Buying a new HRIS system isn’t an easy job. It requires identifying needs, getting buy-in from stakeholders, researching and demoing solutions, and more. We were thrilled to talk about and break down this complicated process in last week’s #HRforAll Twitter chat. Even more, we were thrilled to partner with our friends at GoCo.io for the event.
If you don’t know anything about GoCo, they are an HR software solution that helps small and mid-sized businesses consolidate HR in one, easy-to-use solution.
What I love about GoCo is they have some incredible reviews — winning awards on G2.com like Easiest Admin, Best Customer Support, Easiest to Use, Easiest Setup, Best Results, and more.
Learn more about GoCo and download their Buyer’s Guide for HRIS for a step-by-step guide with important questions to ask yourself and your business, advice on how to engage with vendors, and a usable checklist for evaluating features of each platform.
See highlights from the chat and learn more about buying a new HR solution.
How to Buy a New HRIS System Chat Recap
Welcome to #HRforAll! We are thrilled to be here with you today.
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
Please help me welcome our sponsor @gocoio!
Learn more about them here: https://t.co/Wsp0ct7bGv pic.twitter.com/a9iSqGae2r
Q1. How do you know you need a new HCM solution? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/pyNIS3PKEA
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
A1: You need a new HCM solution when you spend so much time on manual HR tasks, it takes away from your ability to be a strategic business partner & focus on your people. #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
A1: It's time for a new system when scaling becomes an impossible climb. I agree with the manual task references. Time is money people! #HRforAll
— cory kapner (@ckapner123) April 13, 2021
A1. Seriously now…Look at the population and marry it to the needs for mobility, learning and fluidity for organizational development, growth and design #HRforAll
— John Baldino (@jbalive) April 13, 2021
Q2. How do you get stakeholders on board for the purchase? Who needs to be involved? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/yAiOnX8oxc
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
A2. Understanding what matters to those involved and that might not be the same for all stakeholders. Also, Drop the jargon and talk about what matters #HRforAll
— Nicky Hoyland (@thenickyh) April 13, 2021
A2 This 1 is part of a growing bad trend…stakeholders removing themselves from the process. I spend 1/2 my time begging, stalking & dragging stakeholders into the process. Know why?? They ALWAYS thank me for it afterwards. You can't outsource engagement in buying #hforall
— Tom "Work Like a 🦆" Horne (@EngagementHr) April 13, 2021
A2. Data is key, sharing how the organization will be impacted, cost savings, and why it is important. I like to tie in the dollar amount saved and how we can use the funds elsewhere #HRForAll
— Wendy Kelly PHR SHRM-CP (She/Her) (@WendyMSHRMPHR) April 13, 2021
Q3. What are the most important needs to consider in a solution? What are must haves? Nice to haves? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/jceThY5E0U
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
A3 Service! Are they a partner or just selling you a widget? Must have, real human support. Must have, great UI. Must have, EASY TO USE. Nice to have = depends on individual goals. Don't see enough of this actually….NEED to have > it helps accomplish the goal! #hrforall
— Tom "Work Like a 🦆" Horne (@EngagementHr) April 13, 2021
A3. All tech should be 100% people-first! People will only use what they ask for and need! #HRforAll
— Jay Polaki (@jaypolaki) April 13, 2021
Jumping in! A3: Being about to pull information you might need to produce in litigation is a REQUIREMENT! Have the vendor pull information so you can see it & determine if your grandma/pa can understand it (i.e. a jury.). #HRforAll
— Kate Bischoff 🚁👩🏻💻🙋🏻♀️🥾 (@k8bisch) April 13, 2021
A3: Some of the most important needs to consider are: Will it integrate with my payroll system & benefits provider, or other legacy systems? You need to make sure the HCM is flexible enough for your unique business, and can grow with your organization. #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
Q4. Once you’ve put together your criteria, what’s the first place you go to start your research? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/DAxwagGRQ3
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
A4: Look for reviews on recommendation sites like G2 Crowd & Software Advice – they’ll recommend HCMs based on features you’re looking for, & provide testimonials from verified users. You can see our listing as an example of the info you can find https://t.co/o8o1sTjfYa #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
A4. (1/2) Two things – #HRTech Conference annually is so good to demo product #HRforAll
— John Baldino (@jbalive) April 13, 2021
A4: I will start my research through posting on TA groups like Talent Product Plays and get peer feedback. #hrforall
— Bennett Sung (he/him) (@bennettsung) April 13, 2021
Q5. After a basic list, what’s the best way to narrow your short list? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/r1RYFTWocQ
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
A5: Ask vendors for referrals that are similar to your company in size & industry. Vendors should connect you with an active user that can give you all the details (good & bad) about their experience with the vendor. #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
A5. An RFP works for long to short list. After that it’s in-person meetings. This is a long term relationship and you need to know who you’ll be working with #HRforAll
— Anita Lettink (@Let_Anita) April 13, 2021
A5: Entertain software demos to validate it aligns with your use cases. There are so many ways to solve a single problem. #hrforall
