no additional cost for these upgrades. As for onboarding and support, Benivo provides ongoing support after implementation at no additional cost. This includes assigning an executive sponsor, client success manager, client analytics lead, and data scientist to your account along with team support from product, content ops, ops, employee success, and development teams. The support is indefinite and included in the standard fees with no limitation while the service is active.
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Is support available as standard to partners /spouses of employees? Is there an additional fee for this support?
Yes, support is available as standard to partners/spouses of employees. Benivo recognizes the importance of supporting spouses and partners in a move and has launched a dedicated platform for them. This platform provides destination and process guidance and resources for continuing education, social life, family help, and finding work. The employee can invite their spouse/partner to this dedicated digital platform. This support is viewed as a premium service, but Benivo offers it at no additional cost. It's included as part of the standard service to make partners/spouses feel welcome and to reduce questions to HR from the family around critical relocation topics.
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What solutions do you have in place for project mobility populations?
Benivo offers a solution called "Project Mobility" which is designed to manage employees or workers who are deployed on short-term or long-term projects in different locations around the world. It involves coordinating various aspects of the assignment such as compliance management, cost estimates, employee profiles, document management, and tracking historical data.
The key features of Benivo's Project Mobility solution include:
- Delivering cost savings and better compliance with data-driven insights.
- Creating a project and integrating it with your internal tools.
- Reviewing workflows for corporate tax and security.
- Creating profiles of employees and triggering a workflow for compliance review.
- Managing all project information in a single place.
- Assigning employees to the project and running compliance assessments on an individual level.
- Tracking vendor services assigned to employees as a result of compliance assessments.
- Viewing project analytics reports and drilling down to see costs, status, and project scorecard.
Benivo Projects is a central hub for managing projects from a mobility point of view. It is especially relevant for companies who work on projects in client-facing industries such as IT outsourcing, energy, oil and gas, consulting, and engineering. Whether you're managing commuters or short-term assignments, Benivo Projects can help you streamline your processes and save you time and money.
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What sets your solution apart from other solutions in the market, particularly in terms of managing project assignments?
Benivo's solution for managing project assignments stands out in the market due to its comprehensive and integrated approach. It is designed to address the unique challenges of project mobility, providing a central hub for all project-related information and activities.
Key differentiators include:
- Centralized Management: Benivo Projects provides a single platform for managing all aspects of project assignments. This includes compliance management, cost estimates, employee profiles, document management, and tracking historical data. This centralization eliminates the need for multiple systems and tools, improving efficiency and collaboration.
- Data-Driven Insights: Benivo's solution delivers cost savings and better compliance through data-driven insights. It allows for real-time tracking of vendor services assigned to employees as a result of compliance assessments, and provides project analytics reports for a comprehensive view of costs, status, and project scorecard.
- Integration: Benivo Projects can be integrated with your internal tools, ensuring seamless coordination and data flow across systems. This integration capability enhances the efficiency of project management and reduces the risk of data discrepancies.
- Compliance Management: One of the key challenges in managing project assignments is ensuring compliance with various regulations. Benivo's solution addresses this by running compliance assessments at an individual level and managing all compliance-related information within the platform.
- Support for Various Industries: Benivo Projects is versatile and can be used across various client-facing industries such as IT outsourcing, energy, oil and gas, consulting, and engineering. This makes it a flexible solution that can adapt to different project requirements and contexts.
- Employee-Centric Approach: Benivo's solution is designed with the employee in mind. It allows employees to be assigned to projects and provides them with a clear view of their roles and responsibilities. This focus on the employee experience helps to ensure successful project outcomes.
These features, combined with Benivo's commitment to continuous innovation and customer support, make its solution a standout choice for managing project assignments.
Cost Estimates
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Is there a limit on the number of revisions allowed for the original fee?
No, Benivo Technology does not impose a limit on the number of revisions for the original fee. Clients using the Benivo platform can run unlimited cost estimations and what-if scenarios at no additional cost with a Benivo platform license.
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Does the Benivo platform have built-in capability to compare estimates to actual costs? How is the automation of collecting actual costs done?
Yes, the Benivo platform has a built-in capability to compare estimates to actual costs in real time. This is facilitated by the fact that all global mobility data, including payments, invoicing, and expenses for both vendors and employees, is contained in one place on the platform. This allows for a real-time comparison of estimated costs to actual costs.
