Start With One Move That Stuck With You

• How many employee relocations does your company manage in a typical year? Options: Under 50, 50–100, 101–250, 251–500, 500+
• Think of the last relocation that left a strong impression—briefly describe what happened and why it stuck with you.
• Who was the primary owner of that move inside your organization? Options: Global Mobility, HR/Benefits, People Ops, Talent Acquisition, Line Manager, Facilities/Real Estate, Other
• What was the single biggest pain point in that move (logistics, policy exception, housing market, immigration, home sale, family adjustment, other)? Options: Logistics coordination, Policy exception, Home sale / buyout, Immigration/tax issue, Temporary housing delay, Family/spouse support, Vendor performance, Other
• How did that experience make you feel professionally—frustrated, worried about retention, embarrassed with leadership, relieved it resolved, or something else? Options: Frustrated, Worried about retention, Embarrassed with leadership, Relieved it resolved, Motivated to change, Other
• If you had to name one measurable cost or impact from that move (dollars, days delayed, candidate loss, compliance penalty), what is it?

If Losing Talent During Relocation Isn't 'Normal,' What Is?

• How often do relocated employees resign within 12 months of a move in your organization? Options: >20% of moves, 10–20%, 5–9%, 1–4%, Almost never
• Describe a time a relocation directly caused an employee departure—what were the triggering issues?
• Which roles or levels are most at risk of post-move turnover (senior leaders, individual contributors, engineers, sales, other)? Options: Senior leaders, Mid-level managers, Individual contributors, Engineers/technical, Sales, Other
• What is the estimated annual financial impact of turnover tied to relocation (recruiting, lost productivity, training)? Options: Under $50k, $50k–$250k, $250k–$1M, $1M–$5M, Unknown/not tracked
• When relocation problems happen, how do they typically surface in leadership conversations—are they framed as people issues, financial surprises, compliance concerns, or reputation risk? Options: People/engagement, Financial overrun, Compliance/legal, Reputation with candidates, All of the above, Other
• Who in your leadership team gets most anxious about these losses—and what have they asked you to fix or measure?

Where Your Relocation Policy Is Silently Bleeding Money

• What percentage of relocations require a policy exception today? Options: >30%, 15–30%, 5–14%, <5%, We don't track exceptions
• Walk me through the most common reason you grant an exception and a recent example where that exception became costly.
• Which cost categories most often exceed estimates (home sale buyouts, household goods, temporary housing, tax services, immigration, other)? Options: Home sale / buyout, Household goods, Temporary housing, Tax/immigration, Destination services, Vendor change fees, Other
• Do you maintain rolling data on average cost per move and unresolved buyout liabilities? Options: Yes—detailed and recent, Yes—partial or outdated, No but we should, No and not planned
• Describe one recent relocation where costs surprised you—what went wrong and how was it handled?
• Who is accountable for controlling relocation costs (single owner or shared across HR, finance, mobility)? Options: Global Mobility owns it, HR and Finance share, Finance owns it, No clear owner, Other

Who Really Signs the Check—and Who Gets Blamed?

• If budget authority were a single weak link, where would it be—ambiguous approval thresholds, late signoffs, or surprise approvals after delivery? Options: Ambiguous thresholds, Late signoffs, Surprise approvals post-delivery, Multiple conflicting approvers, None of the above
• List the stakeholders who must approve a managed relocation program (select all that apply). Options: HR Director, Global Mobility Manager, CFO/Finance, Talent Acquisition, Legal/Compliance, Procurement, Business Unit Leader, Other
• On average, how long does it take from initial decision to sign a relocation vendor/commercial agreement? Options: <2 weeks, 2–6 weeks, 6–12 weeks, 3–6 months, 6+ months
• Where do procurement or legal teams typically push back (price, SLAs, insurance, data access, vendor selection)? Options: Price, SLAs, Insurance, Data/privacy, Vendor diversity rules, Other
• Tell me about a procurement or finance constraint that would prevent you from piloting a managed relocation program today.

Compliance Time Bombs: Are You Confident?

