Before adopting Abode, Cognizant faced challenges with their existing communication methods. The email-centric approach was not only labor-intensive for the coordinators, spending 80+ hours a week on communication and planning, but also ineffective in resonating with Gen Z. The team was in search of a platform that allowed for more casual, instant communication methods like text messaging for important deadlines and events, as well as the use of emojis. 

Cognizant’s legacy formal email communication approach often failed to deliver the friendly, down to earth interactions that Gen Z value. This made it difficult to maintain engagement and ensure a positive experience for our interns. The Cognizant team needed an all-in-one solution to be able to resonate with their intern audience, and had a hard time finding a platform that could provide this at scale.

Cognizant implemented Abode’s comprehensive features to streamline and enhance their internship, apprenticeship, and full-time entry-level onboarding programs. Key features included text message reminders, emoji usage, program templates, and the Community. These tools enabled real-time communication and task management, ensuring that Gen Z interns received timely reminders about new resources and deadlines in a format they found appealing.

The platform's ability to use deadlines and checklists was particularly beneficial for the Cognizant team. Cognizant has six full-time start dates a year, with additional intern start dates. By uploading information into Abode to be utilized as soon as an intern signed on, these individuals were able to access welcome messages, surveys, checklists and videos, all critical to their pre board experience. Additionally, Abode provided an avenue for the program managers to schedule pre-start sessions with new hires a week before the start dates.

Abode's features kept both recruiters and interns accountable. After each part of the program was released, interns were informed when to expect the next communication. The team’s pre-written "what you can do to stay ahead" messages helped manage pre-hire tasks, reducing the risk of reneges. This comprehensive approach not only improved intern engagement but also significantly reduced the amount of time the team spent on admin tasks by 50%, allowing the team to focus on strategic initiatives.

Cognizant saw significant improvements after implementing Abode. Time spent on admin tasks per week was cut from 80 to 40, making room for focus on strategic improvements to new hire experience virtual event programs. Intern engagement was enhanced through the Forum, which facilitated peer interaction and created a more connected and supportive community. Communication efficiency improved as the platform aligned with Gen Z's preference for casual, instant messaging, ensuring better engagement and responsiveness. Additionally, the support from the Abode team and the effective use of templates received positive feedback, streamlining the onboarding process.