When was the last time you bought a major appliance without checking its ratings first? Or saw a new doctor without a referral from someone you trust? The fact is, we value third-party recommendations because they help ensure more positive outcomes—and that’s certainly true when it comes to relocation-related suppliers.
After all, employee relocations are complex, costly and stressful under ideal circumstances. But when the suppliers we depend on—movers, real estate agents, mortgage companies—drop the ball, things can get even worse.
Now, most relocation companies offer their clients networks of preferred suppliers. And generally (with some big exceptions) this saves everyone time, money and frustration. Understanding how these networks work—and what to look out for—will ensure smoother, happier, more cost-effective relocations for you and your employees.
When a relocation company truly screens its suppliers, it spares its clients’ employees the time-consuming process of researching suppliers, obtaining multiple quotes, creating spreadsheets, etc.
Take UrbanBound’s vetted supplier network. We collect ongoing feedback from our clients’ recently-relocated employees to verify that they were pleased with our suppliers’ performance. In other words, we do the legwork—saving employees hours of time, and verifying the quality of our network, too.
One more thing: because UrbanBound’s solution is software-based, employees save even more time when requesting, say, moving quotes. They can it right from our portal, by completing some basic information—just once—and providing it to multiple movers with a few clicks. Voila!
Ideally, your relocation company not only screens its suppliers but has discounted pricing arrangements in place. That’s how we do it: our vendors agree to lower rates in return for higher volumes of business.
For example, the UB Mortgage Solution connects employees with top lenders that not only offer discounted mortgage rates but lower closing fees. If your relocation policy covers employees’ closing costs, this won’t just save employees money—it will save you money, too.
However: buyer beware. Not all relocation companies obtain supplier discounts. In fact, some old-school firms actually add commissions—called “markups”—on top of supplier fees. In fact, that’s how they make most of their profits!