What to look for when upgrading your HR tech

27 Oct 2020 by Neil Rose

HR tech is an area that is constantly evolving and, with so many new innovations in the space, many businesses are looking at redoing their tech stacks. If you’ve been using the same system for a while, upgrading can feel like a chore but it’s probably time, particularly if your version is no longer supported or, even worse, it’s not in the cloud.

What to look for when upgrading your HR tech

So I want to share a few key things that can take stress out of the transition and maximise your investment.  


#1 Know what problem you’re solving


With technology constantly evolving, you can get Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) programs that can do just about any task. It can be easy to get caught up in what a new system could do, without thinking about whether it’s actually going to help you achieve your business goals.


One way to keep on track is to start with a clear idea of the key challenges you are solving so you avoid getting caught up in the hype.


#2 Aim for a single source of truth


At the core of any stack will likely be a CRM/ATS system, and this can be a good place to start when it comes to redesigning yours. No matter what else it does for you, at the heart of it, your CRM/ATS must be able to act as a single source of truth for your business.


People don’t want to log on to multiple systems to get the job done, so look for a solution that has a single point of sign in, and allows job candidates, clients and your team to collaborate seamlessly.
While much of this is about having the right functionality and connectivity, the right attitude also goes a long way. The Referoo team live by the premise of “if it’s not in the CRM, it didn’t happen”. This way, we keep each other accountable for updating the system and, in doing so, ensure we all have the information at our fingertips to deliver for our clients and jump on new opportunities.


#3 Look for integrations and connectivity


Having your tech talk to each other should be an important part of your redesign. Essentially, you want the right information in the right place for the right people at the right time and creating a flow of information between your systems ensures data doesn’t fall through the cracks.  


The best way to build these integrations is when you are redesigning your stack so you can look at it holistically and work out what should be talking to each other to make it all work for your business.  However, you can look at building these integrations retroactively, through apps like Zapier or Paragon, and while they are good services, the integrations aren’t always seamless.


You can also talk to tech providers about whether they are prepared to build integrations for you. At Referoo, we are always creating new partnerships to build integrations between our reference-checking tool and other HR or recruitment platforms, because we want to make it easier for our clients, so speak to your partners to find out what is possible.


#4 Prioritise ease of use


While connectivity and features are important, they’re not as important as the user experience. You can have a system with all the bells and whistles, but if it’s not easy to use, your people simply won’t use it. Adoption will be low, and you may find yourself with huge information gaps as people revert to keeping things in documents rather than use a clunky system – and there goes your investment.
 
 
In fact, recently, Referoo had a client who decided to switch to another reference-checking platform solely because it already offered an integration with their HR system. However, within two weeks, they came back, because while integration sounded fantastic, it wasn’t easy to use and their people complained.


We sat down with them, took the time to understand where their challenges lie and now, we are building an integration with that same HR system that will work for them.


#5 Don’t overcomplicate things


If you have a process that works, you don’t need to change it just because the tech exists to do so.  One example that comes to mind is when we looked at adopting voice-to-text technology to collect references. 


While it sounded like it might make life easier for our clients and referees, we quickly discovered that these technologies typically have a 90% accuracy rate. This sounds quite good, but when the client types their own answers that number is going to be closer to 100%. So, if we were to use the voice-to-text tech, the referee would need to spend five minutes checking their responses for accuracy. Essentially, they would be spending the time they saved doing a different task. 


It wasn’t a win for anyone, so, we didn’t do it.


#6 Talk to your network


Ask others in your network about their tech experiences - what worked and what didn’t. They may not have exactly the same needs, but first-hand experiences are often the most telling. It’s also important to ask about the post-sales service and experience of working with providers as this can really be make or break for your tech.


At the end of the day, having the right stack is critical to your business, but deciding on the right systems comes down to a number of factors. Look for tech providers who really take a partnership approach, because the right partner can take much of the stress out of the transition and help you make the most of your tech.

  
If you are looking at your HR tech options, get in touch to discuss how Referoo can help.