The Challenge

In the Business Process Management (BPM) industry, which historically experiences high attrition rates, especially in entry-level roles, and where talent readiness, stability, and seamless client delivery are business-critical, onboarding plays a far bigger role than paperwork. It’s the first cultural imprint new hires carry and the moment that determines whether they feel confident, connected, and ready to perform.

For a global BPM organization, this became increasingly difficult to achieve at scale. With employees based across 24 countries and a Gen Z workforce making up 49% of employees, the company set out to create a consistent, personalized, and scalable induction experience as part of their onboarding process. They knew their old induction model wasn’t enough to create connection, engagement, and retention at scale.

As hiring volumes grew and workforce demographics shifted, onboarding began to differ widely across regions and role groups. What new hires experienced in one location often looked very different in another, weakening consistency and brand identity. These gaps weren’t just operational. They directly influenced candidate confidence, day-one productivity, and long-term retention — all of which are vital in a high-performance services environment.

Previously, the organization relied on an in-person induction model that worked locally but didn’t scale globally. When the pandemic accelerated a shift to a digital LXP, the experience became even more fragmented. The platform lacked interactivity, cultural depth, and local relevance, leaving many new hires uncertain about expectations, values, and ways of working. Across the organization, teams felt the strain. Without standardized communication, structured pre-joining touchpoints, or automation, onboarding became resource-heavy for recruiters and managers, and inconsistent for new employees.

The pain points were clear:

1. Inconsistent induction delivery. Two full days of repetitive induction work per hiring batch meant recruiters spent hours on administrative tasks instead of strategic engagement. This created burnout and made it difficult to scale hiring efficiently.

2. Offer dropouts and early attrition. Minimal engagement between offer acceptance and joining led to uncertainty, reduced connection with the brand, and preventable early exits — directly affecting workforce planning and leadership pipeline stability.

3. Fragmented experiences with no unified brand voice. Each region followed a different onboarding approach, resulting in inconsistent cultural messages and a lack of shared identity. New hires struggled to understand WNS’s values and flat-hierarchy culture, delaying assimilation and productivity.

4. Limited or no pre-joining engagement. Without structured communication before Day 1, candidates arrived with unanswered questions, low preparedness, and variable confidence, weakening their immediate connection to the company.

5. IT approval delays and Day-1 technology readiness issues. In many cases, devices and system access were not ready on the first day. This created frustration among new hires and left them unproductive during their first week, impacting overall employee experience and team deliverables.

6. Complicated compliance processes. Manual form submissions, multiple touchpoints, and non-standardized documentation made early-stage compliance slow, error-prone, and stressful for both candidates and HR teams.

The Solution

To redesign onboarding at scale, the organization partnered with Applied AI company Phenom to build a unified induction experience that was globally consistent, locally personalized, and powered with automation. Instead of fragmented processes and manual communication, the goal was to give every new hire a clear, engaging, and culturally aligned journey from the moment they accepted the offer.

By automating candidate communications and providing a centralized engagement platform through Phenom Onboarding, the organization streamlined candidate engagement through timely updates, enabling the recruiter to engage with candidates' basic insights from Phenom usage. The platform centralized communication, automated repetitive tasks, and gave HR Shared Services teams a single place to guide, monitor, and support candidates. Whether someone joined in Manila or Mumbai, their first touchpoints now carried the same clarity, warmth, and connection.

"The simplicity stood out," said their global head of organizational effectiveness, learning & development and belongingness. "It's a clean interface focused on induction, flexible enough to tailor journeys for different geographies, job levels, and business units."

A Research-led Foundation

Rather than moving straight into rollout, they first invested deeply in understanding the existing induction experience with Phenom. Together, they conducted one of the largest internal studies of its kind, engaging over 2,000 employees through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and workshops. This helped uncover what new hires truly valued, where they felt lost, and how culture was being experienced across different markets.

These insights directly shaped the structure of the new onboarding journeys. Instead of relying on fixed personas, the content was thoughtfully divided across four key dimensions: global, geography-based, business unit-specific, and joining-stage based. This ensured that every communication balanced global consistency with local relevance while also addressing what to amplify, what to improve, and how to better support employees at each stage of their journey.