• How confident are you that every international or cross-border relocation in the last 24 months was fully compliant with tax and immigration rules? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Unsure, Not confident
• Have you experienced any tax or immigration penalties, audits, or unexpected filings tied to relocations in the last three years? Options: Yes—material, Yes—minor, No, Unknown
• Are there unresolved compliance exposures (back taxes, unpaid filings, missing visas) that you know of today? Options: Yes—multiple, Yes—one or two, No, Unsure
• Who owns compliance tracking for relocations and what tools or processes do they use to prove compliance? Options: Global Mobility team, Finance/Tax team, External tax advisors, HR with external counsel, No formal owner
• If a compliance gap were identified during procurement, what immediate remedy would you expect from a relocation partner? Options: Remediate and indemnify, Provide advisory and tools, Share risk with insurance, No tolerance—must be clean, Other
• Describe one compliance scenario that keeps you up at night—why is it particularly risky for your company?

Imagine a Move That Keeps the Employee and the CFO Happy

• If your ideal relocation program delivered a clear win for both retention and cost control, what single metric would prove success to you? Options: 1-year retention rate, Average cost per move, Net promoter score from assignees, Number of policy exceptions, Time-to-productivity
• What target would you set for that metric (be specific: %, $ amount, score)?
• Besides that primary metric, what secondary KPIs matter (compliance incidents, employee satisfaction, time-to-start, vendor SLAs)? Options: Compliance incidents, Employee satisfaction, Time-to-start date, Vendor SLA adherence, Policy exception rate, Average relocation duration
• How do you currently measure employee experience after a move, and what would make that measurement more actionable?
• If you could guarantee one softer outcome (reduced family stress, spouse employment support, school enrollment speed), which would you prioritize and why? Options: Reduced family stress, Spouse employment support, Faster school enrollment, Local integration services, Other
• What acceptance criteria would you require before calling a pilot successful (sample size, timeframe, thresholds)?

Walk Through a Real Scenario Together

• Imagine a high-value engineer must relocate internationally in 10 weeks—what are your biggest immediate concerns? Options: Immigration timelines, Home sale timing, Tax filings, Temporary housing, Family schooling, Vendor availability, Other
• Who would you expect to lead each phase of that move inside your org (select all that apply)? Options: Line manager, Global Mobility, HR Business Partner, Finance, External vendor, Talent Acquisition
• What SLAs would you demand for critical milestones (visa issued, household goods pickup, home sale closing, employee start date)?
• Where do escalation paths typically break down for you today, and who gets pulled in when they do?
• What data or records must be available before the move begins (payroll, tax history, visa docs, homeownership documentation)? Options: Payroll records, Tax history, Passport/visa docs, Homeownership/title, Benefit enrollment, Other
• If a relocation partner had to operate with one constraint (limited data, strict budget, compressed timeline), which one would be the most acceptable and which would be a deal breaker?

What Would Make You Say Yes Today?

• What is the single biggest reason you might delay or decline a managed relocation solution right now? Options: Budget cycle timing, Lack of internal buy-in, Vendor risk concerns, Data/privacy issues, Need for pilot proof, Other
• If you had to run a small pilot, what would be the ideal scope and duration to convince stakeholders? Options: 10–25 moves / 3 months, 25–50 moves / 3–6 months, Pilot by region / 3 months, Single high-value cohort / 1–2 months, Other
• Which internal approvals or documents would you need to start a pilot (SOW, budget signoff, data sharing agreement, proof of insurance)? Options: Statement of Work, Budget approval, Data sharing agreement, Insurance certificates, Procurement signoff, Other
• How soon could your team allocate decision bandwidth to evaluate or start a pilot? Options: Immediately, Within 30 days, In 1–3 months, Next budget cycle, Unsure
• What assurances or guarantees would most reduce your perceived risk (financial cap, SLA penalties, compliance indemnity, reference cases)? Options: Financial cap/guarantee, SLA penalties, Compliance indemnity, Customer references/case studies, Detailed reporting
• Who on your side should we loop in next to make progress (name, role, best contact)?

Quick Signals & Next Steps

• Which data points could you share now to help us build a tailored proposal (move volume by region, average move cost, policy, exception log)? Options: Move volume by region, Average cost per move, Relocation policy document, Exception log/history, Compliance/incident log, None available
• What format or cadence would you prefer for updates while evaluating options (weekly calls, biweekly reports, shared dashboard, email summaries)? Options: Weekly calls, Biweekly calls, Shared dashboard, Email summaries, Ad hoc
• What would be a meaningful next meeting outcome for you (internal alignment, budget approval, pilot agreement, executive briefing)? Options: Internal alignment, Budget approval, Pilot agreement, Executive briefing, More discovery
• Any final concerns or topics we haven't covered that would change how you evaluate a relocation partner?

