8 Reasons Why the “HR” in HR Service Delivery Matters

As employee expectations grow, and the digital workplace becomes more concrete, HR leaders are beginning to transform how they deliver service to their employees. The old methods of HR email distribution lists, hard-to-use intranets, and paper forms are not sufficient—or efficient—for the modern workforce. Today’s HR organizations are looking to technology to transform how they engage with employees.

These organizations seek HR service delivery platforms to provide an exceptional employee experience. Some platforms, like PeopleDoc, are focused on disrupting traditional HR models and outdated HR technology. Being native to HR, these platforms are 100% focused on HR, meaning they're built to meet the needs of human resources and the employees they serve.

Some software companies have been successful in building other service-centric software, like IT case management or finance reporting tools, and are now trying to sell these tools to HR. Almost like putting on a new shade of lipstick—I look slightly different, but my lips are still the same underneath—they have slightly adjusted the existing products in an attempt to “fit” them to HR. But, while there are some similarities among service center requirements, it's dangerous to adopt a tool that was not built exactly for the needs and requirements of HR.

Use the right tool

It’s like using a fork to eat soup. Just because a fork is very useful in certain eating situations doesn’t mean it's appropriate for all situations. For soup, you're better off investing in a spoon—a highly specialized utensil, created specifically for liquid food. It’s the same for HR software. Tools that weren’t made for HR have major gaps in technology, usability, and compliance.

Here are 8 reasons why your service delivery solution should be rooted in HR:

1. Employee-based vs Case-based

HR-native software is built with the employee at the heart of every decision. For example, employee requests entered into a portal are tied to that employee, not to the case itself. This means the request can be routed more efficiently and HR will have a better view of the employee. Traditional IT case management tools are focused on the case process and resolving issues as fast as possible, not providing HR with the right tools to complete a request.

2. User Experience

Consumer-grade expectations need to be met by consumer-grade performance. Tools built to meet the needs of too many departments are not able to provide the right level of personalization. Additionally, these systems tend to be older so the user experience is not intuitive, which slows adoption.

3. Contextual Knowledgebase

When an employee is searching for policies or forms in the employee portal, only information relevant to them should displayed—fully mapped to rights and roles established in the HRIS.

4. HR Tasks and Processes

HR must be able to automate processes, tasks, and workflows. An HR best-in-breed solution will support complex people processes, like an overseas transfer or a series of tasks required for maternity leave. These processes are significantly more involved, and sensitive, than ordering a new computer screen or notifying IT that the printer is out of ink. Additionally, there are no laws regarding printer ink or broken laptops. It is critical to have a system built for HR, one that ensures you're compliance with laws and regulations.

5. Access Rights and Security

HR documents can be much more sensitive than documents generated in other parts of the business. It is critical to have a solution that is secure, which offers role-based access to documents and requests. This ensures that employees and HR professionals can only view information they are supposed to be able to access, information which may be sensitive like compensation or a disciplinary issue. An audit trail should be provided to show who has accessed documents and when. HR teams and employees will be highly skeptical – and rightly so – of a system where IT professionals can access sensitive employee documents and cases.

6. Flexibility

Larger enterprise systems require a great deal of IT involvement to create or edit any processes in the system. A best-of-breed HR solution is built so that HR professionals can build new forms, process workflows, and knowledgebase articles in minutes, without needing to code or ask IT for help.

7. 100% Employee Focus

An HR-native company will continue to innovate on HR solutions. There will be no competition for investment in product development, so companies are assured their vendor is always working on improving the product for HR.

8. Partnerships and Integration with other HR Software Vendors

Software development teams for HR-native software are able to focus on building industry-specific integrations in order to create a seamless flow of information throughout the organization’s HR ecosystem. This level of integration is not a priority for software vendors who serve multiple departments.

HR native

Software companies who are native to HR spend every day focused on HR issues. We understand the complex requirements facing human resources leaders today, and we build solutions to meet those specific challenges so you don't have to eat soup with a fork.