3 Common Mistakes Made When Comparing HRMS Software

Are you considering a new HRMS? Are you in the detailed comparison stage and down to a few key contenders? The final stage of choosing a new HRMS, the HRMS comparison, can be the most critical, but it’s often the one riddled with the most mistakes. Keep these common mistakes in mind when comparing HRMS to ensure you pick the right system for your business.

1. Basing Comparisons on Bias Information

It’s great to get a vendor’s perspective on the strengths of their HRMS, but be sure to back up any claims with impartial customer feedback, preferably chosen from a non-vendor supplied list.

AS an example, your HRMS vendor may say, ‘it’s easy to bulk upload data to our system’. You can easily check if this is the case by confirming with other customers, in particular those of a similar size and software usage. In addition, always use vendor neutral sources to gather the majority of information that you will use when comparing HRMS.

2. Not Standardizing HRMS Demonstrations

Often, a vendor’s HRMS demonstration will be sleek and laden with desirable features, many of which you will not have included in your initial requirements list. It’s easy to lose sight of the target during a sales pitch and that’s why it is crucial to ask vendors to go through a series of scenarios that are important to your business. You can then to score them according to how well they match up to your needs and use this score when you begin comparing HRMS options.

A common mistake is inviting a vendor in and allowing the vendor free rein to guide the demonstration as you lose the ability to effectively compare products due to the different presentations. In addition, encourage the team to remain objective; while there may be a like or dislike to the legacy system, when comparing systems, one needs to look at each HRMS with objective eyes.

3. Not including User Experience Information in Comparisons

If you choose the Cadillac of HRMS based only on aesthetics, you may find that it requires intensive efforts to maintain, making it a poor overall decision. It is necessary to review the user experience from all angles from casual users such as managers to devoted data entry professionals and back office staff who cover configuration and maintenance tasks.

User experience information is often neglected when comparing HRMS, a mistake which can often lead to low employee buy-in further into the HRMS project.

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Heather Batyski

About the author…

Heather is an experienced HRMS analyst, consultant and manager. Having worked for companies such as Deloitte, Franklin Templeton and Oracle, Heather has first-hand experience of many HRMS solutions including Peoplesoft and Workday.

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Heather Batyski

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