Getting Comfortable — A Quick Snapshot

• To start, how many employee relocations does your company coordinate annually? Options: <50, 50–100, 101–250, 251–500, 500+
• What best describes the primary driver for most of these moves? Options: New office or plant opening, Acquisition / integration, Promotion / internal mobility, Hiring candidates who must relocate, Other
• Do you currently have a written corporate relocation policy? Options: Yes — formal and up to date, Yes — exists but outdated or confusing, Informal / ad-hoc approach, No policy
• Briefly summarize the core elements of your current policy (e.g., home-sale assistance, buyout rules, temporary housing limits).
• Who formally owns and maintains the relocation policy today? Options: Global Mobility / Relocation Team, HR / People Operations, Finance / Payroll, Legal / Compliance, Cross-functional committee, Other

Are You Quietly Paying for Surprises?

• How often does an 'approved exception' quietly become the default for comparable cases? Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never
• Approximately how many policy exceptions are approved each year? Options: 0–5, 6–20, 21–50, 51–100, 100+
• What are the most common reasons exceptions are requested? Options: Critical talent / role necessity, Local housing market constraints, Manager escalation, Candidate negotiation leverage, Family needs (schools, elder care), Other
• Give one or two recent exception examples and the downstream cost or operational impact they created.
• Who typically approves exceptions in practice (not on paper)? Options: Local HR Lead, Global Mobility Manager, Hiring Manager, Finance Approver, Executive Sponsor, External Vendor

Where Your Budget Leaks Start

• When you add up all line-items, which area surprises you most for driving budget variance? Options: Home-sale buyouts / losses, Temporary housing, Household goods moves, Lump-sum / cash payouts, Taxes / immigration costs, Other
• What is your typical average total cost per domestic relocation (including housing assistance, moving, allowances)? Options: <$10k, $10k–$25k, $25k–$50k, $50k–$100k, >$100k
• What is your typical average total cost per international assignment? Options: <$25k, $25k–$75k, $75k–$150k, $150k–$300k, >$300k
• Which cost categories most frequently exceed their budgeted estimates? Options: Relocation vendor services, Temporary housing, Home-sale losses / buyouts, Spouse / family support, Tax / immigration penalties, Vendor overcharges, Other
• Share an example of a move where actual costs materially exceeded the estimate—what happened and why?

Compliance Blindspots That Keep CFOs Awake

• If your CFO had to name one relocation compliance exposure that scares them, what would it be? Options: Tax misreporting for assignees, Immigration / work authorization gaps, Unrecorded buyouts, Benefits / classification errors, Other
• Do you have a centralized process to track tax and immigration documentation for each relocating employee? Options: Yes — centralized and up to date, Partial — some tracking, some ad-hoc, No — tracked by vendors or managers, Unsure
• Have you experienced a compliance penalty, back-tax assessment, or audit in the last 3 years tied to relocations? Options: Yes — significant, Yes — minor, No, Unsure
• Describe any unresolved buyout or compliance exposure currently on your ledger or under legal review.
• Who in your organization is accountable for relocation-related compliance and remediation? Options: Finance / Payroll, Global Mobility, HR Operations, Legal / Compliance, External vendor, Shared responsibility

Stories That Reveal What’s Hidden

• Tell me about a move that kept you up at night—what went wrong and why did it sting?
• What was the human cost—did the employee leave, miss a start date, or require executive time to fix? Options: Employee resigned within a year, Start date delayed, Senior leadership involvement, Customer impact, No major human cost, Other
• How did that experience change how stakeholders view relocation (e.g., more scrutiny, less trust, new controls)? Options: More scrutiny / controls, Less willingness to approve moves, Raised cross-functional tensions, Triggered policy review, No change, Other
• If you could go back to that case, what one decision would you change to avoid the outcome?
• Would you be willing to share redacted case materials (costs, approvals, timeline) to help diagnose root causes? Options: Yes — open to share, Maybe — with NDA, No

If You Could Snap Your Fingers — Budget & Policy Ideal

• Imagine leadership says: cut relocation cost volatility by half—what would success tangibly look like in your organization?
• What three measurable outcomes would make a revised policy feel like an unambiguous win? Options: Lower average cost per move, Reduced exceptions rate, Improved 12‑month retention, Fewer compliance incidents, Higher employee satisfaction (NPS), Faster time-to-productivity
• What percentage reduction in exceptions or cost overruns would you consider a meaningful win within 12 months? Options: 10–20%, 21–40%, 41–60%, 61–80%, 80%+
• What non-financial outcome matters most (e.g., retention, employee experience, speed to start) and why?
• How quickly would leadership expect to see measurable improvement after policy and budget changes are enacted? Options: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18+ months, Depends on pilot / scope

