DECEMBER 2019HR TECH OUTLOOK8Get the Most From Your HR TechnologyRhonda P. Marcucci, CPA, Vice President, HR & Benefits Technology Consulting Practice Leader, Gallagher [CNSX: GLL]ByIf your HR technology software is in the cloud, you're probably paying more in subscription fees than the value you're getting in return. But before you go screaming to your service provider, know that it's most likely your fault. The value is there; the problem is that you are not using it. I equate this situation with an embarrassing truth about myself: I use a fraction of the functionality of my smartphone. I'm guessing there's a lot of internal nodding of heads right now. Really, who understands all the things their phone can do...and takes advantage of them? The reason I'm embarrassed, however, is because part of my job is to tell people like me that they are failing to make the most of their technology.You may already have what you're looking forTrue confessions aside, my team and I help clients optimize their HR technology. Clients initially come to us wanting to change providers because they are looking for XYZ functionality. It turns out, their current provider not only offers XYZ functionality, but updates it every three months. It's understandable that the client is unaware when you consider the following scenario.You moved your software to the cloud to save time on the formal upgrade process. You let your HR technology specialist go because 70 percent of her job was managing this process. Now comes the quarterly upgrade. Maybe you got an email about it, but likely deleted it because you thought it was junk. When you logged on today, the menu bar that used to be on top is now on the side. And there are some new buttons, but you're not sure what they do. You spend the next two days figuring out where the "old" functionality now resides and it's back to business as usual. This scenario repeats itself every few months and through it all, you continue to pay the provider's bill. The best and worst about software in the cloud The bestand worst thing about cloud-based software is the ease of which it is upgraded.Great new features go unnoticed because you have no formal process to optimize your software. Innovation is part of the cost associated with your subscription (much like your smartphone), but if you fail to take advantage of upgrades you're already paying for, you might as well have stayed with an on-premise system.In MyOpinion
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