In This Issue:

• Interview with New Outsourcing Customer, Somerford Corporation
• Year-end Services
• My Cash Card
• Current Release
• Press Corner
• Training Options
• Upcoming Events

Genesys e-Insight recently had an opportunity to talk with Judy Huber, Vice President of Finance and Administration for Somerford Corporation, a leading provider of Assisted Living and Alzheimer's Care residences located throughout California, Delaware and Maryland. At Somerford, "each resident has a rich history that provides them with a sense of self-worth. They held a significant place within their circle or community, and very often they had a special talent...even a passion." This philosophy towards service and patient care carries throughout all of Somerford's endeavors.

Somerford recently became a client of Genesys HRMS outsourcing services including payroll tax filing. e-Insight interviewed Judy to learn more about their selection of Genesys and her experiences so far.

e-Insight: What were the business drivers behind the decision to seek a new service solution?

Judy Huber: At Somerford, our philosophy focuses on high quality customer care and meeting the unique needs of our residents. This service philosophy has made Somerford successful. Until recently we worked with a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) for our payroll needs. But in October of 2001 we doubled in size through acquisition. At that point, we realized that we needed an alternative that would give us more control over our information. We wanted an integrated HR and Payroll solution. We had no HR capabilities with the PEO and were relying only on their payroll system. We asked Idalee DiGregorio, our Director of Human Resources, to establish the criteria and spearhead this effort. She did a fabulous job on our end taking us through the conversion process.

e-Insight: Can you describe your selection process and why Somerford chose Genesys?

Judy Huber: With assisted living, one of our largest costs is in salary and benefits. Rather than bringing everything in-house, we wanted to find a company who could offer outsourcing via web hosting as we wanted to avoid the need for managing a hardware infrastructure. As well, we were seeking a vendor who shared our philosophy of customer service. We need to provide the same level of caring and services to our frontline staff as we do our residents. We also wanted to establish a long-term relationship with the vendor we chose.

We considered a number of vendors both large and small, we pared it to three, and out of the three - although Genesys was not the lowest cost - the relationship felt right. One vendor was too big and we didn't see that we would receive customized individual service. Others did not have enough experience with web-based software or had not been in business long enough. Genesys listened and tailored the discussions to our needs. Genesys conducted one of the demonstrations remotely, but despite the fact that it was not face-to-face, we felt more of a connection. The demo was great and showed off the technical knowledge of the presenters - we were impressed by that. We need to be efficient due to our size. We liked the Genesys system and felt confident since it had been in place for awhile and was well established. The longevity of Genesys was also key. We felt that what we got would be worth our investment.

e-Insight: So far, how has the experience been for Somerford? Have there been any surprises in your move to outsourcing? Have you seen any benefits from your decision? If so, what?

Judy Huber: Genesys has been very helpful to us with our challenges of going from a PEO in establishing accounting routines that were not already in place. Particularly helpful were Mark Bosco and Jim Gangi of Genesys Accounting and Tax Filing departments. They have been very gracious, helping us establish procedures to handle cash transactions and tax structure. This help was surprising and welcomed. These are things we would have had to address regardless of the vendor chosen. From Idalee's perspective, she raves about responsiveness especially given the time of year. Stephanie Sutherland, implementation manager for Genesys, bent over backwards, saying "we're going to do it no matter what it takes." Anytime you establish a new relationship you ask yourself if they'll come through, Genesys has come through with exactly what you said you'd do.

e-Insight: What other vendors did you consider in your search?

Judy Huber: Our finalists included ADP and Century Business Services (CBIZ), in addition to Genesys.

e-Insight: Do you have any tips or ideas you'd like to share with other organizations that may be looking to make a change to outsourcing?

Judy Huber: We were very specific about the cost structure early on so that we could compare and not have any surprises down the road. That worked well for us. This enabled us to be very specific with our Board of Directors. As for a tip, organizations should consider the vendor's philosophy and whether you will be able to forge a long-term relationship. Relationships with the people will make it successful. We have found that large vendors put you through a process that is generic and not tailored to your needs.

