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Company Background

Xenium HR, headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, specializes in providing comprehensive human resources solutions tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Founded on the principles of delivering exceptional HR services, Xenium offers a full spectrum of solutions, including HR consulting, payroll processing, benefits administration, and employee training and development.

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Xenium partners with organizations that may lack an in-house HR department or need additional support to manage their workforce effectively. Their approach is deeply rooted in building strong relationships and ensuring compliance with ever-changing employment laws. Xenium’s team of experienced HR professionals helps businesses navigate complex HR challenges, enabling them to focus on their core operations while maintaining a healthy, engaged workforce.

The Challenge

Xenium HR faced significant challenges with scattered knowledge across individual contributors and various platforms, including emails, a local file server, and an outdated SharePoint system. "All that knowledge is sitting there... but when you have people asking redundant questions or looking for things repeatedly, and they can't be self-sufficient, that's where it becomes a big problem," explains Brandon Laws, Vice President of Marketing & Product. The lack of a unified knowledge base slowed down operations and created inconsistencies in the information being used by different teams.

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Another key issue was the difficulty in locating the most current and reliable documents. "You might find a template or a file on our drive, but if there’s a bunch of different versions of it, you don’t know which one to trust," Brandon adds. This led to further inefficiencies as employees had to verify information manually, often by tracking down the original creator, which wasted valuable time.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Xenium HR turned to Guru to centralize their knowledge and streamline access to information. “As a knowledge worker organization, consultants... all we have to sell is our time. If we had information at the tip of our fingers and our people could be self-sufficient, then we'd save so much time and be more effective for our clients," says Brandon. Guru’s robust search capabilities and integrations with tools like Microsoft Teams and Chrome were key to making this vision a reality.

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Xenium HR has also embraced the use of Guru GPT within ChatGPT, further enhancing how they access and interact with knowledge. “I use ChatGPT very frequently throughout the day, I’m often there more than I am in the Guru platform. So to just be able to toggle to the Guru GPT and ask it a question…it is frictionless,” Brandon shared. This integration allows Xenium HR employees to interact with Guru in a way that suits their daily workflows, making it easier to find information without disrupting their routine.

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Brandon particularly appreciates Guru’s multi-platform integration, noting, “I like that you have Guru sprinkled throughout different places like an extension, ChatGPT, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook. This is a significant feature of Guru where it meets people where they’re working If you just had a one-dimensional platform, I don’t think you’d have the adoption that you do.” By integrating with the tools that Xenium employees were already using, Guru ensured high adoption rates and seamless access to critical information.

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With Guru, Xenium was able to move essential, up-to-date resources into a centralized knowledge base. “We’re still using that [old] drive, but only for storing archived files. The version that's for everybody else that's public-facing and for consumption goes into Guru,” Brandon notes. This transition has helped ensure that employees are always working with the most current and accurate information, eliminating the confusion and inefficiencies of the past.

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Moreover, the integration with tools like Loom and Scribe allowed Xenium to embed videos and step-by-step process documentation directly into Guru. Brandon highlights this as one of his favorite features, saying, "It’s so cool to just be able to dump the link in there, and it automatically embeds a video."

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For more details on using Guru with Microsoft Teams, check out the Guru Help Center.

The Approach

1. Assessment and Planning: Brandon Laws, Vice President of Marketing & Product, partnered with Xenium's Director of Operations to identify key knowledge areas and plan the migration process.
2. Data Migration: Active templates and critical documents were moved from their legacy file server to Guru, ensuring that only the most relevant and up-to-date information was made accessible.
3. Team Rollout: Guru was introduced company-wide, with specific training sessions led by Brandon. A dedicated Knowledge Council was established to oversee content management, verification, and ongoing updates.
4. Integration with Existing Tools: Guru was integrated with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Chrome to ensure seamless access across the organization.

The Outcome

Since implementing Guru, Xenium HR has seen significant improvements in efficiency, consistency, and trust across their operations. “Guru has been transformational. The time savings and ease of access to verified information have been game-changers for us. We’re now able to focus on what we do best—consulting with our clients,” says Brandon. Employees now have quick access to verified, reliable information, which has been crucial for maintaining consistent client service. 

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"Before Guru, I don't know if anybody trusted anything," Brandon reflects. The introduction of Guru has dramatically changed this dynamic, as the information stored in Guru is now trusted and easily accessible across the organization. Xenium HR also established a dedicated Knowledge Council, which has been instrumental in maintaining this trust. The council ensures that content is regularly verified and up to date, preventing the spread of outdated or incorrect information. This increased trust has not only enhanced internal confidence but has also positively impacted the client experience, as consultants can now rely on consistent, accurate information when delivering services.