The Rise of AI in Global Mobility Management: Seizing the Opportunities

When Bob Dylan penned his epic “The times they are a-changing” lyrics back in 1964, he likely couldn’t have imagined just how much those words would be true six decades later. If you read the AI-filled news headlines today, you may marvel at just how fast things are indeed changing.

It wasn’t that long ago – the early 1990s – that a technical year (meaning, technical advancements) moved at four times the pace of a regular industrial year. In that groundbreaking decade we saw the implementation of HTML, GPS technology, digital cameras, hybrid cars, text messaging, Wi-Fi, Google and much more.

Yet today’s AI technology revolution is happening far faster, and far more aggressively. It’s been estimated that within a decade, we’ll experience an astounding 40,000-fold improvement in AI capabilities! It is no wonder that global mobility HR leaders are scrambling to keep up. But if HR leaders want to stay relevant, embracing and adapting to AI’s promise is critical.

AI: Taking the Mobility Function from Operational to Strategic

Mobility management traditionally has been a mostly operational function, the myriad tasks involved in moving workers from one location to another. And those teams are often doing a lot with a little.

Enter AI and now those often-small teams have tools that not only help them be more efficient and effective in their work. Those AI tools also give them newfound access to information and insights that help them work smarter and more strategically.

AI gives us an intelligence layer of information for managing global mobility in ways never before possible. In virtually every aspect of relocation, AI changes how we work. The opportunities are endless.

Let’s say the executive team wants a quarterly summary of mobility program performance, an ask that pre-AI would be a huge time and resource undertaking. Now with CapRelo’s AI tools, instead I can know answers down to the individual transferee within a few clicks. Did this transferee have exceptions? What was the total cost of that transferee? What was the individual’s experience rating?

Or, how about the entire program — the policy itself, the costs, the services? From ensuring that your organization is continually compliant, to staying abreast of immigration laws and monitoring risk management, our AI tools empower CapRelo clients to answer the challenging questions:

How do I make my policy better?
Where can I save money but improve benefits?
Am I following best practice?
How do I continually ensure compliance?

No need to write a query or juggle data from multiple sources. AI’s intelligence layer navigates through all your systems’ sources to pull standalone data into intelligence that you can easily access and actually use.

From innovations like our Policy Agent and File Comparison Tool to upcoming features including global compliance insights, scenario modeling, and destination intelligence, we’re focused on simplifying mobility and delivering smarter, faster solutions.

Balancing AI with the Human Factor

There’s been a lot of speculation across industries, including global mobility, that increased reliance on AI will mean decreased need for people. At CapRelo, where the human factor has always been as important to our mobility business as the tech platforms we’ve built, our vision is different. A truly human-centric global mobility function, empowered by AI technology, not replaced by it.

Our AI-powered technology is about improving efficiency for mobility teams. An estimated 80 percent of relocation consultants’ time today, pre-AI, is spent on things that could be automated. Working with CapRelo’s Moxie, that relocation consultant can now hand off those things that make sense to automate, thus freeing up their time to focus on things that really matter. Things like ensuring a smooth and empathetic relocation for transferees, and drawing in strategic insights that improve how HR teams work.

As The ResForum puts it, “The ‘human in the loop’ remains critical; GenAI is a powerful augmentative tool, not a replacement for human judgment, empathy, and strategic insight.” We couldn’t agree more.

Deciphering the Right Global Mobility AI Tools for Your Business

As with any trending technology, we hear lots of global mobility AI product claims. Evaluating them can be a challenge, even for the tech teams developing them. As Business Insider’s Jamie Heller recounted in a newsletter article this month, “It’s very, very difficult — even for people working on the products — to know the difference between what we say in a demo, what’s on a road map, and what’s actually in production,” one senior employee told Ashley. “It’s a full-time job just figuring that out.”

Here are three critical questions we suggest global mobility leaders ask when evaluating AI tools and claims?

Is this a company we know and trust? Be wary of upstarts and unknown names. Work with companies that you know have an established track record in global mobility management technology and a reputation for first-class service.
Can I see the product? Not a demo, but the actual product. Evaluate what features are fully built out and in use, not those on a roadmap or “in production.”
Who is using it now? Ask about the adoption rate among their current relocation clients, and what size and types of clients are using it. Ask to speak to current users to better understand their experience with the company’s tools.

Learn More

At CapRelo, we are using AI to enhance the speed, precision, and effectiveness of our human intelligence efforts to enhance the transferee experience, empower HR leaders and drive efficiencies. CapRelo’s AI-driven solutions help mobility teams work more efficiently and serve as a virtual consultant for relocating employees providing high touch care in a low touch experience.