In global mobility, true cost savings are those that reduce spend while preserving, if not enhancing, the employee experience. Cutting costs at the expense of value is a false economy.
Cost management is a perennial challenge for global mobility leaders. As assignment costs rise and economic pressures mount, the temptation to cut corners is strong. Yet, the most effective programmes are those that engineer savings intelligently, using technology and expert advisory to drive efficiency, transparency, and value, without compromising the customer experience.
Cost Engineering – Smart Savings, not Shortcuts
Cost engineering in global mobility is about more than just trimming budgets; it’s about using the right tools and expertise to optimise spend while safeguarding the assignee experience.
Technology is at the heart of this transformation. Modern, cloud-based mobility management platforms such as VMware AirWatch, SOTI MobiControl, and IBM MaaS360 centralise operations, automate workflows, and provide real-time visibility into costs. These systems enable automated cost estimation, instant expense tracking, and predictive scenario modelling, empowering HR teams to simulate different assignment types and make data-driven decisions before committing resources.
Companies adopting integrated automation can make average cost savings of up to 30% within five years of adoption (paper from McKinsey & Company), and can achieve a reduction of up to 40% in time spent on administration (survey by Deloitte), all while boosting employee satisfaction by up to 68% (thought leadership piece from Microsoft).
Advisory services are equally vital. A robust advisory approach covers the full mobility lifecycle:
- Developing a mobility strategy aligned with business goals
- Conducting stakeholder interviews to capture real needs
- Designing and reviewing policies and processes for efficiency
- Considering Core Flex models which give assignees greater choice and control, but all within a robust costings framework
- Benchmarking against industry trends to spot improvement areas
- Modelling cost scenarios to forecast and contain spend
- Reviewing and selecting partners based on transparent, data-backed criteria
Incorporating these elements into a mobility programme ensures that cost savings are engineered proactively and holistically, which in turn ensures that service quality and customer experience are protected.
Hidden Costs – Making the Invisible Visible
Hidden costs are a major threat to effective cost management. They can include undisclosed fees on relocation services (e.g. supplier mark-ups), administrative surcharges, and currency conversion charges that quietly erode budgets. The simple solution is full transparency:
- Advanced analytics dashboards now track assignment costs, partner performance, and relocation timelines, making anomalies and hidden fees immediately visible.
- Automated expense tracking and digital invoicing expose supplier mark-ups, while partner management tools ensure pricing structures are clear and auditable.
- Contract audits and transparency clauses in partner agreements require itemised billing and periodic reporting, holding partners accountable.
By mapping all partners and using granular analytics, companies can uncover and address hidden costs at every stage of the mobility process, ensuring that savings are real, not illusory.
Not all savings are created equal. The most successful global mobility programmes are those that leverage technology and advisory to engineer cost reductions which do not compromise the customer experience. Furthermore, they make hidden costs visible – again by leveraging the power of technology and the expertise of advisory – enabling GM/HR teams to analyse and tackle them effectively. The result? Sustainable cost savings which do not sacrifice the customer experience.
Download our guide, ‘Beyond the Bottom Line: Delivering Cost Savings which protect the Customer Experience’, for further insights.
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