Post Merger Integration
Merrill DataSite helps merging companies transition faster
As merger opportunities continue to present themselves in today’s stormy markets, post-merger integration issues have moved to the forefront of everyone’s mind. Ideally, merging two companies is a seamless process. But in reality, most of the time it is a bumpy ride at best. It is crucial for M&A professionals to prioritize certain integration issues. Communication is considered the most important factor in determining a merger’s success, and is often the one component of post-merger integration on which all others depend. Ultimately, the success or failure of a merger may be hard to estimate in the years immediately following its completion. Therefore, communicating goals and strategies should be top priority for management teams from the very beginning. To help smooth out potential cultural wrinkles, many companies use virtual data rooms (VDRs) to facilitate communication and Human Resources due diligence review.
Merrill DataSite has created a tool that allows HR administrators to review employee records in a secure environment, streamlining the acquisition process and post merger integration. While all the information remains confidential, HR executives are better informed about the caliber of the employees they will be dealing with throughout the integration process.
Merrill DataSite is designed for rapid deployment. The project management and production teams can scan, upload and organize thousands of pages of content from any source in 24 hours or less. Every aspect of the process, from document scanning to VDR hosting and project management, is delivered by Merrill’s multilingual staff that is available around the clock worldwide.
The key components to a successful integration:
Integrating Company Cultures - Creating a common culture, especially when companies are located in different countries, can be very difficult during post merger integration. Developing a common culture is frequently the biggest trouble spot when merging two companies. It’s all about people. You have to be able to assimilate the new culture as quickly as possible.
Optimizing the Integration Process - Putting together a cohesive and clearly defined management team will help mitigate integration anguish. As new management teams are usually comprised of professionals from both organizations, the importance of having a clear leader cannot be underestimated. There shouldn’t be any confusion about who is in what role prior to the close of the deal and all should be ready to move forward with the new team.
Understanding the value of human capital - Reviewing the critical employee data of the company being acquired is exceptionally important early on; do not leave executives’ fates hanging in the balance. Quite often, acquiring companies do not act sooner on their decisions about employee placement due to the fact they know nothing about the people who are employed. Delaying crucial management decisions make integration more difficult, leaving employees frustrated and resentful. Merrill DataSite’s Virtual Data Room (VDR) makes the integration process more efficient and productive by allowing HR and newly formed management teams to have access to all employee files of both companies in order to assess the best candidates moving forward.
About Merrill DataSite®
Merrill DataSite is a secure virtual data room (VDR) solution that optimizes the due diligence process by providing a highly efficient and secure method for sharing key business information between multiple parties. Merrill DataSite provides unlimited access for users worldwide, as well as real-time activity reports, site-wide search at the document level, enhanced communications through the Q&A feature and superior project management service - all of which help reduce transaction time and expense. Merrill DataSite's multilingual support staff is available from anywhere in the world, 24/7, and can have your VDR up and running with thousands of pages loaded within 24 hours or less.
With its deep roots in transaction and compliance services, Merrill Corporation has a cultural, organization-wide discipline in the management and processing of confidential content. Merrill DataSite is the first VDR provider to understand customer and industry needs by earning an ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificate of registration – the highest standard for information security – and is currently the world's only VDR certified for operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Merrill DataSite's ISO certification is available for review at: www.datasite.com/security.htm.
As the leading provider of VDR solutions, Merrill DataSite has empowered nearly 2 million unique visitors to perform electronic due diligence on thousands of transaction totaling trillions of dollars in asset value. Merrill DataSite VDR solution has become an essential tool in an efficient and legally defensible process for completing multiple types of financial transactions.