The automation of collecting actual costs is done through the platform's integration with various data sources. For instance, actual costs can be obtained from vendors, expense reimbursements, or payroll allowances. The platform uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to optimize processes and automate admin tasks. For example, in the case of expense reimbursement, employees simply need to take a picture of their receipts, and the platform's ML capabilities will extract data automatically. The AI then applies policy rules to determine eligibility for reimbursement and execute the payment when approved or reject/route for exception review when it does not.
Furthermore, the platform has AI alerts that can identify in real time when costs are reaching the threshold, allowing for proactive action to be taken. This means that you no longer need to wait until the end of an assignment to find out if it was more expensive than the estimate.
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Does your engine use AI to automatically suggest cost-saving scenarios? Can your solution produce 'What if' Cost Estimates? If so, what is the fee? Please describe the process.
Yes, the Benivo platform uses an AI-powered algorithm to automatically suggest cost-saving scenarios. This innovative tool runs hundreds of cost estimates simultaneously to find the optimal scenario for the business. It provides mobility leaders with the cost estimate of the selected scenario and suggests alternative scenarios that could deliver cost savings. The cost savings could be triggered by changes of dates, the length of the assignment, the home-host combination, the policy, and demographics. Each company can define what variables they want to consider, so they receive only relevant recommendations.
In addition to this, the platform also offers unlimited 'what-if' calculations. This allows employers to experiment with multiple scenarios until the right one is approved. This feature is particularly useful for exploring different assignment parameters and understanding their impact on the overall cost.
As for the fee, there is no additional cost for these features. They are included in the Benivo platform license. This means you can run unlimited cost estimations and 'what-if' scenarios at no extra charge.
The process is straightforward and user-friendly. Once you input the relevant information for a cost estimate, the AI-powered tool runs in the background, considering different scenarios such as different dates, tax treaties, fiscal year, locations, policy, and more. The tool then presents the cost estimate of the selected scenario along with alternative scenarios that could result in cost savings. This process is fast and can be completed during a call with the business.
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Provide details of the cost estimate approval workflow including if approvals be sent to non users of the platform, if sequential approval is possible, if PII is shared outside of the platform (i.e. is any information sent by e-mail?), can approval requests be recalled.
The cost estimate approval workflow in Benivo is quite comprehensive. When a cost estimate is ready for approval, it can be sent to an approver. The approver can be anyone, including the General Manager (GM) who runs the cost estimation, Hiring manager, or even an employee. Importantly, the approver does not have to be a user of the Benivo platform. The system is built on the premise that the majority of the approvers are highly likely not to have a Management Platform account/access.
The order of approvers can be sequential. As of August 2023, Benivo supports sequential multiple approvers. However, parallel multiple approvers are not supported at this time.
When an approver receives a cost estimate for approval, they have two options: Approve or Reject. If they approve, the cost estimate will be forwarded to the next approver in the chain (if there is one). If they reject it, they must provide a reason, and the cost estimate will be returned to the GM/HR for adjustments or further clarification.
In terms of data security, Benivo does not send cost estimates by email due to data security risks. Instead, a secure link is sent to the approver, which they can use to access the information. This ensures that Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is not shared outside of the platform.
Finally, if a GM sends a cost estimate for approval and then wishes to recall it, they can do so. The recall option allows them to cancel the submission. Because the cost estimate was not sent by email but via a secure link, it can be recalled even if some time has passed.
Service Partner Questions
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What Service Provider SLA tracking solutions do you have in place? What are their real-time capabilities?
Benivo has a robust system in place for tracking vendor Service Level Agreements (SLAs). This system is called BenivoTrackers. It outlines each step in the delivery of a certain service and the expected milestone SLA for each step. The performance against these milestones is tracked live and reported live, providing both individual employees and the Global Mobility team with real-time views on the status of service delivery.
The real-time capabilities of Benivo's SLA tracking system are extensive. They include live status reporting at both the individual employee level and analytics across the entire program. This allows for immediate identification of issues before they escalate. For example, if an employee is stuck in a certain step of the process with a vendor for longer than average (or the SLA), Benivo will raise an immediate alert to the vendor and to the corporate to ensure the issue is resolved even without the employee knowing that there was an issue.
In addition, Benivo's system can identify vendors that perform better overall or in certain geographies by monitoring the performance of different vendors across clients. This data is used to suggest alternatives if a service provider does not meet expectations.
Furthermore, Benivo's system also includes a feature called Pulse Surveys. These surveys collect feedback in real time, ensuring that issues can be identified and resolved promptly. This real-time feedback mechanism further enhances the ability to track and manage vendor performance.