— Bennett Sung (he/him) (@bennettsung) April 13, 2021
A5: Make a features checklist to compare vendors against one another to see who checks off the most boxes. I use our own template for this checklist you can download here: https://t.co/9K9kpB8WA6 #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
A5. Demo, demo, demo. You have to test drive the product. Ask hard questions. Give the BD person a real scenario of struggle for you and watch the person solve for it. #HRforAll
— John Baldino (@jbalive) April 13, 2021
Q6. During a demo, what are the most important things to look for? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/zjFCH0Z85f
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/TimBrianGould/status/1382025668800692228
A6. Functionality for both end user as well as the administrator #HRForAll
— Wendy Kelly PHR SHRM-CP (She/Her) (@WendyMSHRMPHR) April 13, 2021
A6: Usability first. You should also make sure the product can fit in with your existing processes and vendors. You’re the expert in your own business! The HCM should help streamline your processes & help you improve on them – not make you start from scratch. #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
Usability and accessiability need to be a priority for #hrtech moving forward #hrforall
— Jess Miller-Merrell (@jmillermerrell) April 13, 2021
A6. Ease of use – how intuitive is the platform? Training plans and Implementation guides are also very telling of the vendor's commitment to making the implementation a success all around. We strive for this @HrGeckos #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/SFaB10zgxg
— Jay Polaki (@jaypolaki) April 13, 2021
A6: I'd like to know how the software truly differentiates from the competitors. What is the unique selling proposition, what is the ideal customer profile, ECT… There are good product market fits for a reason #HRforAll
— cory kapner (@ckapner123) April 13, 2021
Q7. Once you’ve chosen your favorite vendor, how do you move forward and prepare for the next steps? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/p6JyeVsdxV
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
A6. Lots to consider
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
1. Usability
2. Use Case
3. Security & Compliance
4. Integratability
5. Accessibility
6. Ease of Admin
7. Customer Support #HRforAll
A7: Your chosen vendor should connect you with an implementation specialist (even better if they have a dedicated client success manager too). They will help you navigate the process. Something to look for during the purchasing process. #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
A7: Ideally, start coordinating a pilot. In addition, start lining up legal, IT/Security, and if need be, procurement. #hrforall
— Bennett Sung (he/him) (@bennettsung) April 13, 2021
A7: I start negotiating on price lol.
— Tim Gould (Them/They) HR (@TimBrianGould) April 13, 2021
After that I back up all the data I need from the old system & develop a schedule of how it will be transferred. #HRforAll
Q8. Is there anything you wish vendors knew about your buying process that you feel like many don’t already know? #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/EI5AcXNOAx
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
Q8 I'm a vendor but still buy & it is both frustrating / unproductive when selling partners (yes selling partners, a partnership between both parties!) don't ask or even understand my buying timeline. Or worse, ask then stamp all over it throughout the process #hrforall
— Tom "Work Like a 🦆" Horne (@EngagementHr) April 13, 2021
A8: Research goes a long way and never speak poorly about a competitor. When vendors dis another vendor, shows a lot about their culture and the type of people they hire. #HRforAll
— cory kapner (@ckapner123) April 13, 2021
A8. Having previously worked for a vendor – we always asked a buyer to take us through their process. It’s important to keep in mind it needs to be a win-win for both. #HRforAll
— Anita Lettink (@Let_Anita) April 13, 2021
Thanks for hosting & to everyone who participated! Looking forward to connecting with everyone #HRforAll
— GoCo.io (@gocoio) April 13, 2021
Please join us next month for our chat on How to Implement #HRtech with guest host @ImSoSarah!
— Micole Garatti, MBA (@socialmicole) April 13, 2021
We are thrilled to welcome back @gocoio as our May 11th sponsor!
See you soon! #HRforAll pic.twitter.com/BsnURErY8y
Your Hosts
Cory Kapner
Cory is the Vice President of Global Sales for Recruitics – a recruitment marketing analytics and optimization platform. Over the past 8 years Cory has helped major Job Boards, Staffing firms and Fortune 100 companies with their talent acquisition and retention strategy. Cory brings a data driven, subject matter expert approach to all situations and has proven to be a strategic partner for clients in both, North America and Europe. His past experience includes Michael Page International, Indeed.com, and is a founding member of Recruitics. Learn more here and connect with Cory on Twitter at @ckapner123.
Micole Garatti
Micole is the founder and CEO of SocialMicole, B2B marketing director at Fairygodboss, community manager and host of #HRforAll, and author of The Most Inclusive HR Influencer List™. She’s passionate about diversifying the voices of influence in HR and work tech. She’s featured as a Marketing and HR expert in Inc., LinkedIn’s Talent Blog, Workology, SHRM, and more. She has and English degree from the University of Florida and her MBA from The College of William and Mary. Learn more about Micole here, and follower her on Twitter at @socialmicole.
Liz Orea
Please join us on May 11th from 1 to 2pm EST to discuss How to Implement HRIS System with special guest, Sarah White.
Additionally, for more information on buying a new HR tech, check out GoCo’s Buyer’s Guide for HRIS.
See you at next week’s chat!