Who Needs to Be On Board — Decision and Approval Map

• If we could only get one stakeholder to say 'yes' today, who would that be—and why? Options: HR / People Director, Global Mobility Manager, CFO / Finance, Head of Talent Acquisition, Legal / Compliance, COO / CEO
• Which stakeholders must be involved in approving policy changes or budget reallocations? Options: Global Mobility, HR / People Ops, Finance, Legal / Compliance, Business Unit Leaders, Talent Acquisition, Compensation & Benefits, Other
• Are there known friction points between these groups when it comes to relocation decisions? Options: Yes — frequent friction, Occasional disagreements, Rarely, No
• Describe a recent decision where stakeholder misalignment caused delay or an avoidable cost.
• What governance cadence exists today for relocation policy review and exceptions oversight? Options: Quarterly, Biannually, Annually, Ad-hoc / as-needed, No formal cadence

Small Tests That Prove Big Changes

• If we proposed a 10-case pilot to prove the value of tighter policy enforcement, would you allow it to run? Options: Yes — definitely, Maybe — need more details, No — not without executive buy-in, Unsure
• What scale or scope for a pilot would feel meaningful to your team? Options: 5–10 moves, 11–25 moves, Entire business unit, Specific location or market, Other
• Which KPIs should we track during a pilot to prove impact? Options: Actual vs estimated cost variance, Exceptions rate, Employee satisfaction / NPS, Retention at 6 / 12 months, Compliance incidents, Time-to-start
• Do you currently have the data needed to measure those KPIs (move costs, approvals, outcomes)? Options: Yes — centralized and accessible, Partial — some data exists, No — not readily available, Unsure
• What would be the single biggest barrier to running this pilot inside your organization?
• If the pilot showed positive results, what would you expect the next decision to be? Options: Policy change, Budget reallocation, Vendor consolidation, New governance process, Other

Quick Check — Who’s in the Room?

• To make sure we’re talking to the right people, how many employee relocations do you manage annually? Options: 50–100, 101–200, 201–350, 351–500, 500+
• Who will be our primary day-to-day contact for deployment coordination? Options: Global Mobility Manager, HR Director, Talent Acquisition Lead, Finance/Payroll Owner, Other (please name)
• Which internal teams need to be looped into deployment decisions (select all that apply)? Options: Global Mobility, HR/Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Finance/Payroll, Legal/Compliance, IT, Facilities/Real Estate, Other
• How would you describe your organization’s appetite for vendor-led orchestration versus keeping functions in-house? Options: Prefer vendor-managed end-to-end, Hybrid — vendor for logistics, we retain approvals, We prefer to manage vendors ourselves, Undecided
• What core systems do you expect us to integrate with (HRIS/ATS/Finance)? Please name systems and provide any known constraints.

If This Deployment Fails, What Will It Cost Us?

• When a relocation initiative has gone off-track before, what was the single biggest consequence your team faced? Options: Employee resignation within 12 months, Unexpected buyout costs, Immigration/tax penalties, Delayed start date/business impact, Employee wellbeing/engagement decline, Other (please describe)
• How often have past moves missed critical milestones (e.g., visa approval, home sale close, start date)? Options: Almost always, Often, Occasionally, Rarely, Never
• When those failures happened, how much time or cost did it typically add to the program (estimate in weeks or percentage over budget)?
• Who within your organization typically absorbs the political or reputational fallout when a relocation goes wrong? Options: Global Mobility Team, HR Leadership, Business Unit Leader, CFO/Finance, Nobody formalized, Other
• Tell us about one move that stayed top-of-mind because it went poorly—what happened and why did it matter?

Data You Can Trust — Or Not?

