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Bhuwan Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
SAP SuccessFactors Consultant at NTT DATA Business Solutions Qatar
Real User
Reasonable module-based pricing, excellent technical support, and is popular for business of any size
Pros and Cons
  • "SAP SuccessFactors, in my opinion, is the best cloud-based HR solution tool for any size business."
  • "Everything, including the provisioning dependency, should be moved to the instance, and coding should be kept to a minimum. Wherever possible, coding should be minimized, and everything should be a drag-and-drop."

What is our primary use case?

SAP SuccessFactors is used as its HR solution, to implement the SuccessFactors.

I implemented SuccessFactors' LMS and provided support and enhancements to Employee Central, Time Management, Recruitment, Performance Management, Goal Management, Reporting, and Analytics.

What is most valuable?

SAP SuccessFactors, in my opinion, is the best cloud-based HR solution tool for any size business.

What needs improvement?

Considering the entire suite, Learning is on the verge of many upgrades, but it still needs to be upgraded to such a scale that it almost feels tightly integrated with SuccessFactors because Learning is on Plateau, and SuccessFactors acquired Plateau, and later SuccessFactors was acquired by SAP. Learning is still based on another Plateau platform. Much more progress is required in the Learning space.

Everything, including the provisioning dependency, should be moved to the instance, and coding should be kept to a minimum. Wherever possible, coding should be minimized, and everything should be a drag-and-drop.

UX and UI are already user-friendly, but there are some aspects that require some HTML or XML knowledge. It's not for everyone.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with SAP SuccessFactors for three and a half years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SAP SuccessFactors is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

SAP SuccessFactors is a scalable product.

Our entire HR solution is built on SAP SuccessFactors.

We are implementation partners. Not only is it implemented in our company, but it is also implemented for others.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate technical support a four out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

NTT Data is a partner for SAP.

How was the initial setup?

Every module in SAP SuccessFactors is complex in its own way. LMS and Time Management, in particular, require extensive configuration knowledge, experience, and hands-on experience. Only certified consultants are encouraged to apply.

If you have a large customer base with thousands of records to deploy, it could take three, four, or four to five months.

Maintenance is determined by the scope of the project. If it is a large company with more than 50,000 employees, 50 plus countries, and multiple locals, then at least four to five consultants are required because configuration changes, support, maintenance, and everything else will be required, and some of the aspects in SuccessFactors require extensive experience, hands-on, and knowledge.

What about the implementation team?

They rely on certified consultants, of which there are two levels of certification: associate and professional. It is best to have a professional certified consultant.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is not expensive because it is a complete suite with a module-based cost.

I am not sure about the pricing, but I understand it's a popular solution for mid-size, small-size, and large-size businesses. I don't see pricing as a challenge. I would rate their pricing a four out of five.

What other advice do I have?

Always refer to the SAP standard, help guide, and help portals. It is preferred to use certified consultants from the implementation partners because it is very difficult to rework and reimplement once it is implemented and all the integrations are in place. It is better to get it done clearly and sound the first time. It's good. 

I believe that more and more organizations will choose a cloud-based solution.

I would rate SAP SuccessFactors a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Fachlul Infithar - PeerSpot reviewer
IT PMO at PT. Bank Tabungan Negara
Real User
Ridiculously expensive and doesn't give any ROI
Pros and Cons
  • "SuccessFactors' most valuable feature is performance management."
  • "I don't think SuccessFactors is quite fit for use as an employee database."

What is our primary use case?

I mainly use SuccessFactors for employee and performance management.

What is most valuable?

SuccessFactors' most valuable feature is performance management.

What needs improvement?

The integration module is an area that could be improved. In addition, SAP needs to better manage the overlap between HANA, the ERP HR module, and SuccessFactors.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using SuccessFactors for over four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We run SuccessFactors on the SAP cloud, so we have no problems other than those typical of cloud technology e.g. interconnection problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We use the cloud version of SuccessFactors, so there are no problems with scalability.

How are customer service and support?

There are some problems with SAP's technical support because they're not always very responsive.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Negative

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we used SAP HR.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was quite complex, and implementation took a long time, about two years, because of the amount of customization we had to do.

What about the implementation team?

We used an in-house team.

What was our ROI?

I don't feel we get any ROI from SuccessFactors.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing for SuccessFactors is ridiculously high, and there are costs in addition to the license fee for some features.

What other advice do I have?

I don't think SuccessFactors is quite fit for use as an employee database, and SAP HR may be more suitable. There seems to be some overlap between these two solutions, but neither one has all the capabilities of the other. I would rate SuccessFactors as three out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public 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.
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SAP SuccessFactors
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about SAP SuccessFactors. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
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SAP Project Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Great for HR business processes with helpful talent management tools and onboarding capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "HR and managers can use the onboarding tool to help new employees prepare for their first day on the job, which can help them acclimate to the company culture and reduce anxiety."
  • "The complete integration process between SuccessFactors modules is not at the level that all customers expect when it comes to complete HR user experience from all angles."

What is our primary use case?

We currently use SAP SuccessFactors for a variety of HR business processes. We have talent modules for performance and goal management to manage all of our performance HR processes. We also use SuccessFactors recruitment to manage all of our hiring processes and candidate searches, as well as complete candidate processes. We use employee central to manage all of our HR core master data and HR operation processes such as hiring, promotion, separation, transfer, and so on.

