Established in 2013, Continental Hospitals, Hyderabad, has quickly become a top-rated multispeciality hospital synonymous with expert and compassionate care. As the organisation expanded rapidly, the challenge of managing the growing workforce also became more urgent. 

Given the disruptive and dynamic HR-tech landscape, the HR team at Continental Hospitals wanted to invest in scalable, efficient and modern HR solutions that added measurable value across different HR verticals. This led the company to cultivate an enriching partnership with Akrivia HCM to reorient and redesign internal HR processes.

The need for digitalisation and alignment of HR processes 

While Continental Hospitals had third-party vendors and service providers onboard for different HR processes, there was a lack of an integrated end-to-end HR system that would enable easier management and accurate tracking. Jahanara Shaik, Chief People Officer at Continental Hospitals, explained, “A lack of synergy between different tools and systems meant that many processes were done manually. Besides resulting in more errors, the manual nature of these processes also made it more challenging to accurately register consultant’s attendance levels as there was a very high resistance.” 

Jahanara also shared that other critical human capital functions like recruitment, appraisal and training were also largely offline. The organisation wanted to move away from this paper-based system to simplify auditing, compliance and people tracking. “We envisioned a comprehensive system made with different modules to reduce the turn around times for distinct yet interconnected HR processes.” Thus began Continental Hospitals’ journey to streamline and automate different HR processes into a single system for easier administration.

The HR team at Continental Hospitals reached out to a few shortlisted vendors and was looking for a partner who could provide customisable solutions seamlessly applicable in the healthcare industry. “The two things that really stood out with Akrivia HCM were how promptly they responded to our queries and their ability to offer cost-effective solutions,” Jahanara said. By working alongside the Continental Hospitals team, Akrivia HCM was able to quickly provide realistic implementation timelines, resolve issues and answer questions in great detail. The fact that Akrivia HCM was offering some of the most advanced technology suites in the industry also helped the Continental Hospitals team reach a consensus. “In the end, Akrivia HCM was our clear choice as we developed a level of comfort and trust interacting with the team,” she shared.

Akrivia HCM’s enhanced support during the rollout

The implementation and rollout process has been largely seamless, as highlighted by Jahanara. “The Akrivia HCM team was present with us at our workplace to explain to every team member how to use their solution effectively.” Akrivia HCM’s team aligned the system features and design to match the SOPs and internal processes at Continental Hospitals, which was very well appreciated. The Time, Attendance and Leave Management module was the first to be rolled out, followed by Employee Engagement. “The Akrivia HCM team was very supportive in understanding our unique requirements, finding suitable solutions and experimenting to meet our expectations. It was great that the team could incorporate feedback from us to improve the system for better utilisation and adoption,” Jahanara added.

Even when there were obstacles, such as during the Recruitment and Onboarding module launch, Jahanara shared that Akrivia HCM’s team went above and beyond to resolve every last issue. “We were glad that Akrivia HCM’s team was available round the clock for all kinds of query resolution, and there was a constant flow of information between our team and theirs. This communication also helped modify and improve the system per our expectations and enabled a higher degree of customisation.”

The tangible impact of using Akrivia HCM at Continental Hospitals

Jahanara emphasised that the most significant achievement of partnering with Akrivia HCM has been the digitalisation and automation of many HR processes. “Not many organisations in the healthcare industry are using online recruitment tools, and we are proud to be pioneers in the domain and working with an expert partner no less.” As a result of automation and digitisation, there is more visibility into people metrics, such as open positions, attendance levels, leaves and onboarding progress. The company’s senior leadership also sees value in accessing key metrics through centralised data dashboards. Automating vital HR processes has also reduced turnaround times and removed delays for approvals. The Help Desk module, for instance, has significantly reduced the time taken to solve employee challenges and successfully close tickets.

One of the biggest impacts has been experienced in shift and attendance management. Continental Hospitals has employees working across 22 different shifts, and people get assigned shifts dynamically. “There has been a 98% improvement in regularisation and attendance after adopting Akrivia HCM, as the entire process is now automated and gives HODs better visibility into shift schedules. This is in stark contrast to our earlier approach that required manual allotment of shifts, resulting in inefficiencies, delays and late comings.” Furthermore, the organisation has moved to a paper-free recruitment and onboarding process, which has simplified the work of HR and managers.

A winning partnership: What’s in store for the future?

Adopting Akrivia HCM modules has been the first step in achieving the initial goal of managing the company’s talent through an integrated system. “In an industry where attrition can be as high as 45%, having Akrivia HCM has improved transparency and trackability of individual performances, metrics and successes. We have been able to quantify people’s performance and engage them better to improve our retention,” shared Jahanara.

Next on the radar is to implement the Training and Development module, which is ready for launch, and roll out Performance Management features that enable promotion, transfer, travel expense management and rewards recognition. “When everyone understands the goals, outcomes and processes, it becomes easier for different teams to work together effectively. We are glad to partner with Akrivia HCM as it has enabled us to align our organisational culture and values intimately with internal HR processes while simultaneously making them more efficient,” Jahanara summed it up.

Finding the right partner is fundamental when embarking on a digitisation stage no matter what the maturity curve, it’s imperative to find someone who’s attuned to your unique needs and is everpresent to support and resolve any challenges that may arise. If you are looking for a solid pillar of support when leading your HR transformation, then Akrivia HCM is the answer for you. Learn more by  scheduling a demo with Akrivia HCM today!