The smart HR leader’s roadmap to high-impact vendor partnerships
HR leaders often take on too much, leaving little time for strategic work. This blog explores how rethinking vendor partnerships, by asking the right questions, leveraging automation, and holding partners accountable, can lighten HR’s load and drive greater organizational impact.
In a recent edition of Missing Chapters, Sonja Smith, Founder and Lead Consultant of Artera HR, sat down with Nava to unpack a common but under-discussed challenge: HR professionals doing too much. The discussion explored how vendor partnerships, when approached strategically, can help HR leaders escape the hamster wheel of manual tasks, maximize existing tools, and bring more strategic value to their organizations.
If your day-to-day feels like a juggling act of tools, tasks, and vendor check-ins, this blog will help you streamline, delegate, and level up your vendor strategy.
Why HR feels like it has to do everything
Many HR professionals feel responsible for solving every employee issue, coordinating every process, and manually keeping every wheel turning. This mindset is rooted in care, but it can also become a trap.
Taking on too much leads to:
- Bottlenecks and burnout
- Team dependency
- A lack of time for strategic priorities
The shift? Move from “I have to do it all” to “Who can help me do this better?” — starting with your vendors.
Are you underutilizing your vendors?
You might not realize you're missing out on the full support your vendors can offer. Here are a few red flags that it’s time to re-evaluate:
- You're stuck repeating the same manual tasks every week, like onboarding paperwork or answering benefits questions
- You’ve inherited systems or vendors but haven’t had the time to reassess whether they still work for you
- You haven’t asked your vendors what new features or support they’ve rolled out lately
- You’re still the go-to for every employee benefits question — even when self-service options might exist
5 questions that could transform your vendor ROI
To get more from your vendors, start with a simple but powerful question: “What capabilities are we not using today?” Sonja shared a pivotal moment from her own experience — during a vendor advisory group, she learned other clients were asking their broker how commission dollars were being spent. That one question led to a more transparent, performance-driven relationship.
The reality is, many HR teams either don’t know what to ask or assume it’s too late in the contract cycle to make changes. But even a quick check-in can uncover hidden features, automation opportunities, or better support options that save hours of admin work. Start with these five questions:
- What features or services are we not currently using?
- How have other clients in our industry or size leveraged your platform?
- What automation capabilities do you offer?
- How do you support our employees directly, not just our HR team?
- What updates or changes have you made in the past 12 months?
Re-evaluating vendor fit as you grow
Your vendor strategy should grow with your company. Revisit your vendor relationships when:
- Headcount has significantly changed
- Employee needs are different than 2–3 years ago
- Tools haven’t evolved or feel outdated
Sonja asked her broker for a walkthrough of recent updates. The response: nothing had changed in years. That prompted a full RFP — and ultimately, better fit and functionality from a new partner.
Takeaway: If you wouldn’t hire your vendor again today, ask whether they still deserve the business.
Accountability is a two-way street
Holding vendors accountable isn’t just smart — it’s strategic. A high-performing partner will:
- Invite feedback
- Share best practices
- Proactively improve the relationship
Key questions to drive accountability:
- How do you support clients during open enrollment?
- What metrics do you track around service and satisfaction?
- How can we make this partnership more valuable to both sides?
If your partner can’t answer those questions — or avoids them — it may be time to look elsewhere.
Stop doing it manually: ask about automation
Manual processes still take up far too much of HR’s time — from onboarding with PDFs to managing payroll changes via spreadsheets. But many of the tools you're already using might have automation features you're overlooking.
Whether it’s your HRIS, payroll provider, performance management platform, or benefits partner, it’s worth asking: What can this tool automate that I’m still doing manually?
Ask your vendors about automating:
- Onboarding workflows and document collection
- Performance review reminders and manager nudges
- Time-off tracking and payroll updates
- Benefits administration, eligibility audits, and billing
- Employee access to information like ID cards, deductibles, or in-network providers
How Nava HQ helps
At Nava, we’ve built HQ as your benefits command center, designed to streamline your workflow, cut through vendor chaos, and deliver real-time, AI-powered support. Here’s how HQ empowers HR teams:
- AI assistance
- Get instant answers to benefits questions for HR and employees, without adding headcount
- Draft employee communications and find information quickly
- Reduce inbox load with 24/7 support
- Renewal modeling & plan optimization
- Run real-time renewal models without spreadsheets
- Compare plan options and share exec-ready insights in minutes
- Keep CFOs informed without late-night math
- Benchmarking & engagement insights
- See how your benefits stack up across your industry
- Track adoption trends and support ticket volume to improve the employee experience
- Centralized document management
- Access all your benefits documents in one secure, searchable place
- Stay audit-ready and avoid time-consuming file hunts
- Automated enrollment audits
- Catch eligibility errors early with built-in audits
- Protect your budget and reduce manual reviews
- Security you can trust
- HQ meets the highest standards for data privacy, including SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance
The result? Less time in spreadsheets and inboxes, and more time focused on delivering better benefits and employee experiences.
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Is bigger always better?
As companies grow, there’s pressure to “graduate” to bigger platforms. But size doesn’t always equal sophistication or support.
Smaller or niche vendors often offer:
- More customization
- Faster innovation cycles
- Dedicated support
Focus on what works, not what looks impressive. Choose the vendor who solves your challenges best — not the one with the biggest logo.
Making the most of AI in your vendor stack
AI is reshaping HR, from generating job descriptions to automating reminders. But not all AI is created equal.
Ask your vendors:
- What tasks are being automated?
- How does this enhance the employee experience?
- When and how can humans step in?
The goal: Use AI to improve speed and accuracy, without losing the personal touch that defines strong HR.
Strategic HR requires strategic partners
You don’t have to do it all.
The best HR leaders aren’t superheroes — they’re systems thinkers. They build relationships, tools, and vendor partnerships that make work lighter, not harder.
Sonja’s advice: A simple mindset shift from “I have to do it all” to “I should ask for more” can unlock the strategic capacity your team desperately needs.
If your vendors aren’t helping you get there, it may be time to move on.
Watch the full webinar + join the next conversation
Want to dive deeper into the Missing Chapters discussion with Sonja? Watch the full recording here.
Join our next Missing Chapters session and become part of a community of HR leaders redefining how work gets done.
