When your company exists to move people from point A to point B, what do you do when, overnight, people stop moving?
Donna DiGiovanni, Vice President, Global Business Development
“You pivot,” suggests Donna DiGiovanni, Vice President of Global Business Development of XONEX Relocation, “You think deeply about your clients’ needs and you find new ways to meet them. On the surface, our goal is to help clients relocate talent. When you dig a little deeper, however, we exist to help companies bring talent to the place where the work needs to be done in a safe and secure manner.”
During a global pandemic, safety and security become a top priority. During the past year, XONEX’s focus shifted from moving whole families into permanent locations to helping individuals find temporary accommodations when these employees needed to be onsite. “Needless to say, businesses had concerns around mobility during the past 12 months. Some of our clients, however, had no choice but to bring employees onsite for a specific period of time,” DiGiovanni explained. “Under normal circumstances, our team is committed to delivering exceptional quality care. During the pandemic, we had to go above and beyond. We helped our travelers find PPE, navigate mobility restrictions, understand testing procedures, and supported them every step of the way. Our clients appreciated it and we saw it in our quality scores. They were some of the highest we have ever seen.”
From logistics muscle to relocation management
Founded over 25 years ago, XONEX started as a complementary business to Holman Moving Systems, a century-old household goods logistics company. Originally focused heavily on relocation expense tracking, XONEX quickly expanded to a full-service, global relocation management firm, offering a full suite of corporate relocation services, including home sale programs, lump-sum programs, global assignments, and everything in between. They use state-of-the-art technology to manage the entire process – they were even the first in the industry to have a mobile app – and they were recently recognized as one of the Five Best Relocation Companies of 2021. In March, XONEX also secured a top 5 spot on HRO today’s 2021 Baker’s Dozen Survey for Customer Satisfaction.
“Often, we are the first impression that a company makes on their new hire, so our clients depend on us to be ambassadors for their company, as well as experts in the relocation process,” DiGiovanni explained. “With 25 years in the relocation business and 135 years in the moving industry, XONEX leadership has seen it all. While the objects that people move may have changed over the years, the emotions surrounding a move have not. Sure, no one needs to move their turntable, CDs, and VCRs anymore. But they still care about safety, their neighbors, and if there is a place nearby to walk their dog.”
Certification creates opportunity
XONEX is certified by WBENC as a woman-owned business and has gone through the recertification process every year since 2005. In Why Supplier Diversity Matters, a XONEX white paper, XONEX shares the value of certification, “More people than ever are committed to making supplier diversity networks work, not necessarily because it gives one group more opportunity over another, but because it connects large corporations with smaller suppliers that they may otherwise never encounter in a traditional circle.” DiGiovanni recommends certification to every diverse business, “Now is the time. We’ve benefitted from introductions to potential clients, networking programs, and educational seminars. Inclusion is not a program with a poster on the wall anymore. Large companies want to support diverse businesses, and certification makes it easier to find them.”
XONEX is listed on Coupa’s Diverse Business Directory. To learn more about the Diverse Business Directory and certification, visit Coupa Suppliers Diverse Business Certification Hub.