About Judy Huber, MBA, CPA
	Judy has been with Somerford over four years from the company's inception. She manages the finance, accounting, and human resources systems for Somerford. Judy has 20 years of progressive management experience, seven of which were with Manor Care. As Director of Finance and Information Resources for the original Arden Courts Alzheimer's Assisted Living team, Judy developed the financial systems and automated the business' integrated Service Management System. Later, she assumed the position of Director of Human Resources for the Assisted Living Operating Division. She also led the development and roll out a moderately priced assisted living product. Judy's last position at Manor Care was as Vice President of Assisted Living Product Development where she managed services and systems shared by the company's three assisted living brands.
About Idalee DiGregorio, SPHR
	Idalee has 10 years of corporate Human Resources experience. From October 1999 until January 2002, Idalee served as the Human Resources Consultant for Somerford while she was the Director of Human Resources for Intraforce, who acted as Somerford's PEO. She joined Somerford's corporate office in February of 2002. She has been a certified professional in Human Resources since 1998 and received her senior professional designation in May 2001. Idalee is the Director of Human Resources for Somerford and has been the project leader for the payroll conversion process taking Somerford from their PEO to a Genesys outsourcing client. Her specialties include management training, team building, employee relations, EEOC claims response, policy development, benefits procurement and administration, and payroll.
About Somerford Corp
	For more information about Somerford Assisted Living and Alzheimer's Care, go to www.somerford.com.

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It's Never Too Early to Consider Outsourcing your Year-End Processes

Now that the aches and woes of completing year-end processing for tax year 2002 are a memory, it's time to relax… for five minutes. If you handled year-end processing in-house, you know firsthand how difficult the procedure can be—it's complicated, labor- and time-intensive, and there's the constant pressure of meeting government regulations. And once it's done, there's very little downtime before beginning the process all over again. One might ask, "Is there a better way?" and with Genesys, the answer is Yes. Genesys offers a full line of options that enable clients to off load their year-end processes. Clients like BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Lands' End and GAB Robbins utilized the various Genesys year-end services in 2002, with positive results. Now's the time to contemplate how to handle the next year-end: on your own, or with professional assistance from Genesys. It's never too early to consider outsourcing any of the following year-end processes to Genesys:

• Year-end Services (YES) Program
• Year-end Forms Service
• Employ-E Tax Service

Year-end Services (YES) Program

The Year-end Services (YES) Program provides laser printing and processing of W-2s, 1099s, and other year-end forms for organizations that need help with these time and resource consuming annual tasks. Genesys pledges punctual delivery of correct year-end payroll forms into employees' (and retirees') hands. With YES, the experts at Genesys will:

• Produce and distribute W-2 and 1099 forms - affordably and on time
  
  
• Laser-print all employees' forms, crisply and clearly, on self-mailers
  
  
• Accept easily formatted output files directly from your payroll system
  
  
• Mail these forms directly to your employees and retirees or, if requested, return the forms to the client for distribution

The Genesys YES Program receives high marks from clients as well. According to repeat client, Mark Sheppie of BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), "I would give Genesys the highest rating on their YES service, more than excellent! I found the service to be very accommodating to my schedule. I received immediate call back, within the hour when I would call with a request or question. Genesys goes out of their way to assist [clients]."

Early-bird Special: Sign up for the YES Program by June 15, 2003 and receive a 5% discount.

Year-end Forms Service

With the Year-end Forms Service, you can purchase Genesys-supported forms directly from us, and maintain in-house control over printing and distribution of your W-2s, 1099s, and other year-end forms. Genesys pledges accurate and timely delivery of forms when ordered within the specified timeframe, enabling you to meet your production deadlines.

Employ-E Tax Service

The Employ-E Tax Service provides online delivery of tax forms through the Genesys self-service application, WEBServe. W-2s and other tax forms are produced in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, which can then be viewed from any desktop, via a browser. Naturally, all online delivery adheres to the strictest security. Benefits to your organization:

• Elimination of postage, forms, and manual labor expenses
• Elimination of rework and costs associated with incorrectly addressed forms
• Reduced/eliminated W-2 related phone support

Genesys Highlights of the 2002 Year-end Season

In 2002, Genesys provided year-end services to many clients. Below are a few highlights.