Designing the Experience

Using the research as a blueprint, Phenom helped the organization redesign onboarding end-to-end with the following key components and benefits:

Automated messages replaced manual follow-ups

Phenom Onboarding centralizes all new joiner communication into a single platform, enabling HR Shared Services teams to track each hire's status in real time and trigger automated messages at key milestones. Using no-code workflow builders, HR professionals can create custom processes and set up automated reminders. This replaced the manual follow-up work that previously consumed two full days per hiring batch, freeing HR Shared Services to focus on strategic engagement rather than repetitive administrative outreach.

For the company's global operations across 24 countries, the platform enabled multi-channel communication through personalized emails, SMS, and WhatsApp messages. This was particularly important for mobile-first markets like India, Philippines, and South Africa. Hiring managers receive timely reminders about important milestones and access tools that streamline team introductions, ensuring consistent communication and manager outreach before Day 1 across all regions.

A conversational chatbot handled routine queries and guided candidates through FAQs

The company leveraged its internal chatbot, integrated within the onboarding experience, to provide self-service support for new joiners. This chatbot was configured with a knowledge base containing information that new hires need most frequently: guidance on compliance processes, document requirements, salary clarifications, benefits information, and Day 1 logistics. By enabling new joiners to find answers independently, the chatbot deflected routine queries from HR Shared Services teams.

The self-service approach empowered new hires while reducing administrative burden. New employees gain confidence through relevant information, connections, and learning resources. They access self-service support exactly when needed and develop a clear understanding of role expectations and success metrics. This allowed HR Shared Services to focus on complex cases and high-value interactions rather than answering the same questions repeatedly.

Personalized reminders ensured forms, tasks, and training were completed on time

Phenom's platform automated new joiner communications with intelligent nudges and milestone-based reminders. Rather than HR Shared Services manually tracking and following up on pending actions, the system sent personalized reminders prompting new hires to complete their tasks on time. New hires move through a structured, personalized experience with milestone nudges, early introductions, and all the information they need, on any device.

The platform provided real-time visibility to HR Shared Services on engagement and communication status. Hiring managers can track progress, spot bottlenecks, and proactively support new hires from day one rather than week three. This automated reminder system ensured that new joiners stayed informed and engaged throughout their pre-boarding and onboarding journey without requiring manual intervention from the HR team.

Visual, mobile-friendly content improved clarity and day-one readiness

Phenom Onboarding delivered personalized content through a single, intuitive interface optimized for any device. Each new hire follows a unique path tailored to their role, department, location, and learning style. They are also connected to relevant colleagues, mentors, and communities that match their profiles and interests. Engagement begins immediately after an offer is accepted, with personalized content, community connections, and structured guidance at the new employee's fingertips.

For the company's predominantly Gen Z workforce, this mobile-first approach was essential. The platform's no-code builder allowed them to create role-specific journeys that integrate touchpoints into a single, intuitive interface across their 24 localized onboarding journeys. HR teams build and adapt workflows without IT support. They can launch content, update triggers, and tailor journeys by geography, role type, or business unit, all without touching code. This shift allowed HR Shared Services to focus on meaningful interactions instead of operational tasks while candidates felt supported at every step.

Global Rollout

The redesigned journeys were first piloted in India, the Philippines, and South Africa before being rolled out across other regions. Adoption efforts included short learning videos, enablement sessions, and multi-channel communication, including WhatsApp and SMS in mobile-first markets.

Today, the organization runs three core global onboarding journeys, supported by 24 localized versions tailored to roles, regions, and business units — creating one unified company story delivered in locally relevant ways.

The Results

The impact was immediate and measurable, with results including: 

• 2 days saved performing manual induction tasks (70%+ adoption in the first month)

• 5.5% drop in early attrition within a year

• Consistent brand messaging for new joiners across 24 countries with personalized journeys

• Higher engagement with onboarding chatbot, reducing query load for HR Shared Services

• Faster completion of forms and compliance tasks through automated nudges and reminders

By eliminating two whole days of manual induction work, HR Shared Services were freed to focus on high-value interactions, while new hires described the experience as "world-class" with an onboarding interface that made them feel welcome from the very first day. One new hire shared, "My experience during this process has been excellent so far. I liked the fact that your company offers its new hires an opportunity by providing a glimpse into its community."

The Future

The journey doesn’t stop here. "We’re exploring an AI-powered onboarding buddy, an assistant that can answer questions, nudge completions, and personalize communication," their global head shared. "It’s about making onboarding as warm, seamless, and human as possible."