The right HRIS has the potential to simplify and streamline all people services in your organisation.
When going through the selection process there are many questions you should ask yourself as an organisation, as well as the people technology providers you are exploring, to ensure you are opting for the best fit solution for your business.
We have outlined the top 10 questions you should consider during the selection process:
1. Do you have a clear definition of your business needs and what you are looking for?
Before seeking a new software provider, ask yourself what is it that your business needs? What is missing from your current software and processes you have, and what can the new software solve? Scope out any manual processes that can be automated in the new software and clearly define your requirements.
2. What is your budget?
Define your budget. Do the HRIS vendors fit that budget? Is their pricing transparent or will you encounter any hidden costs? Ask the vendors to clearly outline any license fees, training and implementation costs to ensure you won’t encounter any surprise charges later. Ensure annual maintenance costs and what they cover are detailed too.
3. Does the system fully meet your needs or does it require integration?
Does the provider(s) you are looking at offer all aspects of the solution your are looking for or does it require integration to an ATS or payroll. Also take note of the other systems in your business, does the HRIS software need to interact with these? Map out or ask for help to map out your future end-to-end processes.
4. What level of involvement is expected of me during the implementation?
Scope out the timeline and resource required to implement the new people technology – can you accommodate alongside BAU tasks or do you need implementation support from a third party.
5. Can the vendors you are looking at provide references?
Ask for references of a similar set up and size, but be specific. References shared by the vendor will of course sing their praises so ask for a contrasting reference where the organisation did not renew their contract. This could be for a number of reasons but it’s always best to hear from a variety of organisations and scenarios.
6. Is the system future proof?
Where do you see your business in 5 years’ time? Do you see your workforce growing substantially or do you plan to grow through acquisition?
Can the vendor provide a roadmap of 1, 3, 5 years ahead. What are they doing to future proof their software? Ask for details of future developments but also ensure that you have the internal accountability to drive the solution forward and keep it going.
7. What is the level of support provided and the change management procedure?
Throughout implementation and after, what level of support is provided and via which means? Ask about SLAs, contact hours and response times. Are extra costs incurred for out of hours, emergency support? And what are their means of contact for support – helpdesk, telephone, email, online chat? Does the application have inbuilt online help? Also clarify the change management procedure and how often are upgrades, service packs and bug fixes provided.
8. What training is provided for the solution and is it easily available?
Find out what level of training is provided, whether this is given to administrators of the system or if a session for end-users can be completed too. Confirm if this is live training sessions or pre-recorded videos and guides. Can the training documentation be referred back to if necessary and are there any additional costs. For future testing, training and new users, do they provide a Test – Training – Live database after go live?
9. How easy is the software to use and is it self-service?
During the demonstration take note of how user friendly the system is for admins and your employees. Can they easily complete tasks or are they laborious, multi-step processes? Can employees serve themselves on the system or does it require constant approval from administrators to complete simple tasks? Is there a mobile app and how intuitive is it or does it have limited functionality compared to the desktop site?
10. What level of automation and analytics can be provided?
How sophisticated is the software and does it have the capabilities to automate simple or even better, more advanced processes? How easy are the automation workflows to set up?
Is the reporting suite intelligent and able to provide you with real-time analytics?
Finally, prepare for the demo
Most of the vendors we work with will conduct a demo remotely via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. This gives more flexibility on when the demo can take place as you don’t have to worry about getting everyone in the same room. However, if your team are office based, you may wish to book a room and a large screen/TV. Make sure you have IT on hand should any technical issues arise!
Have your questions prepared and a notebook handy in case you think of anymore as the demo progresses. Your questions may be answered as the vendor demonstrates but you’ll have them ready to ask during the Q&A if not!
“Always allow plenty of time for the demo and allow for it to overrun if required. Don’t be afraid to make the demo go at your pace rather than the vendors, this is for you and your understanding”.
Dave Davies, Payroll Consultant at Silver Cloud
We’ve highlighted the key, top-level questions to consider but remember, no question is too big, too small or too silly! Make sure you have all bases covered and your questions are answered before you make that all important selection decision.
