Client Case Agrifirm × PSHQ: SAP SuccessFactors beheer en doorontwikkeling
Client Case · SAP SuccessFactors administration and development

Agrifirm & PSHQ: the right support, at the right time

How an international agricultural cooperative keeps its SuccessFactors environment stable, and how the partnership with People Services HQ grew from second line support into a third line specialist role.

INDUSTRYAgriculture / Agribusiness
Size~2,250 employees
ScopeAdministration, optimization, and architecture
PartnershipMay 2023 to present

More than a century of agricultural expertise, worldwide

Royal Agrifirm Group is an international cooperative, founded in 1909 and active in agriculture and livestock farming, with more than 2,250 employees in around twelve countries, among them the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Brazil, and Uruguay. From its head office in Apeldoorn, Agrifirm supports its members, more than 10,000 Dutch farmers and growers, with products, knowledge, and advice to improve returns and sustainability. 2.250 medewerkers in circa twaalf landen, waaronder Nederland, België, Polen, Denemarken, Brazilië en Uruguay. Vanuit het hoofdkantoor in Apeldoorn ondersteunt Agrifirm haar leden, meer dan 10.000 Nederlandse boeren en telers, met producten, kennis en advies om rendement en duurzaamheid te verbeteren.

As a cooperative, Agrifirm combines a long history with international scale and modern technology. That combination puts high demands on the HR systems supporting the organization worldwide.

A partner that moves with you, not one that just tags along

When Agrifirm started looking for a permanent HR tech partner in May 2023, much of the day to day SuccessFactors administration was still outsourced. Agrifirm wanted more than someone to solve incidents: a partner that keeps the HR landscape stable and ready for what comes next, thinks along about the direction, and adjusts to what the organization needs at that moment. More capacity when things get busy, less when they quiet down, and always the right functional knowledge available for specialist questions.

PSHQ scales up when we need it and steps back when it can. That gives us peace of mind, especially in periods when we are short-staffed ourselves.

MJ
Mariëlle Jans
Group IT Manager Business Applications · Agrifirm

A partner that works as an extension of the organization

Since May 2023, People Services HQ has been the permanent HR tech partner of Agrifirm. The collaboration is continuous: no separate projects, but an ongoing partnership in which we work as one team.

  • Administration and optimization - full management of the SuccessFactors environment, including incident and change management and integrations with systems such as S/4HANA and Payroll.
  • Flexible capacity - we scale along with Agrifirm's own staffing against a shared roadmap, up as well as down.
  • Always the right expert - for specialist questions we bring in the right specialist, directly available to Agrifirm.

PSHQ manages and optimizes the entire SuccessFactors landscape of Agrifirm: every digitized HR process, from time off and talent management to integrations and new platform functionality. When SAP releases new functionality, we look together at what is relevant and when the right moment is to set it up.

From second line safety net to third line specialist

When the collaboration started in May 2023, Agrifirm outsourced much of its day to day SuccessFactors administration. PSHQ was the second line back then: the first point of contact for most daily questions and changes.

Since then, Agrifirm has invested in an internal team of its own. More and more administration and daily support is now handled in house. PSHQ has grown along with that: from second line support into a third line specialist partner, brought in for the more complex questions, the architecture, and the topics that call for deep SuccessFactors knowledge.

May 2023
PSHQ as second line

Much of the administration outsourced. PSHQ is the first point of contact for most daily questions and changes.

Today
PSHQ as third line

Agrifirm handles most daily administration itself. PSHQ steps in for specialist questions and architecture.

We were not looking for a vendor that makes us dependent, but for a partner that makes our own team stronger. That is exactly what happened: we do more and more ourselves, and PSHQ has moved up to the questions where their expertise really counts.

MJ
Mariëlle Jans
Group IT Manager Business Applications · Agrifirm

Looking further than SuccessFactors alone

PSHQ thinks along about the HR IT architecture of Agrifirm in the round: not only about what is possible inside SuccessFactors, but about how HR processes work across all systems, including the integrations with other systems.

01

HR process architecture across systems

We look further than the system boundary of SuccessFactors. Where do systems meet, and how do we make sure that connection holds up, technically as well as in the process?

02

Integrations and interfaces

For new or changed interfaces we think along about the best approach: technically, but also what it means for the processes and the people around them.

03

The SuccessFactors roadmap translated into practice

Which new functionality is relevant for Agrifirm, when is the right moment to set it up, and what does that ask of the wider architecture?

What the partnership delivers

The collaboration between Agrifirm and People Services HQ delivers a stable HR landscape, and an Agrifirm organization that has more and more in house.

A stable platform
Incidents and changes go through quickly, also when things get busy.
Capacity that moves with you
We scale up and down against a shared roadmap, so Agrifirm does not buy fixed capacity.
An architecture framework
Clarity on how systems connect to SuccessFactors, technically and in the process.
Ongoing administration
Every digitized HR process is managed and improved step by step.

The stronger the team, the more specialist our work

A good partner makes itself unnecessary step by step. The stronger the team of the client becomes, the more specialist the work that is left. That is exactly where we want to be.

Ronald van den Heuvel
Ronald van den Heuvel
Partner · People Services HQ

In three years the role of PSHQ at Agrifirm has changed. The internal team has grown and now handles most of the daily administration itself. We work on the questions where deep SuccessFactors knowledge makes the difference: the architecture, the integrations, and the more complex changes.

Do you want to keep your SuccessFactors environment stable and make your own team stronger at the same time? Schedule a call, we are happy to think along with you.

How PSHQ helps you met SAP SuccessFactors

The way we work at Agrifirm is one of the ways we help organizations. Our approach depends on where you stand: just started, live for years, or ready for the next step. Together we decide on the right role.

01 · Implementation

From guidance to taking it off your hands

We support you, up to taking the implementation of SAP SuccessFactors entirely off your hands, with a configuration that really fits your organization.

  • Functional and strategic advice
  • Configuration and data migration
  • Integrations with SAP and surrounding systems
  • Handover to your own administration team
02 · Optimization

Get more out of your existing SuccessFactors

Through a scan and an inventory we determine which changes are needed to make the platform work at its best. SAP keeps developing the platform, and many organizations miss out on what it adds.

  • A scan and inventory of your environment
  • Process improvement and quick wins
  • Rolling out new modules and functionality
  • Roadmap for further development
03 · Support

Administration, advice, and release impact

We help you manage your environment and advise on what new release functionality means for your operation.

  • Incident and change management
  • Managing integrations and interfaces
  • Release advice and impact analysis
  • Specialist knowledge on demand

Ready to get a grip
on your HR processes?

Download the case to share with your team, or schedule an introductory conversation, no strings attached. We are happy to think along about what is possible in your environment.

We help organizations set up an HR system that truly works. For your people, your managers, and your HR department.

OUR LOCATION

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info@shq.nl

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