placed on them by big business. Of utmost importance is data –
its storage, protection and security. This is particularly concerning
to HR professionals considering the volume of personal informa-tion
you have access to.
CAN IT BE DEPLOYED WITHIN 24 HOURS?
A lengthy implementation plan will distract from your everyday
responsibilities and leave you with a poor first impression of what
could otherwise be a solid product. The world works in real-time
and you shouldn’t have to endure a complex and lengthy set-up
before reaping the benefits of the platform.
CAN IT OFFER SIGNIFICANT ROI?
Budgets only seem to be getting tighter and the C-suite will always
question the allocation of funds towards new services. HR tech-nologies
with a proven track record of success are more likely to
be approved, particularly if they demonstrate value not only to
the department but to the broader business. In determining ROI,
don’t forget to factor in the time and effort that goes into managing
the technology – for example, if it requires substantial resources,
you’ll have to decide whether the end result makes it worthwhile.
CAN IT INTEGRATE WITH OTHER SYSTEMS?
Any business that tries to be a jack-of-all-trades will never be the
best at any one thing. The business that gets its offering right and
then partners with the best in other fields to provide unparalleled
service, experience and return, is the future model for success. You
may be in the market for only one technology at this point, but
that may change – and it will be a lot easier to add to your existing
suite if that initial product can be integrated with others.
CAN THE SOLUTION SCALE WITH
YOUR BUSINESS?
Start small, grow big. Wise HR leaders and recruiters look for a
progressive consumption model where they test and learn from
deployment in a pilot, then move to a larger, contained applica-tion
before rolling it out across all facets of the business. It’s a
prudent strategy because any roadblocks or incompatibilities are
flagged early before they become problematic. You must ensure
your elected vendor has the resources to provide this staged sup-port
and to quickly fix any problems at whatever phase they occur.
WHO OWNS IT?
Enterprise-level technology implementations are multi-year
investments, so stability of ownership is critical. Some startups
will have attractive and innovative offerings but cannot offer sta-bility.
Are their investors looking for a quick exit? Is their funding
viable? Where will they be in three or five years? A public entity,
with accessible records, tenure, governance and regulatory control
may be a safer partner in the long run. n
Derek Smith is the general manager for Xref North America.
technology
rvlsoft / 123RF Stock Photo
46 ❚ AUGUST 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
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