• If we had to start tomorrow, which employee data fields are guaranteed to be correct and accessible (select all that apply)? Options: Legal name, Home address, Preferred start date, Compensation details, Family/dependent info, Work authorization status, Bank/payroll details, None of the above
• How will you deliver employee data to us for deployment execution? Options: Secure SFTP feed, API/HRIS integration, Encrypted CSV via email, Manual upload to portal, We haven’t decided yet
• What format, cadence, and SLA exist today for the data handoff (e.g., weekly CSV by 5pm Friday)?
• Are there known data quality gaps (missing DOBs, incorrect addresses, inaccurate tax IDs)? If yes, which fields and how often do they occur? Options: Frequent (weekly), Regular (monthly), Occasional, Rare, Unknown—we haven’t audited
• Who is the data owner responsible for verifying records before we begin move processing? Options: HRIS Team, Global Mobility, People Ops, Finance, Other (name and role)

Vendors, Partnerships, and Who Signs the Checks

• We often see delays because vendor responsibilities are fuzzy—what vendor relationships are already contracted for relocation services? Options: Home sale agent, Household goods mover, Immigration counsel, Tax advisor, Temporary housing provider, Destination services, None yet
• Which vendors MUST remain on your approved supplier list and cannot be replaced?
• Are vendor assignments currently tied to an internal owner (name/role) who will manage ongoing vendor performance? Options: Yes—named owner, Yes—team but no single owner, No—vendor ownership unassigned
• If we propose using our preferred vendors to meet SLAs, what approval process would that trigger? Options: Quick approval (days), Formal procurement review (weeks), Legal/Contracting required, Must stay with incumbent vendors, Unsure
• Are there pre-existing vendor SLAs, penalties, or reporting formats we must adopt? Please attach or describe key terms.

Immigration & Tax — Reality Check Before We Commit

• Do you currently have open immigration cases or pending work authorizations for the population we’ll move? Options: Yes—many, Yes—a few, None currently, Unsure
• For international moves, how far in advance do you typically need visas/permits in hand before the employee’s start date? Options: 8+ weeks, 4–8 weeks, 2–4 weeks, Less than 2 weeks, Varies by country
• Who manages tax withholding and assignment taxation today, and how are those files delivered to payroll? Options: Internal payroll, External tax advisor, Combined—internal & external, Not clearly defined
• Have you experienced compliance penalties or retroactive tax liabilities tied to relocations in the past 3 years? Options: Yes—significant, Yes—minor, No, Not sure
• Please describe any destination-specific immigration or tax complexities we should know (e.g., local filings, consular appointments, dual taxation), and include examples.

Technology & Access — Can We Move at Your Speed?

• If we need production access to your HRIS or case management system, what is your typical provisioning lead time? Options: <3 business days, 3–7 business days, 1–3 weeks, More than 3 weeks, Access not available
• Which integration approach do you prefer for deployment (pick one)? Options: Direct API integration, Scheduled secure file feed, Manual portal uploads, Hybrid — some API, some manual, No preference
• Will we be granted a sandbox/test environment and anonymized test records before go-live? Options: Yes—sandbox available, Yes—limited test data, No, Unsure
• What security or compliance requirements must we meet before we can access employee information (e.g., SOC2, ISO27001, background checks)?
• Who in IT will be our point of contact for integrations, and what is their preferred communication channel?

Decision Rights, Escalation, and What ‘Urgent’ Really Means

• When a time-sensitive relocation issue arises (visa delay, vendor no-show), who has authority to approve an exception or alternate solution? Options: Global Mobility Manager, HR Director, Finance Approver, Business Unit Leader, Cross-functional committee, Other
• How quickly do you expect exceptions to be resolved at different levels (operational, managerial, executive)? Options: Same day, 48 hours, 3–5 business days, A week+, Varies by severity
• Do you have an established escalation matrix we can align to, including names, backup contacts, and escalation SLAs? Options: Yes—formal matrix, Partially—roles but no names, No—nothing documented
• What political or cultural sensitivities should our team be mindful of when raising issues up the chain?
• Describe a recent high-stakes escalation: what triggered it, who was involved, and what could have prevented it.

