New technologies speed relocation process.

If you're like most relocation professionals, you've been asked to do more with less--to reduce costs but improve efficiencies. At first the two seem mutually exclusive, until you tap into the power of today's information technology. The Internet, the intranet, e-mail, special online relocation

programs, electronic funds transfer, electronic data interchange--these are just a few of the "information superhighway" technologies now being used to increase productivity, cut costs, improve communication and create smoother employee relocations. Not only are these technologies revolutionizing the relocation industry, they are streamlining the way work gets done.

With the click of a mouse or the touch of computer keys, HR professionals can initiate an employee relocation, get up-to-the-minute information on the move, and even pay shipping invoices. No filling out or faxing paper forms. No checks. Less dependence on overnight mail. Fewer phone calls and less waiting.

Welcome to the cyber age of employee relocation. Technology is gradually becoming prevalent in all aspects of relocation including transportation, traditionally viewed as low tech.

HIGH TECH ADVANCES IN TRANSPORTATION

Online programs designed specifically for the relocation industry have created efficiencies unimaginable five years ago. Most notably, the transportation industry--not known for its technology prowess--has developed advanced software to improve communication. Most of today's major van lines offer direct and instant access to employee moves through online programs. Relocation professionals can automatically register their shipments with a van line and its representative agent, track the shipment status, check on delivery dates, send and receive messages to the mover via e-mail, pay invoices electronically and more.

Some systems have a "memo" capability for notifying the van line of any unusual circumstances or situations, allowing changes up until the actual move. Anyone involved in the shipment--the agent, headquarters personnel, the driver or the customer--can enter a message regarding shipment information.

Charlotte Sherman, senior household moves administrator for telecommunications giant Northern Telecom, has used this technology for four years. Her two-person department coordinates 1,200 relocations in the United States and Canada, plus 300 international locations annually. "We simply could not handle this volume without using online relocation technology," she says. "It's amazing how rapidly the technology has grown injust four years."

An integral part of online technology is electronic funds transfer (EFT) and electronic data interchange (EDI). Neither is new, but their application in the relocation industry is. With these capabilities, a van line can transmit invoices electronically via EDI and accept payments via EFT. The two capabilities are independent; relocation professionals can use one or both to reduce paperwork and improve accuracy.

WIDESPREAD USE OF EDI

EDI is really the "engine" of online relocation technology; the format lets relocation professionals transmit orders, via PC, directly to the van line computer and get up-to-date reports and information on any past or current employee relocation. Relocation professionals can keep track of every detail of every move and still have time for other daily tasks. EDI's ability to provide instantaneous feedback guarantees improved service, communication and turnaround time.

Using EDI, relocation professionals can also access mileage information and other pertinent data from the van line's files. That way, they can calculate their own estimates rather than requesting a quotation or making a phone call. Northern Telecom regularly uses this feature.

Additional EDI capabilities include auditing, claims management, shipment summaries and statistical reports. Without this technology, some corporations would have difficulty managing the massive volume of information they handle each year. Leaders in various industries have said that businesses will not survive after the year 2000 unless they're using some form of EDI.

That kind of thinking may be behind the increased use of EDI technology by companies relocating employees around the world. According to the latest Atlas Van Lines' Survey of Corporate Relocation Policies, EDI is used by 23 percent of companies relocating employees internationally. That's up from 14 percent in 1994 and 9 percent in 1993.

The advantages of EDI technology are many. It lets relocation professionals enter information directly and rapidly, through a series of screens or fields. Once the information is entered, the van line agent is notified and begins processing the move. Relocation professionals spend far less tune on telephone calls, which though more personal, decrease effectiveness when all that is needed is a small piece of information. There is less reliance on fax machines, too. As Sherman points out, "With faxes, sometimes the paperwork gets there and sometimes it doesn't. If the fax machine at the other end is out of paper, the message might not get through for hours. But with these user-friendly online programs, information is transmitted and received immediately."

Most relocation professionals have more than one transportation partner, each with its own online program. In the future, professionals can expect to see a shared electronic environment with a more standardized method of communicating online.

A poll of relocation professionals attending the recent Atlas Forum on Moving showed that better communication is a top priority for relocation administrators. Of 344 respondents, 66.3 percent said improving communication was among the industry issues needing the most attention. Online programs are one way to improve the communication process. Using the Internet is another.

