Human Resources: PlatformOne Transitions Major Pittsburgh Law Firm to its Comprehensive HRO Services

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 19, 2007 -- PlatformOne today announced that another key client, Thorp Reed & Armstrong (TRA), has gone live with PlatformOne’s comprehensive HR outsourcing solutions for technology, services and support.

PlatformOne offers HR Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) solutions to mid-market companies, those companies with up to 15,000 employees.

The change to PlatformOne’s integrated set of HR technologies and services has empowered Thorp Reed & Armstrong’s HR management team to successfully shift its focus to more strategic concerns. Today, instead of anxiety over payroll accuracy, benefits claims and personnel administration, the TRA HR and operations team devote their attention to the management of the firm’s administrative support staff who in turn support its attorneys and clients.

William R. Shipley, the firm’s Executive Director, explains:

"As in any legal firm these days, the workload on our administrative support staff is immense. Our office staff of 120 paralegals and office administrators supports 106 partner and associate attorneys daily and hundreds of clients annually. Since partnering with PlatformOne early this year, Thorp Reed & Armstrong has been able to switch two full time employees away from internal administration of HR issues and redeploy them to more strategic firm management initiatives."

Previously, TRA’s HR systems, procedures, business processes, and daily workflows were non-integrated and required double data entry, reconciliation, and the like. Firm data resided in Paychex for payroll, ABRA for HR, and a host of Excel spreadsheets for benefits administration. The firm’s 401(k) plan administration was outsourced to yet another vendor.

"Today, we have one point of data entry and our client services team from PlatformOne does the rest," says Kathy Sullivan, TRA’s Director of Operations. "We previously believed, like everyone else, that outsourcing an HR function like payroll was the same, regardless of the vendor selected. Now we understand the true difference. Paychex provided us with access to their systems, and we did all the work. With PlatformOne, we provide our bi-weekly payroll data and later in the cycle approve it, but other than that, we don’t handle transactions. Now my staff and I can spend our time on the crucial office management and facilities issues that keep our business moving forward."

Thorp Reed & Armstrong signed a five-year HRO services agreement in early October 2006, and were live on payroll by the beginning of 2007.

"PlatformOne’s HR outsourcing model was the best match for our business requirements," continued Shipley. "Their technology provides us with truly integrated HR systems for personnel, payroll, benefits and the self-serve capabilities we wanted. As a result of our vendor selection process, we were convinced that PlatformOne could deliver on its services and support promises at a cost to us that was acceptable. We thought and now know, that we would receive great value for our expenditure with Platform One. We became convinced that the passion for quality and commitment to customer service that was exemplified by their Vice President of Professional Services, Kevin Murphy, would serve us well. The PlatformOne implementation and services teams are extremely responsive when we do have an issue that must be resolved quickly."

The utilization of HR outsourcing services from PlatformOne will save TRA over $100,000 annually from the operating budget, based on company projections of in-house costs to deliver similar services. Savings will be realized by avoiding costly investments in HR technology and infrastructure, by minimizing HR staff labor costs, and by eliminating fees from multiple HR/Payroll services and software systems vendors used in the past.

"In addition to our hard dollars savings, Thorp Reed & Armstrong has greatly enhanced access to the personnel data we need to run our business. Equally important, we now better utilize our HR management resources to focus on more strategic issues for our firm," says Shipley.

"PlatformOne is thrilled with our opportunity to serve Thorp Reed & Armstrong," said Kevin Murphy, Vice President of PlatformOne. "We see the Professional Services industry as one of our high growth areas over the next several years, and having Thorp Reed & Armstrong as an anchor account will be a key to our success. We appreciate being selected as Thorp Reed & Armstrong’s HRO services partner."

About Thorp Reed & Armstrong
Since 1895, Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP has been a premier Pittsburgh-based law firm, which has grown to include additional offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Princeton, New Jersey, and Wheeling, West Virginia. Earning the respect, trust and appreciation of clients, peers, and those who live in our communities, Thorp Reed &
Armstrong attorneys have gained a reputation as "lawyer's lawyers" — lawyers who exemplify the profession’s best qualities. The firm supports a wide variety of clients’ needs within the practice areas of business law, litigation, and corporate finance. For more information on Thorp Reed & Armstrong, call 412-394-7711 or visit www.thorpreed.com.

About PlatformOne
PlatformOne is an innovator and leader in the delivery of state-of-the-art Human Resources solutions. Evolving over 21 years, PlatformOne offers HR Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) solutions that include HR Technology Infrastructure, HR Administrative Services, and HR Professional Support. Our comprehensive HR solutions, when combined with our world-class people, processes, and technology produce efficient, consistent, and cost-effective results for our clients. Additional information on PlatformOne may be found on its web site. www.PlatformOne.com

Press Contact: Dusty Rhodes
Company Name: PlatformOne
Email: Email Us Here: http://www.prweb.com/emailmember.php?prid=540856
Phone: 770-623-5087
Website: http://platformone.com

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