How Commissionaires Modernized Their Operations With Criterion

As a prominent security provider based in Canada, offering guarding and security services across every province, Commissionaires had a lot of data to manage. Likewise, they had a lot of complexity to contend with. By 2021, Commissionaires branches across Canada began updating their operations.

They needed a solution that would efficiently handle their employee data and scheduling demands while also providing key financial insights into how these areas impact their bottom line.

Today, several Commissionaires organizations leverage Criterion’s powerful integration capabilities to utilize all the strengths of their custom tech stack — combining Sage Intacct, Criterion, and TrackTik to manage operations for several locations and customers more effectively than ever before.

Challenges

With their previous system, Commissionaires faced significant challenges around HR, Payroll, billing, and scheduling workflows. By the start of the evaluation, many branches were using an array of different platforms to manage their operations (such as Microsoft Dynamics GP, I-Series and Quickbooks for accounting and payroll, Oracle Workforce and Bamboo for scheduling and some HR tasks).

While these different solutions were helpful for some workflows across the provinces— this setup simply couldn’t help Commissionaires continue to grow. At the same time, these systems were poorly connected, leading to fragmented data sharing and inefficient processes.

What’s more, the lack of seamless API connections made for a haphazard approach to data management. Payroll and HR tasks were cumbersome, requiring manual adjustments and interventions to ensure data accuracy. Managing guard schedules and time and attendance records required double-checking different systems. Plus, they had no way to provide comprehensive financial insights, making it difficult to calculate the true cost of labor and operations.

Commissionaires needed a more robust system capable of handling extensive information and connecting key systems to manage employee schedules, payroll, labor cost allocation, and more.

The Solution

Through partnership with Vision 33 (a leading global technology provider) Commissionaires organizations across Canada — including those in Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, and New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island — developed a unique solution to meet their specific needs. A central part of that solution is Criterion: a best-in-class human capital management (HCM) software system designed to streamline HR, payroll, and talent engagement initiatives at scale.

Criterion’s open API integration allowed Commissionaires to build their ideal tech stack, comprising:

• Criterion for HCM: Serving as the HR system of record, managing employee data, time tracking, applicant tracking, learning management, payroll, and benefits.
• Sage Intacct for ERP: Acting as the financial core, handling accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger updates, project management, sales, invoicing, and billing.
• TrackTik for Scheduling: Providing flexible guard schedules as well as managing time and attendance records, patrol management, customer portals, and some customer contracts.

With a seamless API integration between these platforms, Commissionaires streamlined operations and achieved complete synchronization of key data.

“The system is robust and is able to contain vast amounts of information.” 

Results

Since using Criterion in conjunction with Sage Intacct and TrackTik, Commissionaires branches all over Canada have been able to achieve more than ever.

Integrating Sage Intacct and Criterion for Labor Allocation

Commissionaires operates across several locations, each serving different customers — and many customers have multiple locations of their own. To manage their operations efficiently and provide security services to all customers, Commissionaires assigns unique codes to each location, project, and task in Sage Intacct. This integration ensures that as soon as an employee is hired or assigned a task, the information is reflected across both systems, enhancing operational efficiency and financial oversight.

More specifically, when a new job is created in Sage Intacct, the information is fed back to Criterion to ensure precise labor tracking and cost allocation. For instance, employees may log their time in Criterion against specific projects imported from Sage. This time tracking data then factors automatically into payroll. Then, after each payroll cycle, Criterion generates all GL data, which is then fed back to Sage Intacct for verification and reporting. This seamless process allows Commissionaires to know the fully burdened cost of each employee, including wages and benefits, tied to specific projects and tasks. It also provides essential data for understanding labor cost allocation and service charges that will help each branch or division remain profitable.

Commissionaires can use this integration for position management, allowing them to hire only according to what’s needed. By sending data to accounting for approval and ensuring only authorized positions are filled, they maintain tight control over labor costs and budget adherence.

Integrating TrackTik and Criterion for Improved Scheduling

The integration between TrackTik and Criterion has significantly improved scheduling processes for Commissionaires. Employee data, including certifications, skills, and time off requests, are seamlessly updated across both platforms. This synchronization ensures that only qualified and available employees are scheduled for specific tasks.

