What is our primary use case?
Our company implemented the solution 13 years ago. We use SAP SuccessFactors as our main HRS system and the solution as our full process for payroll. We do not use the entire ecosystem or functionalities such as recruiting.
Our team includes ten administrators who seem to want to use the solution more like a SAP product. Overall, we have 700 employees who use the system to some extent such as for accessing paychecks.
I use the solution to run reports, define integrations, and help with benefits administration. I support the team with everything but payroll.
What is most valuable?
The total rewards or total cash compensation dashboard is valuable. It includes standard metrics within the platform and that is a nice feature.
The platform is on a private cloud that is fully secure with no way for hacker penetration.
What needs improvement?
The report functionality is not as good as competitive products.
Customer support needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable and works great in the United States. Internationally, the solution purchased its own payroll partner so it operates differently.
Scalability is rated a seven out of ten depending on the circumstances.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support needs improvement because their response time is low and there is always confusion. There are certain things they should do as part of their job and they need to recognize that.
Customer support is critical for all solutions. You can't build something if people have a hard time using it. Support needs to clearly explain use of the solution so that it can be effective.
As a super admin, we use many different systems so vendors need to provide clarity and direction or it is very hard to scale. You can't grow your business if your service is not on par. When you have problems, you need them solved.
We recently moved to comprehensive, VIP-level service because the solution runs our payroll. This provides us with dedicated project and account manager. The team is constantly in the background to help us when needed.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used UKG and UltiPro.
How was the initial setup?
The complexity of setup depends on your requirements but the vendor does provide support.
What about the implementation team?
The vendor is one of the few companies that provides a team to help with full implementation.
As the client, you need to take responsibility for staying engaged, running tests, and ensuring things are implemented correctly or per requirements.
Implementation takes three to four months depending on the complexity of requirements. For example, a company that is non-union is less complex. A company with a union might need up to five months for implementation.
What was our ROI?
I'm focused more on SuccessFactors than the solution. For me, the solution is just a payroll system that someone else runs. If the ROI was high, I don't think the company would be getting off the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive and everyone complains about the price.
Other solutions are also expensive but they have better customer support or a better reporting tool. So when you think about their prices, you see the value in what you get back. With the solution, it seemed that we were paying a lot but not receiving good customer support. We had to move to VIP-level support to get the balance we needed.
The solution also has an unusual pricing model that is based on the number of active users in the system. The more active users you have, the more money you pay. This is a challenge because the solution requires you to archive terminated employees otherwise you get charged for them. But if you do that, you cannot access their data unless you unarchive and pay for them again.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The solution is very big in the market and has a huge customer base. The vendor has operational stability so they will be in business for the long run.
Legacy customers stay with the solution because they have been using it a long time. They are used to what they have and prefer to keep it just for the convenience.
Companies that are big or have complex needs often move completely from the solution to Workday, SuccessFactors, or Oracle because their vast systems can scale to any size. Others just keep the solution for payroll.
Our company is thinking about moving payroll to SuccessFactors in the future.
What other advice do I have?
During integrations, it is always important to check progress and ensure the vendor's work aligns with your expectations.
The solution is trying hard to be better. They have to go back to basics in order for them to be successful. Customer support is a basic need so you have to provide good support along with a great product.
I rate the solution a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
