Summary

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Meeting Date
Unknown
Meeting Type
Call
Note Type
Summary
Attendees
Scott Warner, Lisa Law, Jess Foury, Brian Deubner

1. Meeting Summary

I met with UKG to get ahead of next week's product demo and focus specifically on two areas - implementation/support and pricing. The discussion was useful and gave me a clearer picture of how UKG positions its SMB offering, how they would handle rollout, and how they differentiate on service.

From my standpoint, the most relevant takeaway is that UKG is leaning heavily into implementation discipline and post-go-live support as their primary differentiators. Brian walked through a structured launch methodology with clear phases - welcome, requirements, build, test, and go-live - and emphasized that the project is project manager led, highly documented, and designed to avoid surprises at cutover. They also highlighted recorded calls, shared project plans, training, change management support, and dedicated Canadian resources, which is especially relevant given our cross-border complexity.

On pricing, Jess presented a preliminary proposal based on approximately 150 employees across the US and Canada. The proposed cost is $25 PEPM, with a significantly reduced implementation fee of $6,500. They also offered to delay recurring billing until 1/1/2027, which is a meaningful concession if we need time to work through current contracts and implementation timing. The agreement would be for 36 months with pricing locked for that term.

Lisa reinforced that the implementation quality and service model are especially important given prior pain points with our current environment. I noted that my biggest concern remains whether the platform fully supports the functionality HR needs and whether UKG can truly deliver the level of support they are promising. Based on this conversation, UKG addressed those concerns reasonably well, but the live demo next week will be important to validate fit, usability, and actual configurability.

2. Attendee List

  • Scott Warner
  • Lisa Law
  • Jess Foury
  • Brian Deubner

3. Action Items

  • [Jess Foury] Send follow-up email to Lisa and me with the UKG shared site link, proposal materials, and implementation/support content reviewed in the meeting.
  • [Jess Foury] Upload proposal and supporting implementation materials to the shared UKG website.
  • [Jess Foury] Prepare for next week's in-person demo, with Hebron attending virtually and Jess's manager joining as well.
  • [Lisa Law] Continue discussions with the SawStop HR team regarding timing, alignment, and potential value of moving to the same HCM platform.
  • [Scott Warner] Review the shared UKG materials and proposal once Jess sends the follow-up.
  • [Scott Warner and Lisa Law] Evaluate next week's demo with emphasis on required HR functionality, configurability, security separation across entities, and overall fit.
  • [Scott Warner and Lisa Law] Confirm final module needs, including whether Beacon and Leave are both needed and whether Learning should be included in scope.
  • [Scott Warner and Lisa Law] Consider whether to structure the agreement to accommodate future addition of SawStop and possible volume-based pricing tiers.

4. Relevant Timelines

  • Next week - UKG product demo to be held in person, with Hebron attending virtually.
  • Estimated implementation timeline - approximately 4 to 5 months, with Canada likely being the primary factor that could extend complexity.
  • 1/1/2027 - Proposed start date for recurring PEPM billing under UKG's delayed billing offer.
  • 36-month term - Proposed contract length with pricing locked for the duration.
  • End of 36-month term - 8% increase noted at renewal if extended into another term.
  • Potential future milestone - if implementation goes well, SawStop could potentially be added via addendum effective 1/1 of a future year.

5. Additional Notes

  • UKG emphasized that their SMB product is UKG Ready, distinct from UKG Pro, which they positioned as the enterprise platform used by much larger organizations.
  • Their core message was that they moved downmarket from enterprise rather than upmarket from small business, which they believe helps with complexity, configurability, and compliance needs.
  • The Canadian support point is important. They stated they have a dedicated Canada-based team covering sales, compliance, and service, which directly addresses one of our more complicated requirements.
  • UKG's implementation model includes:
  • Dedicated project manager
  • Shared project plan
  • Requirements and scope signoff
  • Heavy testing, including parallel payroll testing
  • Recorded project calls
  • Self-paced and instructor-led training
  • Change management support and rollout templates
  • UKG represented that support includes:
  • 24x7x365 rapid response for critical issues
  • Dedicated support structure across HR, payroll, workforce management, tax, benefits, talent, scheduling, and analytics
  • Contractual SLAs
  • Online community portal with searchable shared assets, ideas portal, and compliance updates
  • I specifically asked about data visibility and separation between entities. UKG stated the system can be configured so users only see data within their scope, while still maintaining one environment and one login.
  • Lisa noted strong interest in potentially aligning Festool and SawStop on one HCM platform if timing and scope work out, and she sees likely executive appeal in consolidation and simpler reporting.
  • My overall read is that UKG presented well on process and support. The remaining key question is whether the live platform experience next week confirms the promised functionality and fit for our HR and organizational needs.