When it comes to references, I think it is critical to evaluate the project team on both sides as well because tha reflects the vendors and csutomer’s culture. Vendors and customers are only human and a full understanding of the chemistry might help to identify if the vendor may have had some challenges out of their control.

Some questions I might add:
For the reference side:
- What did your internal project team look like?
- Who were your project sponsors?
If there were any negatives about the vendor:
- Were your processes and business requirements fully outlined before you began the project?
Note: This is critical for any vendors success. Many great vendors have lost credibility for things out of their control.

Questions about Vendor:
- Were the resources provided industry experienced?
- Did the vendor provide a clear project roadmap with milestones and deliverables for both parties?
- Did the vendor clearly identify budget concerns early?
(note: I have never heard of a project that didn’t at some point have budget concerns that needed discussion. Find out how they were handled and make sure the vendor was willing to communicate early.)

Thanks, Michael Brandt

Currently, our support issues are handled by our product management team as they are the most familiar with the product and because we want them to see where customers are getting stuck, confused, hung up etc. After we fully address a support ticket/ issue, we discuss the issue at weekly design review meetings to see if we can alleviate the problem for all of our users through design enhancements.

There is another issue at play here – product design. If HR technology vendors designed smarter, easier-to-use products, with less features and less need for customization then subsequently support wouldn’t be such a major buying issue.

Finally, Gregg’s comment is really telling. There is no doubt that friction exists between buyers and sellers in the HR technology space. It is up to the sellers/ vendors to fix this problem. In time, this will be done by designing better products and by delivering these better products with a smarter business models that don’t create animosities. I would start with non-punitive contracts and cancellation policies, pay-as-you-go services, all inclusive pricing plans, and more affordable, less risky pricing. After all, technology is getting less expensive to deliver and better infrastructure means better reliability. It’s time customers benefit from this- not just vendors. More value- less talk!

Business owners have become as resentful of these costly internal committees as they have of the technology vendors themselves. They want HR solutions that are free, provide value instantly and leave their options for support open.

Gregg Dourgarian
CEO, Tempworks