Business Sherpa Group and Humi: helping Canadian SMBs thrive with expert-driven solutions

Business Sherpa Group (BSG) is the one-stop-shop for outsourced business operations support for small and medium-sized businesses across Canada. Founded as an HR consulting practice in 2008 by Margo Crawford, BSG has since added accounting, finance, managed recruitment, and executive solutions to its suite of services.

An HR technology partner to complement BSG’s services

When it came time to transition away from an internal HRIS solution in 2023, they focused their search around mid-market Saas providers.

For BSG’s CEO, Todd Luckasavitch, and HR Lead, Laura Gauley, the importance of partnering with a powerful HR technology software was twofold: they needed a robust solution they could trust for their own HR needs and confidently offer to clients as part of their services.

“We wanted the quality, intuitiveness, and capabilities of the software to represent us because we implement and manage the system for our clients. We facilitate a lot of the HR processes, and we didn’t want the technology to impact the quality of our services,” Todd explains.

An intuitive, easy-to-use, Canadian technology solution

Among the solutions BSG considered were Bamboo and Rippling, but Humi was already high on their list when shopping. Having worked in HR for over 20 years, Humi wasn’t new to Todd and Laura, and they knew that some clients already had success with Humi in the past.

“I looked at the investment that Humi was putting into the technology, features, and client services and liked where they were focusing their priorities,” Todd says.

Plus, Humi stood out when it came to delivering the HR features their clients needed.

“Humi is very intuitive and simple to use. Working with clients daily, we understand their needs — often even better than they do. When we compared different systems, Humi just really encompassed most of everything we needed,” Laura says.

And, given their work with many national associations and NGOs, having a Canadian technology partner was essential to BSG.

“Partnering with a Canadian company was really important for us because we wanted our clients to know that we’re sticking to the promise we’ve always had: prioritizing having our systems, servers, and documents in Canada.”

A trusted software for their clients

Effectively managing the transition was crucial. Todd and Laura needed full confidence in the product when communicating the change to their clients' boards and employees, because clients trust BSG’s expertise. 

Todd shares the way they communicated the news with their customers:

“We’re advancing as an organization and evolving our services and solutions. Humi is an integral part of that as our HR technology partner. Our services are enhanced thanks to Humi and the features they provide.” 

Ultimately, no clients opposed the change. Some, already familiar with Humi, embraced it.

“We had clients that previously used and really liked Humi. When we said we were moving to Humi, they were very happy.”

A streamlined HR process

Since transitioning to Humi, feedback from BSG’s clients has been positive.

“For clients, Humi is user-friendly, visually pleasing, and easier to understand. From an administrative perspective, the all-in-one approach has been a game changer in managing an organization’s HR. The system has really streamlined our processes,” Laura says.

Laura especially values how straightforward and efficient the implementation workflow is.

“Onboarding clients is a seamless process. Humi’s data integration setup is user-friendly, and offers different ways to enter information. With other tools, there’s only one way to do it. It saves us hours.”

A partnership built on mutual success

The most valuable aspect of BSG’s partnership with Humi is fostering a relationship where both teams support each other’s success.

“We really liked that Humi was very interested in partnering with us. We saw early on that you were dedicated to working with us on continuously developing the partnership and exploring different initiatives.”

Laura collaborates closely with Matthew Beiler, Humi’s Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships, on their partnership strategy and is excited for their upcoming initiatives.

“The partnership with Matthew has been really valuable. It’s not a constant upsell. He’s committed to exploring how we can partner in a way that’s beneficial for both of us.”

And it’s not only the partnership initiatives that impress BSG, but the dedication to service and product improvement. From sales to customer support, they have a dedicated team who understands them, their clients, and their needs.

“When I contact Humi, I know who I’m talking to. I tell clients they have a go-to person who truly knows their business — a core value we emphasize in our own services and appreciate in our partnership.”