How Tandym works with Mercury Consultancy for continuous improvement.
A strategic investment
For Tandym, one of the US’s leading staffing firms, choosing Mercury wasn’t just about accessing a recruitment CRM; it was about unlocking the full potential of a modern Microsoft-based platform. To achieve this effectively, they tapped into Mercury’s consultancy team with a structured approach that yields predictable, high-impact outcomes every sprint.
Since implementing Mercury in 2024, Tandym has adopted a ‘bank of time’ consultancy model, a set number of consultancy days each sprint, giving them priority access to Mercury consultants to continuously improve their systems and processes.
This model makes it easier to plan, keeps costs predictable, and helps Tandym move faster without the need for additional in-house development resources.
"We view Mercury as a true partnership - 100%. It's night and day from what we had before."
Len Lombardo, CIO, Tandym.
A better way to invest in change
Tandym’s CIO, Len Lombardo looks back at the rationale behind the ‘bank of time’ model. “We didn’t want to waste time or budget chasing one-off fixes. With the bank of time, we’ve created a clear, repeatable way to plan improvements, manage spend, and get expert help that fits around our priorities.”
This structure deeply embeds the Mercury consultancy team in Tandym’s operation, helping shape ideas, validate approaches, and deliver improvements quickly. The two teams meet three times a week and collaborate through shared sprint planning, using dedicated shared resources to track Statements of Work (SOWs) and project progression.
This approach avoids the common trap of ‘throwing money at problems’ by instead creating a strategic rhythm of meetings, refinements, and solution delivery. The efficiency of this arrangement is recognised by Lisa Drew, Tandym’s Senior Managing Director: "It makes it so much easier to have time already scheduled with the consultancy team. We’re not chasing people or waiting weeks to get things started."
"It makes it so much easier to have time already scheduled with the consultancy team."
Lisa Drew, Senior Managing Director, Tandym.
Projects that make a difference
Several high-impact projects have already transformed Tandym’s business operation through a fully customised CRM process for better performance and data integrity, automating workflows and moving people away from Excel spreadsheets!
"They literally built the CRM from an Excel sheet. Our sales team was tracking everything in spreadsheets - it was a nightmare. Now we’re nearly fully transitioned into a proper system." says Len Lombardo.
Driving strategic impact
Some businesses might hesitate to commit to a consultancy model without a backlog of urgent needs. But for Tandym, that backlog didn’t exist until the process helped surface it.
“We didn’t come in with 50 problems to fix. The Mercury team helped us identify areas to streamline and improve - and they do it in a way that doesn’t overwhelm our team.” says Lisa.
With standing meetings and a visual sprint board, Tandym can easily prioritise what matters most, whether that’s fixing an admin-heavy workflow, improving data capture, or rolling out user-friendly automation.
This partnership has also opened new possibilities for innovation and operational improvement. Len is particularly happy with the improved visibility that Mercury delivers "Access to our data is bar none the best part of moving to Mercury. That transparency is game-changing."
As Tandym continues to grow, the consultancy relationship with Mercury remains a core part of their technology strategy.
"We’re a Microsoft shop, so having Mercury on the Microsoft platform unlocked doors that our previous ATS never could. It’s opened up what we can do with integrations and data across the business." says Lisa.
"They literally built the CRM from an Excel sheet. Our sales team was tracking everything in spreadsheets - it was a nightmare. Now we’re nearly fully transitioned into a proper system."
Len Lombardo, CIO, Tandym.
If the software's so good, why all the consultancy?
“The answer is simple…” remarks Mark Cotton, Mercury Consultancy Practice Lead “Tandym didn’t buy Mercury because it was a one-size-fits-all solution. They bought it because it's built on Microsoft and designed to adapt”.
Lisa agrees, “We could use Mercury out of the box, but there are areas where our workflows benefit from further customisation. That’s what the consultancy team helps us achieve.”
The projects are about getting more from the system and aligning it perfectly to Tandym’s business with future scale in mind. Mercury’s consultants are making sure everything aligns with best practice, works with platform updates, and supports long-term scalability. They also act as a bridge to the wider Microsoft ecosystem, working closely with third-party vendors to deliver complete, integrated outcomes.
"Mercury brings experience, platform knowledge, and a product mindset we wouldn’t get anywhere else"
Len Lombardo, CIO, Tandym.
A collaborative culture
The trust and rapport between Tandym and Mercury’s consultants play a huge part in the partnership’s success.
Their weekly collaboration is structured yet flexible, technical yet human. It’s not just about solving problems. It’s about continually unlocking more value from Mercury and Microsoft and doing it in a way that works for Tandym’s pace, people, and plans.
When asked about any internal Vs external barriers, Lisa replies, "They let us talk it out - even our internal debates happen on those calls because we trust them [Mercury]. They listen, they guide us, and they push back when necessary."
"This is the most productive vendor relationship we’ve had. It's efficient, it’s consistent, and most importantly, it’s making a real impact on the business."
Len Lombardo, CIO, Tandym