What are some of the most challenging tasks of any HR? Is it recruitment, dealing with the piling volumes of documents or managing tight deadlines? These are not the only ones, since there are much more. Yes and handling everything can be cumbersome. No this article won’t discuss the about the pros of implementing an HR technology, but how to go about implementing one, since improper implementation can undo hours and hours of hard work, time and investment in a moment.
HR software helps with automated operation of payroll and attendance management and much more. While implementation of a new HR software is not as easy as it seems to be and here are some pointers to keep in mind for a smooth implementation experience:
- Research: Choosing the right vendor is the most daunting task of all. You must keep your company’s requirements in consideration while choosing a software. There are two main categories for an HR software: On premise and Cloud software. Choosing between the two models can be a bit of a task, since on premise would be costlier than cloud based, but it offers options to customize more modules and is ideal for larger companies while cloud based software can be ideal for smaller enterprises or companies looking to try a new software without bombing their budget.
- Organize criteria: Now, that you are done with your research and have shortlisted a few systems based on your criterions and requirements, the next big thing is to ask for demos from the shortlisted brands or you could also ask them for a free trial and read about their reviews on trusted sites. After gathering the data, you could score them as they meet your requirements and select the apt one accordingly.
- Training: Once you have selected the software, make sure the vendor provides proper training. Don’t let the vendor go away without providing lessons and manual on the usage and other tools to get most of your technology. You must include every stakeholder in the training so that maximum questions are answered. When implementing a new tech, try finding a vendor, who can assist you in training as well as handholding throughout the project.
- Selecting a period for implementation: After the above-mentioned steps, comes the key stage of actual implementation. This could take up to 5–6 months alone if there are lot of customizations. For SaaS based system, the implementation would not take up much time. Implementing during the company’s off season is always advised to manage downtimes.
- Implement in segments: There are instances when your HR personnel may get lost and cannot cope up with the numerous features. Segmenting the implementation may render your HR with sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the software. For SaaS or cloud based subscription model, you could select a handful of modules to start with and can scale up as the HR department gets comfortable.
- Data migration: Since implementation has just concluded, you must now start with transferring all your existing HR data from your current system into the new software for creating a backup of all your confidential assets, information and data to prevent any loss. The software vendor can help you with a smooth data migration.
- Testing: After successful and long process of implementation, testing is the main concern. Before importing all the backed up data into the newly implemented system, you need to first test it with demo inputs so that less number of resources and time is wasted. Every aspect of usage and requirement needs to be well tested to counter with every possible error.
- Managing downtime: A surefire way to sabotage a company’s workflow is unscheduled downtime. Here the downtime occurs due to implementation of a new software. A downtime without any sure plan could incur serious problems. Downtime management should be taken into consideration when planning to implement the software. Off seasons are a feasible time to implement for efficient training too.
Investing in a new HR software can be both a risky as well as costly journey if done in haste. Surprisingly, if you look a few years back, HR objectives and their job roles have completely changed and with changing time, you too need to change your outlook towards HR software as well.
Pocket HRMS is one such solution, which you can bank upon when it comes to investing in HR technology for your company. To know how Pocket HRMS can revive your HR operations, contact us here or SMS SALES to 56767 or write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in for free demo.
