Experian Established a Single Source of Truth and Cut Reporting Time by 70% With Visier

THE CHALLENGE

Deciding whether to build or buy people analytics

In the initial phases of Experian's people analytics journey, the organization maintained manual reporting processes. This approach led to data quality issues and was a resource drain on the team—especially as demand for insights increased. With a small People Analytics team, the organization came to a crossroads where they needed to evaluate if buying the right solution was more cost-effective and productive than maintaining their own, internal reporting measures.

THE SOLUTION

Overcoming data quality and reporting challenges to streamline processes and expand access

Implementing people analytics at Experian quickly resulted in an operational transformation. Visier replaced manual reporting processes and introduced in-house capabilities that ensured greater consistency in data and reporting.

Kevin shared, “Before that, the People Analytics team was a reporting function and all of our reporting was delivered either through Excel or Oracle OBI-EE suite. And we knew at the time we had a lot of data quality challenges with that.”

The shift from a build to a buy approach with Visier marked a revolutionary turn for Experian. This strategic decision resulted in overcoming challenges in data quality and manual workload. It facilitated regular and timely updates, streamlining processes and positioning Experian as a best-in-class HR strategist.

The team focused on democratizing people data, expanding access beyond the HR function to include users in finance and, in the future, to leadership populations. Strategically aligning with the organization's goals, the People Analytics team utilized insights to improve talent acquisition processes, making them more insight-led and efficient.

Our current strategy is very much around maturing the data-led approach across the function and becoming more insight-led as an organization. - Kevin Metherell, Head of People Analytics Insights and Innovations, Experian

THE OUTCOME

Saving 70% of reporting workload, freeing up time for more business-critical initiatives

With time freed up and one source of truth for accurate data established, the PA team now has the time to tackle new initiatives that will empower the organization as it scales.

RETENTION RISK PLANNING

Accurate people data allowed Experian to identify high-potential middle managers who were on the trajectory to make senior leadership. Succession plans were made to mitigate the resignation risk for these influential employees.

DEI INITIATIVES

A large focus for Experian moving forward is DEI. The company wants to ensure that it understands its workforce and makeup, where unconscious biases come across processes, and how they can be addressed. Notably, the company wants to ensure it continues to grow diversity in senior leadership.

REDUCING COSTS

For several years, Experian built and used an in-house attrition risk model. However, it was a huge resource drain on the team to refresh and rebuild this model. A quick analysis showed that it was costing, at a minimum, $30,000 annually to maintain. The decision to migrate this data to Visier has saved the team significant money and time.

After the implementation of Visier, we—almost overnight—managed to cut about two-thirds of our reporting capacity and capability into the self-service remit, which was massive in terms of the time saved for the team and the effort we were spending on it. - Kevin Metherell, Head of People Analytics Insights and Innovations, Experian

THE FUTURE

A shift to skills-based decision-making

In just a handful of years, Experian has seen an important shift in how the entire organization, not just the People Analytics team, uses data in strategic business decisions.

“We've saved time and money, but I think the bigger benefit has been the increase in adoption that we've seen across our user base and across our life cycle. People are using that data more readily and becoming more insightful learners.”

When asked what’s next, Kevin shares that Experian aims to transition into a skills-based organization, utilizing data to understand workforce skills and aligning them with business objectives. This will involve democratizing knowledge about skills data and requiring change management efforts for users accustomed to traditional data perspectives.