INDUSTRY - HEALTHCARE

Zelis transforms HR onboarding and saves $150K

Following a series of strategic acquisitions, Zelis was ready to simplify its HR processes, particularly employee onboarding. Partnering with Modus Create, they made the leap from the data center to Atlassian Cloud, turning manual tasks into seamless automation and giving their HR workflows a serious upgrade. The result? Faster onboarding, an integrated platform, and over $150K in annual savings.

OUR WORK INVOLVED

Onboarding maturity assessment
Recruitment process mapping
Workday integration with Jira Service Management
Jira Product Discovery rollout
Process automation and training

IMPACT

FASTER

employee onboarding

3,500

users on integrated platform

$150K

annual savings from consolidating tools

Cloud migration often sparks deeper, strategic transformations, allowing businesses to rethink operations and unlock new efficiencies.

Zelis, a leading healthcare and financial technology company, faced challenges after rapid growth and multiple acquisitions. While the expansion positioned them as an industry leader, it also introduced bottlenecks and inefficiencies in their processes.

Recognizing the need for change, Zelis launched the OneZelis initiative to unify systems, streamline operations, and improve collaboration across the company — setting the stage for a transformative shift in how they operate.

Challenge

Slow and inefficient HR onboarding

Zelis decided to move from Atlassian Data Center to Atlassian Cloud to simplify its processes, particularly HR onboarding.

Zelis reached out to Modus Create, a three-time Atlassian Partner of the Year winner, for the project. Zelis’ HR onboarding process was slow and labor-intensive

Onboarding tasks, such as access requests, required manual data transfers between Workday and ServiceNow, creating inefficiencies. Occasionally, new hires had to wait over a month for their laptops and other equipment to arrive.

The IT system of record, ServiceNow, was also expensive and difficult to configure. Zelis had over 20 tools in use, many of which were redundant or inefficiently utilized.

Our Atlassian experts worked with the Zelis team on the migration. We began by understanding the bottlenecks in the existing HR onboarding process.

Solution

Creating a blueprint for onboarding breakthrough

When Zelis faced HR onboarding roadblocks and system hiccups, Modus Create stepped in.

We had a game plan that was more than just a cloud migration. Our team assessed the pain points, designed smarter processes, optimized workflows, and empowered Zelis to take full control. This four-step approach unlocked new efficiencies that set Zelis up for success long into the future.

4 stages of the process

Zelis transforms HR onboarding and saves 0K

1. Assess and strategize

We conducted an initial assessment to evaluate Zelis’ systems and processes. The team identified inefficiencies in HR onboarding as a prime target for improvement and saw the potential for broader transformation beyond cloud migration. Our workflow experts mapped out a strategic roadmap to modernize the onboarding process and replace outdated systems.

2. Design and build

The next step was to replace ServiceNow with Jira Service Management. Modus Create integrated Workday with Jira Service Management using OnRamp by Onward, eliminating manual data entry and automating access requests for new hires.

This integration improved the efficiency of the HR onboarding process. In addition, we replaced Productboard with Jira Product Discovery, saving $150K annually by consolidating tools and reducing system redundancy.

3. Optimize and automate

Automation took Zelis’ HR workflows to the next level, slashing onboarding times and removing delays. With the new process, laptops and access requests were ready a full week before the joining date of new employees. This meant less waiting, more productivity, and a smoother experience for new hires and the HR team alike.

Beyond automation, Zelis worked with our Atlassian experts to streamline the entire IT system, consolidating over 20 tools into a single, easy-to-manage platform.

Modus Create’s team has a very good balance of technical know-how, business acumen, and understanding that the business cannot stop.

— David Gbesemete, Vice President, Project Management & Collaboration at Zelis

4. Enable and empower

Zelis took full control of its transformation with the support of Modus Create, empowering teams to confidently manage the new system. After hands-on training and collaboration between their internal teams and the procurement department, Zelis digitized procurement processes within Jira, making operations smoother than ever.

Zelis now plans to sunset ServiceNow and fully replace it with Jira Service Management, which is simpler to maintain and more cost-effective.

Impact

Fast-tracked onboarding and a future-proof platform

Zelis has driven a remarkable transformation, achieving $150K in annual savings by smartly consolidating tools and cutting out redundant systems.

Their commitment to efficiency paid off as onboarding times were drastically reduced — now, laptops and access requests are ready to go even before new hires step through the door.

By eliminating the manual data entry between Workday and ServiceNow, Zelis streamlined HR operations, allowing their team to focus on creating value rather than wrestling with outdated processes.

We are about to celebrate a milestone that many thought couldn't be done. It's an exciting time for us.

— Wendy Zacchio, CIO of Zelis

However, Zelis didn’t stop there — they successfully consolidated over 20 tools into a single, powerful platform that now serves 3,500 users across the enterprise. And with its sights set on the future, Zelis is poised to continue this digital transformation by further integrating procurement processes into Jira, showcasing an ongoing dedication to innovation and growth.

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