Graebel helps a new assignee overcome a last-minute housing roadblock
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Graebel helps a new assignee overcome a last-minute housing roadblock

Chris Binding

The Client

Fortune 500 California-based software corporation

  • Employs 20,000 employees worldwide

 

The Challenge

Graebel was managing the household good shipment for a client’s employee relocating from Silicon Valley to Reading, U.K. The company’s relocation policy required the employee to self-manage housing- related services during the two-year assignment. The employee and his spouse were shocked to learn that their bank misplaced a funds transfer on the very day they needed it to secure a long-term rental property.

The couple was in serious jeopardy of forfeiting their rental property given the extremely tight housing market in the Reading area. The client’s formal money management process could not provide the funds in less than 24 hours.

 

“A huge thank you to Graebel’s team in Prague for taking such responsive proactive action on what could have been a potentially awful situation for our employee.”

– Global Mobility Manager, Global Software Company

 

Project Summary

Following an error by the expatriate’s bank, Graebel went beyond the scope of its service arrangement to rush an international payment to secure that expatriate’s long-term housing arrangement that was at risk of being forfeited.

 

The Solution

The client’s global mobility manager contacted Graebel for help. Though the matter was outside the service agreement, Graebel:

  • Assured the manager that the problem would be solved
  • Initiated a rush payment
  • Opened communication between the assignee and Graebel’s operations team in Prague
  • Kept all parties informed about critical next steps and progress
  • Processed the payment in short order, incurring special service fees for which Graebel never sought reimbursement

The time from the initial call to the payment receipt was approximately four hours.

 

The Results

The funds were delivered in time for the expatriate to secure his desired housing. Graebel empowers its industry-expert employees to address and overcome obstacles. Because Graebel team members did not hesitate to work outside the client’s scope of service, the assignee was able to secure the rental property and continue to focus on his new assignment in the U.K.

 

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Chris Binding