• Speedy Turn-around: For the YES Program, Genesys advertises a standard turn-around time of seven business days for delivery of completed W-2s. Last year, Genesys frequently exceeded customer expectations by processing most forms well within the seven-day period.
  
  
• Files Verified for Accuracy: Prior to processing, Genesys verifies that the transmission file is in an acceptable format. Occasionally file errors were uncovered and corrected, resulting in a time and cost savings for the client.
  
  
• Last Minute Government Changes: In 2002, the government announced last-minute changes to the format of the W-2 form. As experts in payroll and legislative requirements, we keep abreast of the required changes so clients don't have to. Also, we were able to make the necessary form changes and provide our clients with the correct forms, in a timely manner.

According to the Outsourcing Institute: The top reasons for outsourcing a process are to reduce and control operating costs and to free resources for other purposes.

Genesys Provides the Personal Touch

For the past five years, Katherine Latulippe, Genesys Executive Administrator of Finance, has been heavily involved with the various year-end services offered by Genesys, either through assisting the sales team or through direct client phone contact. Due to Katherine's knowledge and expertise in the year-end procedure, she is able to walk repeat customers through the ordering process quickly and effortlessly. Repeat customers reap the benefits of her understanding of their business; for example, current orders are compared against orders from previous years—any differences are flagged and brought to the attention of the client. Occasionally a client wants to make a change in their ordering process, but most often the client is grateful that Genesys identified a potentially costly and time-consuming error.

For more information on any of the year-end offerings, please contact Katherine Latulippe by telephone (978-685-5400, extension 3146) or email (klatulippe@genesysHCM.com).

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For Genesys outsourcing clients, we would like to announce a breakthrough in the traditional method of delivering payroll to your employees. You've provided printed paychecks for years, then you offered direct deposit... now you can offer the next generation in payroll delivery, the My Cash Card from Genesys.

What is My Cash Card?

The My Cash Card looks and feels like a credit card, but it's actually better, safer, and more convenient. The card is 'plastic cash' that contains an employee's pay period net pay. Genesys provides the cards, which you distribute to employees. The card belongs to the employee as long as he or she works for you. Each card has a unique number that links it to an employee. On payday, the employee's current net pay is added to any existing balance he or she may have. And a bonus for employers is that the My Cash Card helps eliminate employer liability associated with check cashing fraud.

What are the benefits to employees?

• It can be used in place of cash wherever credit and debit cards are accepted: grocery stores, movie theaters, fast food chains, home improvements stores — you name it.
  
  
• Employees can access their take-home pay 24x7, at ATM machines. As they make cash withdrawals and purchases, their balances decline.
  
  
• Eliminates high paycheck cashing fees imposed at various check-cashing establishments. The employee's first transaction of each pay period is free; after that, employees pay a nominal fee for each additional transaction. The fee varies based on ATM location and affiliate.
  
  
• Provides the ability to get 'cash back' when making a purchase. If a store allows, employees can make purchases and then ask the cashier for $10, $20, or any amount up to their balance, back as cash.
  
  
• It's safer than carrying cash. It's only valid when used with a secret PIN, so if it's lost or stolen, it's useless.
  
  
• Employees don't need a bank account — no savings account, no checking account, nothing. Employees don't even have to visit a bank to receive cash — they can get cash at an ATM machine.
  
  
• It comes with a private monthly/quarterly statement of activity that details all deposits, purchases, ATM withdrawals, etc. Employees will still receive a payroll statement each payday that identifies the number of hours worked, the amount of overtime, etc.
  
  
• The My Cash Card belongs to the employee while he or she is employed by you.

If you have questions, or would like to learn more about the My Cash Card from Genesys, please contact your Account Representative.

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As of April 2, 2003, the latest Genesys release is number 2003-04. This legislative release includes:

• State Withholding: Connecticut
• Tax Filing Interface: Tax Liability Issues Report
• US Year-end Reporting: Year-end Issues Report

Accessing Release Files and Documentation

Within the Customer Connection site is a list of all releases, as well as a list of the corresponding release documentation.

To view release-related information, follow these steps:

1. Access the Customer Connection site
2. Select the appropriate icon (Software Services, Outsourcing Services, GenExpress Services)
3. Provide a User Name and Password

To access the latest release, or prior releases, select release files.
To view the corresponding documentation, select release documentation.

