Enhancing Internal Mobility Programs: A Large Enterprise’s Transformation Using Keap’s Tagging Capabilities

At 4Spot Consulting, we believe that true organizational growth stems from empowering internal talent. This case study details our work with Nexus Corp, a multinational conglomerate that faced significant challenges in leveraging its vast internal workforce. By strategically deploying Keap’s robust tagging capabilities and integrating powerful automation, we helped Nexus Corp not only streamline its internal mobility processes but also unlock a new era of talent development and retention.

Client Overview

Nexus Corp is a global leader in diversified technology and manufacturing, employing over 50,000 individuals across more than 30 countries. With a rich history of innovation, Nexus Corp’s diverse portfolio includes advanced robotics, sustainable energy solutions, and cutting-edge aerospace components. Their workforce is highly skilled and geographically dispersed, encompassing a wide range of technical and professional expertise. Despite their impressive scale and talent pool, Nexus Corp’s internal talent management systems had become fragmented, struggling to keep pace with the company’s rapid growth and the dynamic needs of its various business units. This led to a significant disconnect between available internal skills and emerging project opportunities.

The Challenge

Nexus Corp’s internal mobility program was hampered by several critical issues, creating bottlenecks in talent deployment and contributing to employee disengagement:

• Siloed Talent Data & Lack of Visibility: Employee skills, experience, project preferences, and career aspirations were scattered across multiple, disparate HR systems, departmental spreadsheets, and individual manager knowledge. There was no centralized, accessible repository of internal talent profiles, making it nearly impossible for HR or hiring managers to proactively identify suitable candidates within the company.

• High External Recruitment Costs: Due to the lack of visibility into internal talent, Nexus Corp frequently resorted to expensive external recruitment agencies for roles that could have been filled by existing employees. This not only inflated operational costs but also extended time-to-fill for critical positions.

• Slow & Manual Internal Mobility Processes: Employees interested in internal transfers or promotions faced a cumbersome, often opaque application process. This manual approach was time-consuming for both applicants and HR, leading to frustration, delays, and missed opportunities.

• Employee Disengagement & Attrition: Talented employees felt overlooked, believing their career growth opportunities were limited internally. This perception contributed to decreased morale and an increase in voluntary turnover, as valuable team members sought advancement elsewhere when internal pathways seemed blocked or invisible.

• Inefficient Skill Matching: Project managers struggled to quickly find internal experts for new initiatives. Critical projects were delayed as the search for specific skill sets became a manual, department-by-department inquiry, rather than a systematic matching process.

Nexus Corp recognized that this reactive approach to talent management was unsustainable and hindered their strategic agility. They needed a scalable, efficient, and data-driven solution to transform their internal mobility framework from a cost center into a strategic advantage.

Our Solution

4Spot Consulting partnered with Nexus Corp to implement a comprehensive internal mobility solution, anchored by Keap’s powerful CRM functionalities and a meticulously designed tagging architecture. Our approach, guided by our OpsMesh framework, focused on creating a “single source of truth” for internal talent data, enabling proactive skill matching, and automating engagement.

The core of our solution involved:

1. Keap as the Central Talent Hub: We leveraged Keap, typically known for customer relationship management, as a robust internal talent management system. Its flexible contact records and custom field capabilities made it ideal for housing detailed employee profiles.

2. Sophisticated Keap Tagging Architecture: The cornerstone of the solution was a granular tagging taxonomy. We developed a multi-dimensional tagging system that captured a wealth of employee data:

   • Skill Tags: Categorized by proficiency level (e.g., skill_Python_Advanced, skill_ProjectManagement_Agile_Intermediate).
   • Experience Tags: Detailing years of experience, specific industry exposure, and leadership roles (e.g., exp_5-10yrs, exp_Leadership_Senior, exp_AerospaceIndustry).
   • Project Interest Tags: Allowing employees to indicate preferences for specific types of projects or initiatives (e.g., proj_AI_driven, proj_SustainabilityInitiatives, proj_ProductLaunch).
   • Career Aspiration Tags: Capturing long-term career goals and desired growth paths (e.g., asp_SeniorLeadership, asp_CrossFunctionalMove, asp_InternationalAssignment).
   • Availability & Location Tags: Indicating readiness for new roles, preferred work models (remote/hybrid/onsite), and geographical preferences.

