After you have determined your needs for a human resource software program and after you have determined which HR software products will meet your needs, the next step is to set up demos and evaluate the numerous HRIS systems.
The typical HR Software demo
With the typical HRIS demo, a sales person and perhaps a technician will perform a demo either online or in your office. They may show a Power point presentation; they might not. A consultative sales consultant is going to ask you a great deal of questions about your HR software needs and tailor the HRIS demo to those needs. When showing the HR software, they will focus on the features that set their product apart. They will gloss over areas where their product is not as strong as others. Unless you ask the right questions and take control of the demo, you may or may not get a true picture of the HR software's capability.
You need to take control of the HR software demo
In order to receive a true picture of the HRIS application, you need to take control of the demo. I am not saying you need to be rude. Make sure to ask a lot of questions and make sure to have your IT person in the demo to make sure all technical concerns are addressed. The important thing is for you and your staff to see what you need from the Human Resource product, not what the sales person wants to show you.
How to standardize the process and make the right HR software selection
After looking at a few HRIS products, they start to blur together; you can't remember which product did what. I recommend taking the following steps to standardize the process and make sure you evaluate each HR system on an equal basis: Write down a number of processes and ask the person, or people, providing the demo to show the process and then provide a score.
- Hire a new Employee
- Terminate an Employee
- Import a data file
- Run a turnover report
- Run a birthday list
- Show how salary and job history are recorded
- Setup a medical benefit plan
- Create a custom report of your choice
On the medical plans and custom reports, the sales person may or may not be able to perform the task. They are, after all, not implementation experts. If that's the case, make sure to have a support person or an implementation expert provide a presentation on those processes. As the person shows these processes, make sure and score how easy or how hard the process seems to be. At the end of five demos, you will have a clear understanding as to which HR software products meet your needs and which are going to require the least amount of training and time to maintain.
Clay C. Scroggin has over fifteen years of experience in the human resources software industry. Clay is currently the President and owner of
CompareHRIS.com, a web site dedicated to assisting HR professionals with their search, selection, implementation and use of HR software. Comparehris.com offers an extremely comprehensive HRIS selection tool, to assist you with your HR software selection process. Make sure to also visit our HR-
SoftwareBlog.com for additional tips and advice on HR software systems.