Overall, Benivo's vendor SLA tracking solutions provide comprehensive real-time capabilities, enabling proactive management of service delivery and ensuring high levels of satisfaction.
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What tools and technology solutions do you have to reduce the risk of a data breach by one of your Service Providers or downstreamService Providers?
Benivo has implemented a comprehensive approach to reduce the risk of a data breach by vendors and downstream vendors. This includes the use of advanced technology solutions and strict compliance measures.
Benivo has developed a technology solution in collaboration with cybersecurity experts that reduces the risk of a data breach by 97% compared to solutions offered by RMC’s and Assignment Management solutions. This solution is built on a layered defense model and dramatically changes how data is managed. It can be implemented without changing vendors, allowing employers to continue using their existing vendors while ensuring that their employees' data is protected.
The technology solution includes tools to protect employee data and ensure that vendors can focus on delivering their service rather than managing data security. Benivo keeps all data secure and only shares protected data. They also provide vendors with technology tools to help manage data securely.
In addition to the technology solution, Benivo also has a Supplier Security Policy in place. This policy outlines the security measures that suppliers, vendors, and partners must adhere to. It includes clauses that stipulate confidentiality and return of assets after the termination of the agreement.
Furthermore, Benivo uses Data-Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions and Host-Based Intrusion Detection/Prevention (HIDS/HIPS) solutions to prevent data loss. They also conduct regular audits and penetration tests to ensure that their cybersecurity measures are up-to-date.
Overall, Benivo's approach to reducing the risk of a data breach involves a combination of advanced technology solutions, strict compliance measures, and ongoing monitoring and auditing.
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How does your solution alert the mobility team of any missed SLA's? Detail how and when the team would be notified that an employee will miss their scheduled start date
Benivo's solution has a robust system in place for tracking and alerting missed Service Level Agreements (SLAs). The system, known as BenivoTrackers, outlines each step in the delivery of a service and the expected milestone SLA for each step. The performance against these milestones is tracked live and reported live, providing real-time views on the status of service delivery.
If an employee is stuck in a certain step of the process with a vendor for longer than the SLA, Benivo will raise an immediate alert to the vendor and to the corporate. This allows issues to be resolved even without the employee knowing that there was an issue. This real-time alert system ensures that the mobility team is immediately aware of any missed SLAs and can take corrective action promptly.
In terms of notifying the team that an employee will miss their scheduled start date, Benivo's solution uses predictive analytics to foresee potential delays. For example, it can predict the expected number of days for each employee visa based on historical data and identify cases where they won’t get the visa by the work start date. This data can be used to manage expectations with the business and find solutions well in advance rather than at the last minute. If such a situation arises, an alert would be raised immediately, allowing the mobility team to take proactive measures to address the issue.
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How does the service maintain an audit trail of all activities within the service?
Benivo maintains an audit trail of all activities within the service through various methods. All data is provided in reports and workflows maintain an audit trail of all activities. For all services initiated through Benivo, Service Milestone SLAs are available. Benivo uses the BenivoTracker functionality to outline each step in the delivery of a certain service and the expected milestone SLA for each step. The performance against those milestones is tracked live and reported live to give a real-time view on where things stand.
Furthermore, user activity and application logs are kept for systems and applications with access to customer data. This includes capturing user ID and date/time for login/logoff, data read/write, data export/download, and administrative activities. These logs are constantly collected, reviewed, and monitored by management.
Benivo also utilizes tools like Azure Log Analytics Workspace, Azure Network Watcher, Microsoft Defender for Cloud (Security Center), and SIEM tool WAZUH to conduct monitoring of the logs. Real-time alerts are generated by Microsoft Azure and reviewed manually if alerts are triggered. Manual log reviews are conducted quarterly.
In addition, Benivo performs internal audits according to the ISO 27001 certification and annual reassessments. Internal tests/scans are performed weekly. External audits are conducted through a security-certified 3rd party company that includes API penetration tests, infrastructure penetration tests, and vulnerability scans for web, mobile applications, and external network.
Lastly, Benivo has a case management system in place where any changes made to the case are captured and visible in the audit trail. Personally identifiable information (PII) is masked for unauthorized users.
Payments and Expenses
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Does your solution require manual review of each expense receipt? If not, how does the automation work? What is the fee for expense reimbursement?