Clear Gates — What We Need to Start (and What ‘Ready’ Looks Like)

• Before any move begins, which of the following items must be in place? (select all that apply) Options: Signed commercial terms, Complete employee roster with documents, Vendor assignments finalized, Immigration/tax filings initiated, Budget/funding approval, IT/access provisioned, Other (please specify)
• For each selected gate, what is your required proof of readiness (examples: executed contract PDF, signed offer letters, passport scans)?
• What acceptance criteria will you use to confirm a move is complete and acceptable (select up to three)? Options: Employee moved and in residence, Start date met, No unplanned buyouts, Taxes/immigration cleared, Cost within agreed tolerance, Employee satisfaction confirmed
• How will we measure employee satisfaction post-move, and who owns that measurement? Options: Internal survey team, Third-party survey, Vendor-provided feedback, No formal measurement today
• If we identify missing pre-deployment items, what is the maximum acceptable delay before escalation (hours/days)? Options: Same day, 48 hours, 3–5 business days, A week+, Depends on item

Wrapping Up the Readiness Conversation — Next Steps and Commitments

• Looking at everything we’ve discussed, what three priorities must we resolve before we lock a deployment date?
• What internal approvals or budget sign-offs are pending right now that could affect timing? Options: Commercial approval, Finance/Budget sign-off, Legal contract approval, Executive sponsor approval, None pending
• How quickly can your team provide the initial data sample and vendor contacts so we can start our readiness checklist? Options: Within 48 hours, 3–7 business days, 1–2 weeks, Longer—please explain
• Who should we schedule a focused 30–45 minute readiness workshop with to resolve outstanding risks, and what dates/times work in the next two weeks?
• Finally, what would success look like from your perspective at the end of the Pre-Deployment Readiness stage?

Quick Grounding: Who are we talking about today?

• How many employee relocations does your organization manage in an average year? Options: 0–49, 50–149, 150–299, 300–499, 500+
• Which event most commonly triggers a relocation program at your company? Options: New office/plant opening, Acquisition/integration, Promotion/internal mobility, Project-based moves, Policy refresh/audit, Other
• Who typically owns relocation policy and execution today? (pick primary and any secondary) Options: Global Mobility/Relocation, HR (Comp & Benefits), TA / Recruiting, Finance/Payroll, Business Unit Leader, External Broker/Provider, No single owner
• Briefly describe your most recent relocation program or initiative (who was involved and the basic outcome).

Who's Really Pulling the Strings?

• When decisions about relocation policy or vendor selection are on the table, what usually slows consensus or derails approval? Options: Budget uncertainty, Competing stakeholder priorities, Lack of data/evidence, Procurement requirements, Legal/compliance concerns, No single decision owner, Other
• Which individuals or functions must sign off for a relocation deal to proceed? Options: Global Mobility Director, HR Director/CHRO, CFO/Finance, Procurement, Legal/Compliance, Business Unit Head, Other
• Who has final budget authority for relocation programs (name title or role)?
• How often do stakeholders shift priorities or requirements during a selection process, and how long has that been happening? Options: Almost always, Often, Occasionally, Rarely
• If stakeholders disagree, what compromise is most commonly offered (and why does it still feel unsatisfying)?

When Moves Go Wrong: Tell Me About a Time

• Think of a recent relocation that didn’t meet expectations—what happened that stuck with you?
• How frequently do you see moves lead to one of these outcomes: resignation within 12 months, major home-sale loss, tax/immigration issue, or unplanned cost overrun? Options: Multiple times a year, Once a year, Every few years, Rarely, Never tracked
• Which cause contributed most often to failed moves in the last 24 months? Options: Poor vendor coordination, Inadequate destination support, Delayed immigration/tax, Housing market timing, Policy exceptions, Employee experience/family issues, Other
• When a move fails, what measurable or emotional costs do you see most (e.g., lost hire, brand damage, leader frustration)?
• How long has this pattern of failures been a concern, and what have you tried to stop it?

Where the Money Leaks (and Why You Probably Miss It)

• Does your team have a reliable per-move average cost and clear visibility into exceptions? Options: Yes — tracked centrally, Partially — estimates only, No — decentralized/unknown
• Which cost categories drive the biggest variability for you? Options: Home-sale/buyout, Temporary housing, Household goods, Tax/immigration fees, Spousal support, Destination services, Other
• How often do policy exceptions occur, and who approves them? Options: Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, Rarely/Never
• Describe the most surprising or recurring expense you’ve seen during relocations and why it’s been hard to control.
• If you had to set a one-year cost-control target for your relocation program, what would that be (percent reduction or dollar amount)?

Compliance & Quiet Exposures: How Confident Are You?

