DKV Mobility
Octily
Are you looking to make your HR platform more engaging and aligned with your company’s culture?
In this interview, Oliver Krabbe, Senior Specialist Digital HR at DKV Mobility, discusses how DKV has transformed its HR processes through Octily’s custom pages. From Performance Management to Onboarding and Welcome pages, Oliver takes us through the journey of streamlining and personalizing HR workflows. By making strategic decisions and collaborating with Octily, DKV has enhanced employee satisfaction and engagement across the organization. Let’s explore how DKV is reshaping its HR approach and uncover practical takeaways that could inspire your own HR transformation.
Can you tell us about your role at DKV Mobility and your vision for HR transformation?
Oliver Krabbe: “I was an HR assistant when Cornerstone OnDemand was first installed, and we began DKV Mobility HR’s transformation from the analog to the digital world. Moving to digital HR was a step-by-step process at DKV Mobility. When we adopted Cornerstone in 2018 we were just around 1,000 employees with 2/3 of the workforce based in Germany. At the time, our needs were fundamental. We had no corporate brand guidelines or rules and could create our Cornerstone Welcome Pages in-house. We now have 2,500 employees on the team in several countries, and our processes and strategies have become much more professional. Our HR team’s goal is to mirror this professional approach.”
ABOUT DKV Mobility
DKV Mobility is Europe’s leading B2B provider for on-the-road payment solutions, enabling businesses across 50+ countries to move seamlessly. With a growth story spanning nearly 90 years, the company serves 394,000 customers, providing access to 69,000 filling stations, 893,000 charging points, and 24,000 alternative fuel stations. It is also a major platform for toll services, providing vehicle support at 35,000 stations alongside digital financial solutions like VAT refunds and expense management. In 2023, DKV Mobility processed €17 billion in transactions, generating €714 million in revenue.
What were DKV Mobility's main challenges before partnering with Octily?
What prompted you to start with the Performance processes?
Oliver Krabbe: “The performance process is a high-visibility HR function that impacts everyone in the company – all employees and managers. It was a painful, surprise-filled, one-time-a-year process dreaded by all. There were many confusing steps in the Cornerstone process and a lack of automated oversight and reporting. Extensive time was spent by the HR team, acting as ‘enforcers’ to track and ‘chase’ managers for completion of annual reviews. DKV Mobility’s HR strategy was to revamp the performance process, improve the look-and-feel, transform the dreaded one-time-a-year Performance Review, and add an ongoing Performance Development component. The goal was to implement a corporate-wide Performance Development process with constant employee-manager dialogue, adding Goals and Targets, and automated multiple touch points throughout the year.”
How did you decide which project to tackle after the Performance processes?
Oliver Krabbe: “The Performance Module upgrades at DKV Mobility were well received by employees and the management team. Next, we tackled the Welcome Page and Learning Hub. Our Welcome Pages didn’t reflect our company’s professional growth. Jumping from one Cornerstone module to another resulted in a different look and feel – modern to old-fashioned to modern again. This didn’t reflect well on the professionalism of the company or the HR department. We needed a visual update to match our corporate brand look and feel.”
PERFORMANCE MODULE
From Annual Burden to Continuous Development
Octily transformed DKV Mobility’s Performance Module from a stressful, once-a-year task into an intuitive, continuous development process. By replacing text-heavy forms with clear visuals, simplified goal tracking, and automated reminders, performance conversations now happen year-round, fostering ongoing dialogue between employees and managers while reducing HR’s administrative load. Oliver Krabbe, Senior Specialist Digital HR, highlighted that Octily’s improvements made the process more engaging and aligned with today’s fast-paced workplace.
WELCOME PAGE
A More Engaging First Touchpoint
A seamless, visually engaging Welcome Page now offers real employee photos, personalized tiles, and intuitive navigation. Replacing static layouts with a polished, professional design, it enhances the employee experience, while a dedicated Manager’s Welcome Page improves efficiency with quick access to key tools and team overviews.
LEARNING HUB
Simplifying Access to Training
A clean, intuitive Learning Hub now makes training more accessible with organized categories, dynamic tiles, and clear action buttons. Automated reminders and integrated tracking have improved mandatory training completion rates, making it easier for employees to stay on top of their learning and for managers to monitor progress.
ONBOARDING WELCOME PAGE
A Strong First Impression
A refreshed Onboarding Welcome Page now offers new employees a clear overview of their first tasks, access to benefits, and direct links to key contacts. Matching the branding of the Welcome Page and Learning Hub, it ensures a smooth transition for new hires and reinforces their confidence in joining the company.
Knowing that Octily was a safe choice, based on the success of its many Cornerstone projects, we could bring them on board and start small and ensure good initial results, then do the next project and then the next …
DKV Mobility
How did employee feedback or organizational goals shape your project roadmap? What differences have you noticed after implementing the custom pages?
Oliver Krabbe: “As a seven-year recipient of the ‘Top Employer’ award in Germany, we are committed to creating a working environment that promotes our employees’ professional and personal development. The CSOD customization work we’ve done with Octily has dramatically improved the HR workflow and the reputation of our HR department.”
How has the collaboration with Octily impacted your HR strategy?
Oliver Krabbe: ” We knew that Cornerstone was capable of much more than we could implement in-house. Knowing that Ocitly was a safe choice, based on the success of its many Cornerstone projects, we could bring them on board, start small, ensure good initial results, then do the next project and the next. We’ve now, over time, improved Performance, Onboarding, Welcome Pages, and Learning Modules.”
What advice would you give other organizations considering a similar approach?
Oliver Krabbe:
- Start with a clear strategy: Cornerstone should evolve alongside your company. Define your HR priorities upfront so your platform stays aligned with your business.
- Keep it simple: Many out-of-the-box Cornerstone pages are overloaded. A clean, streamlined interface improves usability – especially for employees working across multiple systems.
- Leverage internal design expertise: If your company has a design, UI/UX, or marketing team, involve them early. Their insights and resources can help shape an HR experience that truly reflects your company’s values.
- Think beyond HR. Interview employees and managers from different departments to ensure the platform works for everyone. Breaking out of the HR bubble leads to higher adoption and better integration across teams.
- Shift HR’s role. Move away from being “enforcers” of processes and become strategic enablers who support employees, managers, and the company with tools that make their work easier.
Conclusion
DKV Mobility’s journey with Octily demonstrates the power of a phased approach to HR transformation. By prioritizing key projects and building on early successes, they’ve created a roadmap for continuous improvement in employee satisfaction and engagement.
Want to learn more about how customization can transform your HR platform?
Partner with Octily to transform Cornerstone into a platform that reflects your brand and engages your employees. From personalized Welcome Pages to comprehensive Manager Hubs, Octily helps you unlock the full potential of Cornerstone. Join DKV Mobility and other industry leaders in maximizing your HR platform with tailored customizations that drive engagement, enhance onboarding, and showcase HR’s value.
Or reach out at octily@octily.com, book a meeting, and create your customization wishlist at octily.com to start your journey.