COMMUNICATING IN CYBERSPACE

Relocation professionals that have not yet "surfed the net" may want to test those waters soon. Imagine the ability to send out one message simultaneously to thousands of recipients. In moments, responses come in from around the world. Tomorrow's relocation administrators will access the Internet regularly for everything from gathering information about emerging relocation trends, to updating internal policies in "real time," to surveying experts and colleagues about a range of topics.

One of the Internet's most powerful applications is electronic communication. Its best-known form is e-mail, widely regarded as the most efficient two-way communication method. When information is received, it can be filed, printed, forwarded or deleted. Written messages are transmitted electronically, available for immediate access.

The Internet is really a global communication network. Its fastest growing part is the World Wide Web (www), which is unified by a common addressing system and distinguished by information that can be linked from one computer to another anywhere in the world. Eighteen million people use the Web. The number of users grows daily; about 31 percent of users access the Internet at least once a day. According to the Survey of Corporate Relocation Policies, 12 percent of respondents are using the Internet as a resource for relocation-related matters. Because of statistics like these, companies realize they must take advantage of this accelerating and potentially dominant technology.

At Apple Computer Inc., the use of technology is almost second nature. Relocating employees are actually "house-hunting" on the Internet. Kathy Curtis, relocation manager for Apple, explains: "Groups like the National Association of Realtors and various relocation companies have their own home pages (the opening pages on a www site that link the user to other information), on which they can advertise homes on the Internet. We let our employees know which groups and real estate agents are advertising on the Internet. That way, they can access the Web site and see what's available. We also can post our employees' homes on Internet home-selling services. The Internet has the potential to revolutionize the way homes are bought and sold."

Apple is also linked to resources such as the Web sites of SHRM and the Employee Relocation Council. Both sites provide ongoing information about important relocation issues, as well as allowing employees to shop for helpful information about relocating.

Job postings are listed on the Internet as well. Spouses or partners of relocating employees at Apple are encouraged to job hunt on the Internet too, Curtis adds.

INTRANETS HELPFUL TO EMPLOYEES

Intranets, the in-house version of the Internet, are being used increasingly by companies for employee relocation. These systems allow information to be communicated, processed and accessed by employees inside a company. Apple Computer, for example, has a huge intranet, according to Curtis. Called AppleLink, it provides employees access to the company's relocation policy; allows the relocation manager to make frequent changes and additions to the policy, saving valuable time; processes relocation expense forms; and transmits information to relocating Apple employees around the world, eliminating the use of much slower mail service.

"Technology is helping us to use our time more effectively," explains Curtis. "Instead of spending hours on administrative tasks, now we can spend that time where it's needed the most--counseling employees."

All of Apple's suppliers, including transportation providers, are online with AppleLink--a requirement of doing business with the company. Curtis says that being online has definitely improved communication, cut costs, and enhanced efficiencies in the entire relocation process.

THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY

Many companies operating online have not yet taken the full ride on the information superhighway. One reason is security. Until better electronic security measures are built into proprietary information, companies are reluctant to make it available for access on the Internet. As security issues clear up, however, it's safe to predict that more information than ever before will be available via the Internet.

With the ever-accelerating electronic market, the business world seems to be moving toward more paperless, checkless, perhaps even faxless transactions. Electronic communication can make it possible for relocation professionals to stay on top of every detail of a move, to shave hours off tasks that used to take days, and cut costs to a fraction of what they used to be.

Of course, successful use of new technology depends on knowing how to manage and maximize it by identifying relocation functions with the best potential for online processing-weighing their attendant cost and time savings and following through with implementation. As relocation moves online, the ultimate result will be a better, faster and more cost-effective process that benefits everyone involved.

Top 10 Cities for Corporate Relocation 1994 - 1996

 1994                     1995                   1996

 1. Chicago               1. Houston             1. Chicago
 2. Atlanta               2. Chicago             2. Houston
 3. Houston               3. Atlanta             3. Atlanta
 4. New York              4. Dallas              4. Dallas
 5. Philadelphia          5. Washington, D.C.    5. New York
 6. Los Angeles           6. Philadelphia        6. Washington, D.C.
 7. Dallas                7. New York            7. San Francisco
 8. Washington, D.C.      8. San Francisco       8. Philadelphia
 9. San Francisco         9. Denver              9. Denver
10. Baltimore            10. Los Angeles        10. Phoenix

Source: PHH Relocation

J. Stephen Mumma is senior vice president, marketing and public relations, for household goods division of Atlas Van Lines, based in Evansville, Ind.