For example, if an employee lacks the skills to handle a firearm, they cannot be scheduled as an armed guard. Similarly, if an employee doesn’t have a driver’s license they can’t be scheduled for a job that requires them to operate a vehicle.

With Criterion as the system of record for this employee data, scheduling rules and logistics can be automatically configured in TrackTik. It also provides greater insight into which employees are best suited for certain positions, locations, and tasks. This enhances both operational efficiency and compliance in scheduling and admin work.

“The ESS [Employee Self Service]…provides a ‘one stop’ area for all your information.”

The integration also supports geofencing and time tracking permissions, preventing employees from logging time when they are not scheduled or not in the correct location. However, Criterion’s employee self-service and mobile app functionality makes it easier for a multi-location organization like Commissionaires to remain flexible. Employees can clock in at new job locations from their phones without needing to access an official computer or kiosk.

A Complete API Connection

A significant advantage of Criterion is the open API, which allows for seamless data transmission with any third-party application. This flexibility enables organizations to integrate Criterion with any existing system, ensuring data accuracy across platforms with no delays or need for manual synchronization.

For Commissionaires, this integration has been crucial in creating a cohesive tech stack that includes Criterion, Sage Intacct, and TrackTik. However, the benefits of Criterion’s open API extend far beyond this specific use case.

Many nonprofits, for example, use Sage Intacct to manage grant allocation, while construction and distribution companies often rely on Microsoft Dynamics for similar purposes. By connecting Criterion HCM with these systems, organizations can track employee, payroll, and labor data against projects, generating powerful financial reports that provide deep insights into their operations.

Criterion also allows you to completely configure the platform to your needs — no heavy technical team required. We provide access to all the backend tables, allowing you to set up unique rules for payroll, HR, and talent engagement processes. This flexibility ensures that Criterion can adapt to the diverse and evolving requirements of different industries.

Robust Payroll, HR, and Talent Engagement Functionality

While our clients may purchase any individual Criterion module, there’s a reason so many Commissionaires branches we serve use all three modules. Criterion HCM excels at complicated HR processes other platforms simply can’t accommodate very well, including:

• Union Payroll Rules: Managing complex payroll requirements for unionized workforces, ensuring compliance with all regulations, including variable wage rates and collective bargaining agreements.
• Multi-State and Multi-Country Payroll: Handling payroll processes across various jurisdictions with ease and juggles multiple wage rates within the same distributed workforce.
• Streamlined Recruiting: Facilitating  efficient interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and ongoing training processes — helping you nurture employees from day one.
• Background Check Integrations: Integrating with background check services like Verified Credentials to streamline pre-employment screening and save results for review with other stakeholders.
• Custom Communication Workflows: Creating tailored workflows to enhance internal and external communications and task management.
• Continuous Growth: Utilizing a pod-style structure, Criterion’s unified cloud database always expands to accommodate the ever-increasing data requirements of your organization.

Dedicated Customer Support

In addition to its robust features, Criterion offers exceptional customer support. Our team of dedicated customer support representatives is always ready to assist you in making the most of our software. We provide constant updates, new features, compliance reviews, and intelligent support to ensure your organization remains efficient and compliant.

Get More From Your Digital Infrastructure With Criterion HCM

Commissionaires’ success story demonstrates the transformative impact of Criterion’s open API integration capabilities. By leveraging Criterion HCM with Sage Intacct and TrackTik, Commissionaires have achieved greater efficiency, visibility, and cost control.

At Criterion, we specialize in putting your people at the center of your operations, no matter your industry. Our HCM solution is certified to handle all HR, payroll, and talent management functionality across the United States, the UK, and every province in Canada — including Quebec. Whether you need help with multi-state payroll, labor cost allocation, advanced reporting, or streamlined recruiting, Criterion is your ideal HCM solution.

Ready to transform your operations like Commissionaires did? Book a demo today to discover how Criterion can become the cornerstone of your HCM strategy.