Global organizations looking to streamline their payroll processing, among other human resources function, can benefit from cloud-based human capital management services – especially non-profit groups that have cost restrictions and need to limit overhead.

The Salvation Army in Canada, an international non-profit organization, for example, recently implemented SumTotal’s cloud-based services to meet its payroll, benefits and human resources management needs. The organization also chose SumTotal’s Managed Services to provide IT support for its payroll and HR system.

By moving to a cloud-based platform with the support of SumTotal’s HCM and IT experts, the Salvation Army will be able to provide streamlined payroll, benefits and HR services to a larger number of its ministry units while increasing reliability, according to Maisie Wong, assistant financial secretary for The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda.

“Improving the system effectiveness was our first priority, but we also wanted to ensure we did it in a cost-effective manner,” Wong said. “With SumTotal’s Managed Services, we will have access to their expertise for faster and more knowledgeable support.”

The Salvation Army, which began its work in Canada in 1882, has expanded to become the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in the country. The group’s Toronto-based headquarters provides administrative support, including payroll processing for about half of its 11,000 employees, to many of the hundreds of ministry units located in communities across Canada and Bermuda.

The organization also looks to improve efficiency by eliminating many semi-manual processes the organization currently uses to distribute pay stubs and reports to its geographically dispersed employees.

“SumTotal’s Web-based self-service option will allow our employees to securely access their information online instead of us manually creating and emailing PDF files for paystubs,” Wong said. “Also, the enhanced reporting tools will provide managers access to information they need from any location.”

Wong said the group began incrementally moving payroll, benefits and HR functions; by adding the reliability and functionality of SumTotal’s Managed Services and private-cloud solution, the Salvation Army hope to be able to speed up that centralization.

“We understand the unique challenges not-for-profit organizations face with keeping overhead costs as low as possible while still providing payroll and HR services reliably and in compliance with local and federal regulations,” said SumTotal’s CEO John Borgerding. “SumTotal is proud to offer cost-effective human capital management solutions that help organizations like The Salvation Army improve efficiencies and free up limited internal resources so they can focus on their primary mission of helping people in need.”