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Listed below are the most recent Genesys press releases; those that have been released since the last issue of e-Insight.

• Genesys Announces Integration and Referral Partnership with Career-Harmony For Employee Assessments. Assessment tools add value to the Genesys PeopleComeFirst Learning and Competency Management System.
  
  
• NetBank, Inc. selects PeopleComeFirst Learning from Genesys for enterprise-wide Learning and Competency Management.
  
  
• Metropolitan Utilities District Selects Genesys for Windows-based HR, Benefits, and Payroll Solution.
  
  
• Questionmark Partners with Genesys to Bring Integrated Competency Assessment and Management to Market.
  
  
• Genesys Sponsors Competency Seminar for New England Chapter of IHRIM.
  
  
• Genesys Appoints Veteran Executive Dukas As New Vice President of Sales and Alliances. Dukas brings to position 10 years of experience in technology for workforce development and human capital management.
  
  
• The March issue of Retail Info Systems News (www.risnews.com) features an article on Genesys customer, Lands' End. This article discusses Lands' End's pleasure with the implementation of PeopleComeFirst Learning. Click here to go to the RISNews.com home page, then select the E-Learning at Lands' End link.

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What's your learning style? Do you prefer an instructor-led classroom setting? Self-paced online courses? Or perhaps web conferencing appeals to you. Whatever your style, Genesys Education Services offers a variety of training options to fit various needs, including:

• Instructor Led Courses: Held at Genesys headquarters.
  
  
• Online Training Courses: Self-paced and accessible from the Genesys Customer Connection site.
  
  
• e-Town Meetings: Brought to you from Genesys headquarters—delivered to your desktop via the Internet.

Instructor-Led Courses

All courses are held at the Genesys Corporate Training Center, Methuen, Massachusetts. Students are urged to register early. Genesys reserves the right to cancel or reschedule classes if required attendance is not met. Genesys Education Services will confirm each offering within 21 days of the scheduled start date.

For information about on-site classes, call your Account Manager at (978) 685-5400. Please keep in mind that classes can also be set up through your local User Group chapter. Training class enrollment forms can also be faxed to (520) 833-1169 or e-mailed to classreg@genesysHCM.com.

Online Training Courses

Online Training Courses are accessible from within the Customer Connection site at any time, day or night. The Customer Connection site is a secure, customer-only area; a User ID and Password are required. Logon and take advantage of the following self-paced topics:

• Adjustments
• Balancing Your Payroll
• Direct Deposit
• Hire a Person
• New Hire Reporting
• Online Check
• Payment History
• Processing Your Payroll
• Quick Query
• SearchAll
• Time Entry
• Transfers & Taxes

e-Town Meeting Schedule

e-Town Meetings are offered on a variety of Genesys-related topics. Be sure to visit the Customer Connection Site often to review the latest list of topics, dates and times. To sign up for any e-Town Meeting, send e-mail to e-Town@genesysHCM.com. Please include the topic, date, and names of people attending.

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Genesys is pleased to be participating at the following conferences and trade events in 2003. We welcome you to visit us at any of them.

Date	Event	Location
April 13-15	Workbrain Velocity 2003	Atlanta, GA
April 29-May 3	APA's 21st Annual Congress	Las Vegas, NV
May 8	Tri-State HR Conference	Cherry Hill, NJ
May 18-20	IHRIM's 2003 Spring Conference & Exposition	Las Vegas, NV
June 22-25	SHRM's 55th Annual Conference & Exposition	Orlando, FL
July 29-31	HRO World	New York, NY
August 6-8	APA Leadership Forum: 2003 Payroll Best Practices	Miami, FL
September 18-19	2003 Pennsylvania Statewide Payroll Conference	Harrisburg, PA
September 22-24	Online Learning 2003 Conference & Expo	Los Angeles, CA
September 28-30	Genesys 23rd Customer Information Exchange	San Francisco, CA
October 8-9	HR Technology's 6th Annual Conference & Expo	Philadelphia, PA

To view additional information about all upcoming events, visit the Genesys Events Page. The event listing provides you with links to the various sponsoring organizations. You are encouraged to visit these sites to learn more about each event.

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