In case you haven’t noticed there is a ton of new HR technology trying to make its way into employers of all shapes and sizes. In fact, there has never been more #HRtech than exists at this very moment.
At times I feel like we’re in a bubble every time I read a new press release about a new HR tech startup. The announcements are coming fast and furious and I expect that trend to accelerate now that 2018 is here.
In the past few weeks I have chatted with various vendors and startups and was curious what kind of pushback they are getting from HR prospects. The answer was generally the same.
“We don’t need another system to log in to.”
And they’re really don’t. Most HR departments are stretched thin and adding another site to login to makes their job more complicated. Plus there is time needed to learn how to use it properly. It’s especially noticeable on the SMB level in companies with 75-150 employees where there is typically only one or two HR pros to handle everything from benefits to recruiting. Asking them to add yet another tool to their day is something you as a vendor have to be ready to defend.
So what’s an HR tech vendor to do?
- Integrate – chances are you will be asked if it integrates with their existing ATS. There are a lot of applicant tracking systems, you cant serve them all so start with the biggest ones and work your way down the top 20.
- Make It Easy to use – Your tech’s user experience/UI will be a critical aspect of its success. It had better be damn easy to both learn and use on a daily basis. The average recruiter is not tech savvy. If you have to handhold them at every step you are in for a long day and you’ll need a big customer success team to serve them. Be prepared.
- Do it for them – some vendors now offer a professional services team that essentially will manage and maintain the tool for the employer. You may need to look at this option but it’s also a chance for more revenue.
- Automate it – set it and forget it. Companies like Entelo are using AI to do automated sourcing alerts for their customers. The more you can automate your tool and just send your customer and email with results is a good idea. Automation will play a big role in recruiting in the coming years.
If you are currently building a new HR tech tool think long and hard about the time and effort needed to have your customer learn, implement and manage your product. Your success will depend on it.
Thanks for reading. As a Digital Recruiting Expert with RecTech Media I help HR tech firms get more clients and improve or market their product. HR tech is a crowded market. How will you stand out?