No, Benivo's solution does not require a manual review of each expense receipt. The platform uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to automate the expense management process. When an employee submits an expense, they simply take a picture of their receipt. The platform's ML capabilities then automatically extract data from the receipt, populate the category and expense type, and apply policy rules to determine eligibility for reimbursement.
If the expense complies with the policy rules, it is automatically approved and the payment is executed. If the expense does not comply with the policy rules, it is either rejected or routed for an exception review. This process ensures that reimbursed expenses are compliant with the company's policy.
In case of exceptions or audit flags, a manual review and decision-making process is initiated. This process involves the finance team conducting audits and using automatic algorithms to identify and flag potential issues for a manual review.
As for the fee, there is no additional cost for the AI-Expense Management solution. It is included in the Benivo platform license. This means that the solution delivers a high Return on Investment (ROI) as well as improved accuracy and compliance at no extra charge
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Do you have solutions to advance funds to employees/candidates before their work start date?
Yes, Benivo offers a solution called PayLater. This service acts as an interest-free salary advance for employees. It allows employees to access cash upfront to cover relocation needs before they are on payroll. The employees then repay the amount in installments after they have started work and are receiving their salaries. This service is fully outsourced and automated by Benivo, requiring no touchpoints with the employer's payroll. It's a popular solution, used by 80% of Benivo’s clients, and has received a high satisfaction score from users.
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How can employees be reimbursed e.g. bank account in home location, online account, virtual card. Please detail any additional disbursement fees and fx costs that are incurred.
Employees can choose from multiple methods for reimbursement through Benivo's system. They can opt to be reimbursed by bank transfer, digital wallet, or to a virtual payment card. The choice is up to the employee and they can select the method that suits them best.
The reimbursement process is quick and efficient. Depending on the method chosen by the employee, they can receive their money instantly or within one working day. This makes Benivo's payment system one of the fastest and most sophisticated on the market for relocation policy payments.
As for disbursement fees and foreign exchange (fx) costs, these are typically included in the service. However, when payments are made in a foreign currency and billed to the client in US dollars, a 2.5% foreign exchange fee applies.
It's important to note that the specifics of these fees and costs can vary depending on the client's requirements and the terms of the relocation package. Therefore, it's always a good idea for the employee to have a clear understanding of what is covered before agreeing to a job relocation.
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On average, how long does it take between an employee submitting an invoice and getting paid?
On average, the process from an employee submitting an invoice to getting paid is very quick with Benivo. The expense claim process is immediate for employees. The process takes under 5 minutes to complete and the employee can do the whole process directly on their phone or computer. Approved expenses are automatically paid out by the method selected by the employee. The employee is notified of the outcome of the request (approval or sent for review) in real time. The review can be completed within 1 working day if Benivo has the mandate to approve exceptions, or as soon as approved by the client's team. Therefore, the time between an employee submitting an invoice and getting paid can be as short as within one working day.
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How long do payments to employees take in each of our country locations? Are these local payments? Are there any additional fees?
Benivo's payment system is designed to be quick and efficient. Depending on the method chosen by the employee, they can receive their money instantly or within one working day. This applies to all country locations. The employees can choose to be reimbursed by bank transfer, digital wallet, or to a virtual payment card.
These payments are local in the sense that they can be made to the employee's local bank account, digital wallet, or virtual card, regardless of the country.
As for additional fees, Benivo's pricing structure is simple and transparent. There are no additional fees for customization, implementation, maintenance, APIs, data uploads, spouse support, additional locations, or anything else. However, when payments are made in a foreign currency and billed to the client in US dollars, a 2.5% foreign exchange fee applies.
Consulting Services
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How do you help your clients benchmark and improve upon their policies? Is there a fee for this support? If so please detail.
Benivo assists clients in benchmarking and improving their policies through its Consulting Services. They use their Strategy Council Benchmark report to compare the client's benefits offerings against their direct competitors. The benchmark data is aggregated and client-specific data is not shared due to confidentiality clauses.
Benivo also provides policy recommendations to help clients reduce costs or enhance the performance of their programs. These recommendations are based on insights from norms and trends that can help policies perform to a higher standard. The focus is often on improving the employee experience and identifying operational excellence and automation opportunities.
In addition, Benivo's Client Advisory team can provide a benchmark on your policy and review it as needed. This service is very popular with their clients.
As for the cost, Benivo offers these advisory services without additional charges. The aim is to give clients peace of mind throughout their relationship with Benivo and to help them achieve cost savings without having to spend more. This support is not just provided on an implementation basis, but ongoing throughout the relationship.