• How confident are you that every international assignment and cross-border relocation in the last 24 months met tax and immigration obligations? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Unsure, Not confident
• Where have you seen the most audit or compliance risk (e.g., trailing tax filings, visa lapses, payroll misclassification)? Options: Tax filing errors, Visa/permit lapses, Payroll reporting, Social security/benefits missteps, No known exposures, Other
• Do you maintain a register of unresolved buyouts, clawbacks, or compliance cases? If so, roughly how many are open? Options: Yes — 1–5, Yes — 6–20, Yes — 21+, No register / unknown
• What evidence or documentation would make you feel audit-ready for relocations tomorrow?
• How quickly can you produce employee-level immigration and tax records for a sample of recent assignments? Options: Within 24 hours, Within a week, Within a month, Longer / not possible

What Would 'No-Regret' Success Actually Look Like?

• If a relocation program never caused avoidable turnover again, what would that change for the business in the first 12 months?
• Which outcome matters most when you think of success: retention, predictable cost, regulatory compliance, or employee satisfaction? Options: Retention, Cost predictability, Compliance/audit readiness, Employee experience, All equally
• What numeric targets would you set for those priorities (e.g., retention rate at 12 months, % reduction in exceptions, NPS score)?
• What signals—beyond headline metrics—would prove to you that a program is working (examples: hiring manager feedback, time-to-productivity, spouse job placements)?
• How soon would you expect to see measurable improvement after changing providers or processes? Options: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, Longer, Unsure

The Human Side: Family, Spouses, and the Hidden Factors

• How often do family-related issues (school placement, spouse employment, community fit) influence whether an employee stays after a move? Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never tracked
• Which family support services have you offered or wished you’d offered? Options: School search support, Spouse career assistance, Destination orientation, Language/cultural training, Settling-in assistance, None
• Tell me about a relocation where family support made the difference—what specifically helped retention or satisfaction?
• Do you currently measure employee satisfaction related to relocation (e.g., NPS, CSAT)? If yes, what’s the typical score range? Options: Yes — high (8–10), Yes — mid (5–7), Yes — low (1–4), No — we don't measure
• How does the company track and act on qualitative feedback from moved employees and their families? Options: Formal surveys + action plans, Informal feedback only, Ad hoc manager reports, Not tracked

Operational Readiness: Can Your Team Execute Without Drama?

• How complete is the operational data we’d need to run relocations (employee records, payroll IDs, home-sale history, immigration docs)? Options: Complete and accessible, Mostly complete, Fragmented across systems, Largely missing
• Which systems hold the master data we’d need (choose all that apply)? Options: HRIS (Workday/SuccessFactors), Payroll system, CRM/ATS, Proprietary spreadsheets, Third-party relocation platform, Other
• What is your typical timeline from approved transfer to employee start at destination? Options: <1 month, 1–2 months, 2–4 months, 4+ months, Variable/unsure
• Who on your team will own daily execution and vendor coordination (title or role)?
• Have you previously run pilots or phased rollouts for relocation process changes? If yes, what worked and what didn’t?

Decision Economics: What Would Make This Investment Irresistible?

• Beyond price, what three things would make you pick a relocation partner today (e.g., guaranteed SLAs, audit support, integrated tech)? Options: Guaranteed SLAs, Audit/compliance support, Single-source vendor management, Advanced reporting/analytics, Employee experience guarantees, Local destination depth, Other
• Would you be open to a value-based contract where fees are tied to retention or cost-savings KPIs? Options: Yes — interested, Maybe — need details, No — prefer fixed fees, Unsure
• What governance cadence and metrics would you require to feel confident in a vendor relationship (e.g., monthly scorecard, quarterly business review)? Options: Monthly scorecard, Quarterly review, Executive sponsor check-ins, Ad hoc as-needed, Other
• What internal approvals or legal terms would you need to finalize before signing a new provider?
• If a partner could guarantee one tangible outcome in year one, which would sway you most? Options: Reduction in exceptions, Improved 12‑month retention, Predictable per-move cost, 100% compliance/audit-readiness, Higher employee satisfaction

The Smallest Step That Changes Everything

• If we agreed to a low-risk pilot tomorrow, what’s the smallest scope that would prove value for you? Options: A single relocation, A single market/city, A single business unit, A defined subset (e.g., expats only)
• Who needs to be involved from your side to run that pilot and how quickly could they be available?
• What would count as pilot success—name two concrete acceptance criteria we should commit to measuring.
• What obstacles would derail a pilot before it starts, and how might we address them proactively?
• Assuming the pilot meets acceptance, how would you prefer next steps be handled (automated renewal, formal RFP, executive decision)? Options: Automated expansion/rollout, Formal RFP, Executive decision, Further pilot/testing, Unsure