Zeel Solutions demonstrates its premiership credentials
Being promoted to the premiership is serious business in Wolverhampton. But we’re not talking the black and gold army of Mick McCarthy. Rather the unrivalled performance of Wolverhampton-based specialist software supplier and consultancy, Zeel Solutions.
Over the last five years, the company has grown in size and reputation servicing clients across the UK in the recruitment, staffing and human resources markets. In spite of a reported £7.8bn downturn between 2008 and 2010 in the industry (The Recruitment Industry Trends 2009/10 survey), the company has continued to invest in its team, facilities and solutions to find itself now holding its own against some of the biggest names in the game.
This has seen Zeel promoted to the very top of the league in Travel and Subsistence solutions with an increasingly strong performance in Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Vendor Management, Talent Management and Corporate Recruitment. Alongside this it is undertaking ongoing new product development to offer clients true end-to-end recruitment process solutions.
The result is that the company has not just become the ‘one to watch’ but definitely the ‘one to work with’ when it comes to taking the complex issues and processes within recruitment, mixing them with clever technology and coming up with simple effective solutions.
A TEAM WITH DEPTH AND BREADTH
Founder and Managing Director, Rav Cheema, is quite clear about the secrets of the company’s success but does not believe in resting on laurels.
“We started out as two, myself and my wife Jin, and we focused on people and building relationships with clients as well as supplying them with first-class solutions.
Having built a team of recruitment and IT professionals with first-hand industry and technology experience, we’ve ensured that this ethos of people-focused delivery remains at the heart of what we offer. It’s about offering both a depth and breadth of skills and knowledge that ensure the client’s expectations are met each and every time.”
The company now employs over 20 staff offering support, development and project management services to its client base which increasingly includes corporates looking for both recruitment process outsourcing and insourcing solutions.
Industry changes, such as the introduction of the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) on October 1st 2011, provide a clear demonstration of how Zeel’s recruitment business and
corporate clients have come to rely on its expertise and innovative solutions. Many organisations instinctively looked to minimise and reduce some of the expense and effect AWR would have. One area they looked to was travel and subsistence arrangements.
As market leader in this area and with indepth understanding of the recruitment industry, Zeel was able to advise its clients of the best way forward – helping generate a substantial amount of savings to offset some of the additional costs the companies may incur with AWR, whilst ensuring compliance at all times.
Like any successful team, Zeel has invested in its management team as well as the skills of its employees, to ensure it has clear direction in moving forward. Rav and his wife Jin have been a formidable driving force setting the vision for the business from the outset. Behind this, they’ve recruited the best talent to head up key areas such as Business Development fronted by David Smith, as well as Tarj Sahota Head of Research and Projects and Steven Campbell overseeing Development.
ON TARGET AND ACHIEVING GOALS
Having built a solid foundation, Rav and his team are now firmly focused on the future with ambitious growth plans and goals to achieve. A recent move to new corporate headquarters offering in excess of 4000 square foot of floor space is just one indication of what the future holds. As well as further growth of the team to bring in new skills and additional support in core areas, new product development is firmly in the spotlight.
Ensuring that its core products are firmly established in the market has been a key priority in the company’s formative years. Zrecruiter is a true end-to-end recruitment process management solution. It has been specifically designed for corporates directly, and RPO providers offering Master Vendor, Neutral Vendor, Talent Management and Onsite Managed Services.
Offering ever increasing flexibility, Zrecruiter is a web-based ‘software as a service’ (SaaS) solution designed to manage the entire recruitment process, with seamless integration and ease within a single application. This solution also has the capability to be customised to suit specific client requirements, in order to work alongside their existing processes.
Its feature-rich functionality allows Zeel clients to manage the full recruitment process from vacancies and electronic timesheets through to invoices and self-billing. It gives full visibility of the recruitment process to all parties through customisable web portals and allows the organisation to manage supplying agencies through detailed tier control. Keeping track of spend has never been so simple.
Central to this functionality are the core modules including Zanalysis for real-time management, Zbill offering invoicing and self-billing and, last but not least, Zxchange that allows a seamless exchange of data between recruitment systems as well as external systems such as time and attendance, job boards and career portals.
Of course, Zeel has become almost synonymous with travel and subsistence through its hugely successful Ztravelex. This has become the market-leading software solution enabling recruitment agencies to offer travel and subsistence directly to their temporary employees.
Ztravelex works alongside and integrates with existing payroll systems. It calculates all expenses and completes important compliance checks within minutes without the need for major development or impacting upon client’s current processes and procedures.
As well as calculating and administering travel and subsistence payments to workers, Ztravelex also helps organisations stay compliant by completing many necessary checks such as capping workers at national minimum wage (NMW), managing the 24-month rule and ensuring workers are not worse-off as a result of being in the scheme. It also provides clients with detailed management reporting, ensuring they have visibility at all stages. As well as handling the basics which you would expect from any travel and subsistence arrangement, Ztravelex does that bit extra to ensure you are always kept two steps ahead.
Staying true to Zeel’s ethos of taking the complex and making it simple, Ztimeex completes the core suite of products providing not only an automated method for managing the timesheet-to-payroll process but also boasts the functionality to help ensure compliance when offering travel and subsistence to workers.
Ztimeex is a fully hosted and managed solution that provides seamless integration with existing front and back office systems - reducing the need for change to clients’ existing systems.
Clients and workers can access it via web portals allowing clients to submit and approve hours and workers to self-certify expenses, helping the agencies to ensure compliance when offering travel and subsistence.
Ztravelex, Ztimex and Zrecruiter have been expanded further to embrace mobile applications offering clients and workers further flexibility via greatly increased accessibility. In addition, new offerings have been launched or are under development to meet the ultimate aim and long term plans to offer clients solutions for the full recruitment spectrum – from front to back office.
DEVELOPING A GAME PLAN
To ensure the quality of service always matches up to its innovative thinking and solutions, the company has placed a strong focus on process and customer support. This has seen it achieve ISO 9001 accreditation and invest continuously in industry recognised employee development, such as Prince2 certification for all project managers, payroll certification for support and project staff and the development team are kept up to date, in order to provide the best possible software solutions which incorporate the use of modern technology.
Having carved out a niche for itself in the sectors of Travel and Subsistence and Recruitment Process Outsourcing working with Vendor Management, Talent Management, Onsite recruitment organisations and directly with corporates, Zeel is now looking at remaining two steps ahead of its competitors by responding to the different challenges and prospects other recruitment businesses and corporates have for it.
As a result, Zeel is currently working with a number of nationally recognised names on a range of software solutions designed to deliver better cost, control and compliance - putting these clients two steps ahead of their competition.
BUILDING THE BRAND
The launch of a new national brand and website earlier this year was a clear indication of the company’s aspirations and its intent to position itself firmly in the premiership.
The brand has since been causing a stir at all major industry events that Zeel attends including the REC Convention in September, the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition in November, and they have numerous events lined up for next year, including the Recruitment Agency Expo which will be held in February 2012.
Reflecting the company’s zealous devotion to making complex recruitment/HR issues and processes simple through clever technology and informed advice, it also shows the corporate personality of being fun and good to work with – atypically techie. And it of course majors on the fact that these simple solutions put clients not just one but two steps ahead of their competitors.
With its bold branding in place, a strong squad on board, impressive new offices and a clear game plan, the company is predicting continued success in 2012 within its core markets as well as growth with new markets and products. Zeel is clear that it will not only be staying in the premiership but will remain a major contender at the top of the table – which remains to be seen for the other premiership team native to its home city.
