You’ve reached the stage in your buying process where you’ve started to pick out HRIS Software that looks appropriate for your business. Lots of questions and concerns have undoubtedly been raised and discussed by now, but more will always pop up until you end up actually plunking down the cash for your new program.
However, the following are three questions are ones that you really don’t want to forget to ask yourself and your company’s decision makers when you’re debating the purchase of a new HRIS Software package.
How easy is the system to use?
Depending on the number of your employees who will be using this new human resources management software and their varying computer skills, you’ll need to find a program that everyone will be able to figure out.
For example, you don’t want to purchase an employee management system that only two of your five human resources personnel can understand. This would just cause more work for those two employees than is necessary, and may end up costing you more money in the long run if you have to scrap the program all together and purchase an entirely new one.
Look for HRIS Software that offers you a trial run before you purchase. The software should have a clean layout and an intuitive interface. The help guide should be easy to access and read, with little further explanation needed. Any changes or additions that need to be made to employees’ accounts within the system should be easy to do, and these would preferably be saved automatically by the program instead of requiring one of your workers to manually save the changes.
How customizable is the program?
Even though you want a workforce management software that isn’t difficult to use, you also don’t want one that’s so rigid that you can’t make any adjustments at all.
Your company may want to be able to add your logo to specific areas of the software, or it may want to be able to lock certain functions for some administrators and users but not for others. These are all small details that shouldn’t be ignored.
Most HRIS Software is developed with the understanding that different companies who purchase it will need different functions or processes within the software. Some companies, for example, will want it to have the ability to track time and conduct payroll through the software. If the HRIS Software is developed without these functions, you’ll want to be aware of such things as you’re looking to make a purchasing decision.
How available is the support team?
Always double-check with the HRIS software developer to see what they can offer you in terms of user/client support. Should you happen to have a problem with your HRIS Software, you’ll need to fix it as soon as possible to continue the smooth operation of your business. A good HRIS Software support team will be open at least during normal business hours, and the most dedicated ones will be open a few hours before or after that, even staffing the phones for 24-7 support.
It’s also a good idea to go online and see if you can find other companies’ and people’s reviews of the HRIS Software you’re considering. Does it generally have positive reviews? Are there any complaints about constant down time for a web-only program? Did anyone have huge problems trying to get the software to interact properly with their current Windows computers and network? Was the support team helpful and polite when people called them?
Asking these three questions can save you a lot of hassle and trouble if you make sure to ask them early on in your HRIS Software purchasing process.