In discussion with Remuneration Management expert Alison Kennedy – Part 5

This is the final segment of this podcast series in the run up to the HR Tech Fest 2016 being held in Melbourne later this month. In this sound byte, Alison Kennedy and Arishma Singh discuss reference checks when assessing an HR tech vendor, the relevance of RFPs today and the importance of user experience when buying a software.

Arishma: In assessing an HR Technology vendor, what's your view about reference checks?

Alison: I have been a reference check for Pivot a number of times. I’m not their reference check every time because that would be a sign of poor matching process.

So, I think on the provider side of the technological solution, they should appropriately match the reference check to the business that they are selling into. So, they should either have an alignment of industry experience or there should be an awareness of here is one of their concerns and we know its this and we know that you have tackled that with us and that would be a good way to help resolve the concerns.

The appropriate reference matching is a good sign of a good supplier. Because that means that they are aware of upfront your concerns and they have a good take on what the difficulties might be. But if you as a buyer, its all about your ability to ask all the right questions.

If you don’t take advantage and really drill down with that reference check on the specific areas of concerns that you might have with technology or what some of your worries are, then it’s a missed opportunity and that sits with you as a purchaser. You need to be able to know what questions to ask and to make sure that the reference checking works for you.

Arishma: Do you think as HR professionals, we know what we want?

Alison: I think the first time you buy software or you are the lead in buying software, the answer is No. If you have not been through a software purchasing process, RFP, even a spec out line process. If you haven’t done any of that, I don’t think you know what you really want because you have not experienced the other end of implementing something.

I think if you’re looking for the best way to buy something is to go and sit in on a process, find part of the business buying piece of technology and get in that room as an observer, watch, learn from the questions being asked and the questions being answered and be the part of the implementation as an observer and watch it what happens the other end. So, what comes out from the user experience point of view. Because, if you have that full end to end experience, its just gives you the whole hindsight piece.

That experience is invaluable. If you go and bring that to your own purchasing experience and leading that HR Team or the decision making process, say it’s a Rem tool, your opportunity then to ask really poignant questions has improved because you have a bit more education and knowledge around where it might go.

Arishma: Do you think RFP still works?

Alison: Yeah, I think it does and it doesn’t. Some companies do it better than others. I think who you have in the room is important. And sometimes, it is a necessity to have procurement people there.

Just because, you know that’s part of their internal ticking of all the boxes. But you wouldn’t ever just leave it with the procurement team. You need a specialist in the room to be driving the process and the purchase. So, you don’t have a rem tool purchased by a procurement officer.

You have a Rem team leading that project and having procurement in the side to advise on that company’s preferred approach to the process. They shouldn’t be advising on the internal workings of the technology piece. It’s about a process. So, every company is different.

Some are more bureaucratic than others. Some have a lot more boxes to tick which can be frustrating from a HR or a Rem team point of view. But certainly, you can get a bit lost in the process in a RFP depending on how overwhelming it can become. So, I think, its just doing the best you can within the environment that you are working within.

The team at Pivot Software hopes you enjoyed this series as much we did bringing it to you. Alison Kennedy will be speaking at the HR Tech Fest 2016 and we will be there too. Hope to see you there!