3. Intelligent Automation with Make.com: To ensure data accuracy and real-time updates, we integrated Keap with Nexus Corp’s existing HR Information System (HRIS), a fictional ‘TalentSphere HRIS’, using Make.com. This integration facilitated a seamless, automated flow of basic employee data (job title, department, employment status) into Keap. Crucially, it also allowed for two-way synchronization, ensuring that updates made by employees (e.g., new skills acquired) within Keap could be reflected in other systems if required.

4. Automated Engagement Workflows: Leveraging Keap’s campaign builder, we designed automated sequences to keep employees engaged and informed. These included personalized internal job alerts, notifications for project opportunities, and tailored learning and development resource recommendations – all triggered by their Keap tags.

The solution transformed Nexus Corp’s internal mobility from a reactive, manual process into a proactive, data-driven, and highly engaging experience, significantly enhancing their ability to identify, develop, and retain top talent.

Implementation Steps

Our engagement with Nexus Corp followed a structured, phased approach, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum adoption:

Phase 1: OpsMap™ Diagnostic & Strategy (Weeks 1-4)

• In-depth Discovery: We conducted extensive interviews with HR leaders, department heads, and a representative sample of employees across various business units. This allowed us to thoroughly understand their current talent management processes, identify pain points, and gather requirements for an ideal internal mobility program.

• Data Mapping & Taxonomy Design: Our team meticulously mapped out all existing internal talent data sources and collaborated with Nexus Corp’s HR team to design a comprehensive Keap tagging taxonomy. This involved defining custom fields, tag categories, and the logical relationships between them to accurately reflect skills, experience, aspirations, and availability.

• Strategic Blueprint: We developed a detailed blueprint outlining the proposed Keap architecture, integration points with TalentSphere HRIS, automation workflows, and key performance indicators (KPIs) for success. This blueprint ensured alignment with Nexus Corp’s strategic talent goals.

Phase 2: Keap & Integration Build-Out (Weeks 5-12)

• Keap Configuration: Based on the approved blueprint, we meticulously configured Keap. This included setting up hundreds of custom fields, creating the advanced tagging categories (as described in “Our Solution”), and structuring employee “contact records” to be rich and comprehensive talent profiles.

• Secure HRIS Integration: Our team built robust, secure integrations between Keap and Nexus Corp’s TalentSphere HRIS using Make.com. This ensured that foundational employee data (e.g., name, department, title, start date) was automatically synchronized and updated in Keap, eliminating manual data entry for core information.

• Employee Self-Service Portal Development: We designed and implemented a user-friendly, secure employee self-service portal (integrated via Keap webforms and API) where employees could log in to update their skills, add new certifications, specify project interests, and articulate their career aspirations. All updates dynamically flowed into their Keap profile, triggering relevant tag assignments.

• Automated Campaign Development: We developed a suite of automated Keap campaigns:

  • Internal Job Alerts: Employees received personalized emails about new internal job openings matching their skill and aspiration tags.
  • Project Opportunity Notifications: Managers could post project needs, and automated campaigns would alert internal talent with the relevant skill sets.
  • Learning & Development Recommendations: Based on identified skill gaps or career aspirations, employees received targeted recommendations for internal training modules or external courses.
  • Automated Interview Scheduling: For internal applicants, a simplified, automated scheduling process was integrated to reduce HR overhead.

Phase 3: Rollout, Training & Optimization (Weeks 13-16+)

• Comprehensive Training: We provided in-depth training sessions for Nexus Corp’s HR teams, department managers, and key stakeholders on how to utilize the new Keap system for talent identification, reporting, and proactive engagement. Training materials included user guides and best practice documentation.

• Pilot Program & Phased Rollout: A pilot program was launched within a specific business unit to gather feedback and fine-tune processes. Following successful testing, the solution was rolled out across the entire organization, supported by internal communication campaigns to drive employee adoption.

