6 Common Questions About SaaS HR Software
Like most aspects for businesses, human resource software delivered as software as a service (SaaS) via the cloud for small to medium businesses is changing at light speed! Fast, innovative, and feature rich niche providers are turning old HRIS and HRMS suites into dinosaurs.
Following are a few common questions for small businesses:
Will SaaS HR create more work for me?
Of course not, but valid question! Implementation could be difficult, and integrating into other technologies could be problematic – but the entire point of the SaaS HR Software solution is to cut your data management time down drastically. Now you’ll have more time for important work, you know, with actual people.
Will the system keep my data secure?
Most systems take advantage of high security 256–bit SSL encryption and store data behind firewalls – and all data is backed up frequently, at least nightly, to secure your data in case of emergency. The truth is, data security at small businesses is seriously lacking, and SaaS providers are likely a huge step up from what your’e currently using….
How much does the software cost?
As always – it depends! Most are much more affordable than suite or enterprise HR software (that have features never used by smaller organizations). Some apps or modules you can even find for free. Pricing is either based on per employee per month, or fixed packages for blocks of employees, or priced based on features used. But SaaS benefits should include greatly reduced total cost of ownership and a quick ROI.
How long will it take me to learn it?
If the system is a good one – you should be able to start using it immediately! Intuitive user interfaces are a must. Who wants to pay for something they won’t use? If implementation time is long – be careful! You should be up and running, and enjoying the benefits, very quickly.
What happens to my data if we want to change systems?
The data should always be yours! It should be easily exported into csv or excel files with just a few clicks. That data can then be easily imported into most other systems easily.
Can you control what employees can access?
In some systems, yes – and in others, no! The better systems should not only provide Employee Self Service, but should also have options where you can control even what managers or any other users are able to see. Want to hide pay information? birth dates? No problem. Custom user groups should be easy to create and manage for individuals or groups.
The above questions are the basics, and there are a lot more around what exactly is the right human resources software for your specific needs – because every business is different!
Social Media Gets Local
Social Media Gets Local
(1) Promote Your Business on Services On foursquare: Potential customers could be walking by your business and checking in on foursquare. They will see your business and if you’ve promoted a discount or special offer for foursquare users. Then they would be notified that there’s a discount close by and want to stop in.
(2) Follow & Comment on Local Blogs: Find out who is blogging about the local scene where your business is located. By commenting on local blogger’s posts you will start to build a relationship with them. They could even mention you if you have related news or let you suggest a guest post. This would be a great way to get additional local exposure.
Bloglines and Placeblogger are tools that can help you easily find local blogs.
(3) Attend Local Social Media Events On & Offline: Social media events like Tweetups are happening everywhere. Tweetups are a type of event or meetup of Twitter users who are interested in a similar topic. They are a great way to meet and network with people who have similar interests.
Twtvite makes it easy to fine local Tweetups or host your own. Meetup is a very popular tool for finding any type of local event. I have been to several of these Meetups and they are a lot of fun to go to. You will meet a lot of people that are very passionate about the same thing as you.
(4) Filter Your Social Media Advertising: When you advertise on social media sites you are given the option to filter who you are showing your advertisement to. Typically you can filter on country, state, city and sometimes zip code.
When you set these filters on Facebook you are provided with how many people you can reach with your advertising. The number of people you can reach decrease with each new filter you add.
(5) Join or Start Local Groups Online: Several social media platforms have group capabilities that let you create groups on any topic. If you are a running shoe store in Miami you could start a Miami running group and ask members to add their favorite runs or running tips. This will help build your local credibility.
The key to starting a local group is to find something that is related to your business but isn’t actually your business in order to get the maximum response.
If your business isn’t local, but targets a specific group or age range, many of these ideas can be re-purposed for that as well. Let us know if you try one of these ideas and how it works out for your business.