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Gentherm is the global market leader in innovative thermal management and pneumatic comfort technologies for the automotive industry. After Gentherm’s founding in 1991, they expanded their reach to healthcare to offer premium patient temperature management systems. Now, the company boasts locations in 13 countries and over 18,000 employees worldwide.
Gentherm initially used a single payroll software across their entire organization. But their one-size-fits-all approach grew increasingly complex and prone to error, often requiring manual corrections.
Katie Redding, Senior Manager of Global Technology and Payroll, decided it was time for a full-scale system switch. First up? Finding a new vendor for the US.
Knowing that the rollout in the States could set a precedent for every region, her team embarked on an in-depth search for the best payroll system. They needed a tool that fit their firm budget but still offered the same robust capabilities as the most premium options on the market.
But the process proved to be a heavy lift. Instead of finding answers, Katie’s team fielded sales pitches. While every vendor promised helpful advice, it was hard to figure out which ones truly aligned with their company goals. The answer was obvious: If Gentherm wanted to cut through the noise and find a solution matching their criteria, they needed to call in reinforcements.
That’s when Katie’s boss recommended OutSail. OutSail’s deep industry connections and willingness to advocate for Gentherm’s needs were instant green flags. Katie was in.
“Our team was very invested in picking a new vendor and knew it would be high-stakes. But we didn’t want to just go with the first solution that sounded good — we needed someone to show us the way.”
Katie says that OutSail “greased the wheels” at every stage of their HR upgrade. Thanks to OutSail’s comprehensive vendor assessment resources, insider connections, and deal-making chops, Gentherm got a new payroll system up and running in the US in just six months.
To facilitate this fast turnaround, OutSail provided Katie’s team with a shortlist of 12 options right after onboarding. The list objectively compared each vendor on key factors like price, size match, analytics capabilities, and pros and cons. “The shortlist made our options astoundingly clear,” Katie says. “Plus, it saved us so much time by instantly eliminating the tools that wouldn’t work with our budget.”
With this newfound clarity, Katie’s team used OutSail’s personal connections to set up meaningful conversations and demos with the top contenders. Then, OutSail acted as a sounding board during post-meeting debriefs, allowing Katie’s team to run every idea or concern past them.
OutSail’s deep sensitivity to Gentherm’s needs and expectations also came in handy during negotiations. With OutSail there to help level set, Katie’s team worked with their vendor to implement their new payroll system at lightning speed. Best of all, the new system is efficient and error-free with all the bells and whistles Gentherm needs to support their American workforce.
“When talking to vendors, you have to walk a fine line between asking questions and showing too many of your cards. Fortunately, we could be completely honest with OutSail about our needs and pain points, making it much easier to find out what we needed to know.”
By partnering with OutSail, Gentherm efficiently evaluated every option, negotiated a speedy implementation, and onboarded an ideal — and in-budget — United States payroll vendor.
The results speak for themselves:
Looking ahead, Katie is eager to see how the new system supercharges Gentherm’s payroll function and enables her team to better show up for their employees. And because the first system overhaul was such a success, Katie’s team has since contracted the same OutSail-recommended vendor to support their Mexican offices.
“Working with OutSail meant that we never had to make any concessions. Our new payroll system has every feature we ever wanted at the best value.”