• Ongoing OpsCare™ & Refinement: Post-launch, 4Spot Consulting provided ongoing support and monitoring. We continuously refined automation workflows, adapted the tagging taxonomy based on evolving business needs, and developed new capabilities to maximize the system’s value over time. Regular performance reviews ensured the system continued to meet and exceed Nexus Corp’s objectives.

The Results

The implementation of 4Spot Consulting’s Keap-centric internal mobility solution delivered significant, quantifiable results for Nexus Corp, transforming their approach to talent management:

• Dramatic Increase in Internal Hire Rate: Within the first 12 months post-implementation, Nexus Corp saw its internal hire rate skyrocket from 25% to an impressive 48%. This marked a profound shift away from external recruitment, demonstrating the untapped potential within their existing workforce.

• Significant Reduction in Time-to-Fill for Internal Roles: The average time-to-fill for internal positions decreased by a remarkable 40%, from an average of 65 days down to just 39 days. This acceleration meant critical roles were filled faster, reducing project delays and maintaining operational momentum.

• Substantial Recruitment Cost Savings: By reducing reliance on external agencies, Nexus Corp realized an estimated annual savings of $2.3 million in recruitment fees. This direct financial benefit underscored the clear return on investment of the internal mobility program.

• Enhanced Employee Engagement & Retention: Employees felt more valued and saw clear pathways for growth within the company. Voluntary turnover for employees actively engaging with the internal mobility platform decreased by 15%. Furthermore, internal employee surveys showed a significant 28-point increase in scores related to “career development opportunities” and “feeling valued by the organization.”

• Unprecedented Talent Visibility: HR and department managers gained a comprehensive, searchable, and up-to-date database of internal skills, experience, and aspirations. This newfound visibility enabled proactive succession planning, efficient project staffing, and better strategic workforce planning.

• Improved Agility and Scalability: The automated system now allows Nexus Corp to quickly adapt to evolving talent needs and future growth without needing to significantly scale its HR recruitment team. The infrastructure is in place to support continued expansion and dynamic talent deployment.

Key Takeaways

The transformation at Nexus Corp offers profound insights into the power of strategic automation and intelligent CRM utilization within an enterprise environment:

• Keap’s Untapped Potential: This case study demonstrates that Keap, often perceived solely as a marketing and sales CRM, possesses robust capabilities for sophisticated internal talent management when applied strategically. Its flexible tagging and automation engine are powerful tools for HR.

• The Power of Granular Tagging: A well-designed, comprehensive tagging architecture is not merely about categorization; it’s about creating a searchable, dynamic skills inventory that transforms opaque talent pools into transparent, actionable resources.

• Automation as a Catalyst for Cultural Change: Beyond efficiency gains, automation frees up HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives like talent development and employee engagement, fundamentally shifting the culture from reactive to proactive talent management.

• ROI in Internal Mobility: Investing in internal mobility programs, driven by automation and data, yields tangible and significant financial returns through reduced recruitment costs, improved retention, and enhanced productivity.

• Strategic Partnership is Key: 4Spot Consulting’s structured OpsMap™ and OpsBuild framework, combined with ongoing OpsCare™, ensured that the solution was not just technically sound but deeply aligned with Nexus Corp’s business objectives and seamlessly integrated into their operations.

By empowering employees with clear career pathways and providing managers with unprecedented visibility into internal talent, Nexus Corp has not only optimized its operational efficiency but also cultivated a more engaged, loyal, and future-ready workforce.

“4Spot Consulting didn’t just implement a system; they helped us redefine how we think about internal talent. The clarity and efficiency we gained with Keap’s tagging capabilities have been transformative, directly impacting our bottom line and employee satisfaction. This wasn’t just an HR project; it was a strategic business move.”

— Dr. Evelyn Reed, Chief People Officer, Nexus Corp.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Architecting Intelligent HR & Recruiting: Dynamic Tagging in Keap with AI for Precision Engagement