Building a digital future for settlement services

Over the past 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of working across a wide range of sectors — non-profit, public and private. This journey has taken me through various executive roles in large regional, national and multinational organizations, where I’ve led cross-functional teams in technology, sales and business operations. These experiences have not only shaped my professional expertise but also deepened my commitment to leveraging technology to bridge gaps and make a meaningful impact on the lives of others. 

Immigrating to Canada illuminated the often-overlooked challenges that newcomers face when trying to access essential services and programs, especially in a landscape where modern technology is not universally accessible. This journey made me acutely aware of the barriers that can stand in the way of successful settlement — barriers that are compounded when digital tools and resources are lacking or unfamiliar. 

The experience underscored the critical need for innovative solutions that bridge the gap between newcomers and the support systems designed to help them. It became clear to me that without modern, accessible technology, many are left struggling to navigate complex systems, missing out on vital services that could significantly enhance their integration and well-being. This realization has fueled my passion for leveraging technology to create more inclusive and efficient pathways for newcomers, ensuring that everyone can thrive in their new home. 

Digital transformation: Our focus 

When I joined the Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC) as CIO, modernization was my first order of business. Thus began a digital transformation journey that has taken the better part of four years. 

I focused this exercise on three primary areas: 

• Business support. How do we ensure that our business operations are resilient, scalable and adaptable to meet the evolving demands of our industry? We needed to implement and maintain comprehensive IT support structures that not only resolve day-to-day technical issues but also proactively address emerging challenges. By aligning our operational strategies with our business objectives, we create a foundation that supports sustained growth and enables us to respond effectively to changes in the sector. 

• IT excellence. How do we ensure that our technology infrastructure, applications, security posture and core IT operations are not only up to industry standards but also positioned to drive the long-term success of our business? Achieving IT excellence means continuously evaluating and upgrading our technology stack, including applications, networks and data management systems. 

• Innovation. How do we harness the power of innovation to drive digital transformation within our organization? We recognized early on the need for innovation. This required adopting leading-edge technologies that improve our business processes and enhance customer engagement. This is where digital transformation came into play, we identified key areas for innovation, including the need for a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, a robust finance enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution and the expansion of our human resources information system (HRIS). 

Stakeholder alignment: A must-have 

While it is clear to me as a CIO to build a comprehensive technology strategy, the key to success is ensuring the alignment, communication, buy-in and active participation of the executive leadership and senior management teams. To achieve this, we must prioritize several critical areas: 

• Conducting strategic alignment workshops, where key stakeholders are brought together to discuss and agree on priorities, goals and the role of technology in driving the organization’s success. 

• Regular meetings with executive leadership and senior management are critical to providing updates on the technology strategy, discussing challenges and gathering feedback. 

• Involving key stakeholders early in the planning process, ensuring that their insights and concerns are addressed. 

• Presenting a clear and compelling business case that highlights the proposed technology initiatives’ benefits, risks, and return on investment will help you gain their support. 

• Demonstrating quick wins and measurable progress can build confidence and momentum. 

• Continuous engagement and involving leadership in key decision points will reinforce their commitment and ownership of the strategy. 

• Also, creating opportunities for leaders to be directly involved in key initiatives, such as pilot programs or innovation projects, can foster ownership and commitment to the strategy’s success. 

And this journey doesn’t end — it’s ongoing. With the pace and rate of technology change, evolution continues. The key is having a plan, and executing the plan, but also ongoing communication alignment. Communication is not only with the executive leadership team but also across the organization so that service staff members are aware of what’s coming, why we’re doing certain things and the benefits that we’re going to realize through this digital transformation. 

Vendor relationships: A key ingredient 

Building strong, trusted relationships with vendors is essential to any digital transformation journey, including our own. As an organization, we must acknowledge that keeping pace with the rapid evolution of technology on our own is increasingly challenging. Over the past few years, I have assessed our vendor partnerships to identify those that not only align with our strategic objectives but also possess the capability to drive our future growth. By consolidating our vendor base and fostering deep trust with select partners, we strategically position ourselves for sustained success. 

A critical component of our approach involved transparent communication of our strategy, vision and aspirations. The more our vendor partners understand our goals and desired outcomes, the more effectively they can support and enhance our initiatives. Engaging with trusted vendors provides my team with valuable insights into emerging technologies and capabilities, enriching our knowledge base and creating opportunities for professional development. 

We are also shifting our focus from relying on generalists to partnering with specialists. For example, when working with a networking or telecom vendor, we concentrate on building trust and leveraging that relationship to deepen our team’s expertise. Also, we seek to maximize the value of the training and resources provided by our vendors. 

Close collaboration with these vendors is paramount. It ensures they are fully aligned with our overall strategy. With a roster of trusted vendors in place, my focus has now turned to rigorous contract management. This involves executing all vendor engagements with precision, ensuring we derive maximum value — both in terms of skill development and financial returns. Through careful contract management, we can make informed investments and optimize our spending. 

In my experience, strong vendor relationships lead to greater support and added value. Our trusted partners are invested in our success and eager to contribute to it. By sharing our strategy with these core vendors and actively seeking their input, we can identify potential gaps and opportunities. This collaborative approach is accelerating our digital transformation journey. 

Our outcomes…and next steps 

A year into our digital transformation journey, we successfully launched a tailored CRM solution, NewTrack. While we explored off-the-shelf options, we ultimately chose to develop a custom CRM specifically designed for the Settlement sector. Built on the robust Microsoft Dynamics and PowerApps platform, NewTrack exceeded expectations, leading to the creation of a new entity, NewTrack Solutions Inc., to bring this innovative solution to market. 

We have also deployed a new finance ERP system and are actively expanding our HRIS solution to further streamline our operations. 

The next phase of our journey will prioritize cloud migration with a focus on strengthening our security postures and deploying modern, robust and scalable applications that align with our long-term objectives. This critical transition will lay a solid foundation for our future evolution and sustained growth.

Parm Sandhu is an accomplished technology leader with proven success in technology & solution implementation and business transformation initiatives for clients across North America, Europe and Asia. For more than 20 years, Parm has been working in the technology sector and has become well-versed in working with organizations across various sectors – non-profit, public and private. During this time he has held executive positions in large regional, national and multi-national organizations and has led cross-functional technology, sales and business teams. Over the last few years, Parm has been leading the Digital Transformation initiatives at ISSofBC with a focus on business transformation and modernization.