HRIS, also known as Human Resource Information System, is the intersection of HR and IT through software. The software helps in HR activities and helps in electrical processing. It is an easy way for the software to take care of the business activities. With the help of HR software, the HR costs are planned and reduced. It also helps them in controlling costs without having to allocate excessive money and resources toward a task. Usually, the HRIS makes the organization more efficient and helps them in making better decisions to improve the quality of the organization and the work done at the organization.
Purchasing HRIS software is a huge deal, especially when you buy it for your own business. Choosing your own HRIS gives you the power to handpick the software that you feel works best for your business. But before you can go around hand-picking software, you should ask yourself if you know to choose the right software. Before you buy the HRIS software, make sure that you perform ample research and detailed analysis.
The eight steps that should be done before the decision can be made regarding the purchase of the HRIS are:
- Research
Basic features are offered in all the HRIS. However, it is important to choose the correct HRIS with the optional and secondary features that you actually need. Some of the basic features that should be present in the HRIS are time and attendance management. Payroll management features help in making accurate and timely payments and reduces the error caused by human beings. There can also be features like tax withholding and report in the software. The software should also have the administration of group benefits and the employee data should also be available in the HRIS. Some additional features that the system should have that could be beneficial are based on the needs of the organization. Also, make sure you find out if you want a system that is completely integrated or only modules can be augmented by the system.
- Determine Your Budget
While you decide the features that you want the HRIS to have, you should also spend some time deciding how much you want to spend on the software. Base this on the needs and the size of the organization to understand the budget. You should also be capable of defending the proposal to the management based on the cost and the benefit that it promises to bring to the organization. You should also demonstrate the ways In which the system can expect to improve the operational efficiency. It also improved integrity. By implementing a system, it is possible to save money. Other departments like risk management, accounting, development and recruiting can also benefit from the software.
- Perform Needs Analysis
Understand what the software should do for the company. Understand the points of friction which reduce the efficiency of the system. This will help you have a better grasp of the potential uses of the system. It would also mean that the person who has to manage all these activities on-site can be replaced by the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Also, you will have to analyze the kind of reports that the HRIS can generator. And understand if the software would have to manage employees as well at different locations.
- Requirement Specification
Once the needs are analyzed and researched excessively, the requirements list should be compiled. Make sure to separate the nice to have and the essentials. This way, you do not end up over-purchasing the software beyond the scope of the business or beyond the business strategy. However, when the requirements are clear, the functionality of the software is also clear.
- Vendor Shortlist
Once you have an idea about the type of software that you want, the next step is to analyze the various vendors and determine which vendors offer the requirements that you have in their software. You should also determine which vendors will suit your purpose and fulfill your requirements.
- Quotes and Further Research
Once you have an idea about the vendors, you can obtain the quotes from all the people you have shortlisted. Following this, you should compare the quotes against each other. Make sure that the quotation is not only for the software but also for training, implementation, upgrades, and maintenance. Be sure to ask the additional charges that you would need. Make sure you do proper research on the company and find out where they are based and the duration they have been in the business. The marketplace reputation is also important to understanding the reliability they bring with them.
- Schedule a Demonstration
Because you have now shortlisted the list of potential HRIS for your organization extensively, it is now time to narrow the list of possibilities to find out which ones fit the budget. Schedule software demonstrations with each of the vendors you have shortlisted. Understand how the software works and how it can be implemented on the computer. Make sure you have with you some colleagues who are open-minded about the process attending the demonstrations with you. They can help in providing an unbiased assessment of the demonstration, which can help further in the shortlisting process. Once you have seen the demo, the time comes when you will have to shortlist again. This means that you see the demo, you tend to have an idea of what to expect. This will also help you in understanding the software which does not make the cut. When you ask for another demo, you can easily choose between the options you have available.
- Buy it
In case you have stuck to these steps that are mentioned here, you are now in the clear. You can decide with confidence the software that will work for your organization. Before you make the final purchase, make sure that you ask your vendor about discounts that you could be eligible for. With the help of the right HRIS, life can become several times simpler for the HR department. However, it is possible only with the help of the right software.