We use the product in various countries and business processes where we cover the construction, manufacturing, and building systems. We can always rely on SF in any business function.

How has it helped my organization?

A suite of SuccessFactors Talent Management tools helps us in managing the entire employee journey. HR may utilize the recruiting tool to match external and internal talent to job openings. Employees can also use the app to look for work within the organization.

HR and managers can use the onboarding tool to help new employees prepare for their first day on the job, which can help them acclimate to the company culture and reduce anxiety.

HR and managers can use the succession and development tool to create career paths and staff development plans. When combined with the learning tool, these development objectives can help employees gain the skills they need to advance their careers within the company.

What is most valuable?

The Continuous Performance Management (CPM) is a feature that allows managers and their employees to communicate in real-time about areas such as performance, goals, and activities. SuccessFactors CPM aims to ensure that work is aligned with objectives and that a live summary of accomplishments is available. It also allows for coaching. It's very useful to have.

The CPM application provides a platform for employees and managers to communicate about their activities, accomplishments, and other aspects of measuring and managing performance on an ongoing basis. It is designed to help managers define activities, discussion topics, and accomplishments, as well as coach and provide feedback - all of which are critical in motivating remote employees. Employees benefit from SuccessFactors CPM by receiving activity updates, discussing topics, recording accomplishments, and providing feedback.

What needs improvement?

The complete integration process between SuccessFactors modules is not at the level that all customers expect when it comes to complete HR user experience from all angles. For example, the new center capability still requires a lot of effort from SAP to have a complete integration business process and to allow customers to reap the full benefits of such an important feature.

Also, the EC payroll module is still dependent on the old SAP payroll on-premise system, and from a customer standpoint, Successfactors deserve to have better payroll runs that are easier when it comes to a customer's customized processes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP successfactors for the last nine years (from 2013).

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Sr. I.T. Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Handling payroll calculations with robust security and good flexibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The cloud security and the correct features for payroll calculations, once issues are resolved, are valuable aspects of this product."
  • "One area of improvement is the time taken to configure changes, such as taxation rules, which can take several months."

What is our primary use case?

We have been using SAP S4HANA and integrated products like SuccessFactors for payroll calculations and HR management.

How has it helped my organization?

SAP and SuccessFactors have provided more flexibility, advanced controls, and robust security features for our organization. However, we have faced several issues with SuccessFactors, particularly with payroll calculations, push data failures, and integration challenges.

What is most valuable?

The payroll calculation is a crucial feature of SuccessFactors. The cloud security and the correct features for payroll calculations, once issues are resolved, are valuable aspects of this product.

What needs improvement?

One area of improvement is the time taken to configure changes, such as taxation rules, which can take several months. Additionally, having user-friendly logic that allows user-defined rules could make the system more adaptable and reduce dependency on external consultants.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SuccessFactors for almost two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There have been instances where SuccessFactors fails to capture and push data correctly, leading to the need for manual interventions.

How are customer service and support?

There are two kinds of technical support: consultants for SAP support and business consultants. We feel that they lack the necessary knowledge and expertise, which affects the efficiency of issue resolution.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before SAP SuccessFactors, we were using Remco ERP product.

What about the implementation team?

We have faced significant challenges with the consultants provided, especially regarding their expertise and the time taken to resolve issues.

What other advice do I have?

It is critical to have a dedicated SuccessFactors consultant for effective management. For mid-sized industries, handling SAP products without proper technical support can be challenging.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Head of IT & Business Applications, Dangote Refinery at Dangote Industries Limited
Real User
Well-structured support platform, integrates well, and high availability
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of SAP SuccessFactors is that it is a full suite of applications to enable your employees. Additionally, it has good integration with S4 HANA. Our payroll solution is from SAP and the integration becomes much easier when using SAP SuccessFactors."
  • "SAP SuccessFactors' pricing structure could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

SAP SuccessFactors is used for people management, it is an HR solution.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of SAP SuccessFactors is that it is a full suite of applications to enable your employees. Additionally, it has good integration with S4 HANA. Our payroll solution is from SAP and the integration becomes much easier when using SAP SuccessFactors.

What needs improvement?

SAP SuccessFactors' pricing structure could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP SuccessFactors for two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SAP SuccessFactors is highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of SAP SuccessFactors is good.

We have approximately 6,000 users using this solution in my organization. We plan to increase our usage as we are a growing business.

How are customer service and support?

Whenever we have an issue with SAP SuccessFactors they respond. SAP SuccessFactors has a well-structured support platform.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have not previously used other solutions similar to SAP SuccessFactors.

How was the initial setup?

The initial implementation is SAP SuccessFactors straightforward. The full process of deployment took us six months.

What about the implementation team?

We used an integrator firm to do the implementation of SAP SuccessFactors.

We have two to three people managing SAP SuccessFactors.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are on an annual subscription to use SAP SuccessFactors. The pricing model is something that they could restructure a bit better. If it was based differently on the type of usage it would help.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated other solutions before choosing SAP SuccessFactors.

What other advice do I have?

I rate SAP SuccessFactors an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Alaba Ayotunde O. OLUWAYIMIKA - PeerSpot reviewer
It Asset Management Lead at Dangote Industries Limited
Real User
Useful for large enterprises for HR, performance management, and learning management
Pros and Cons
  • "There are a lot of features in SuccessFactors that HR can actually explore. We recently implemented a learning platform that employs the individual staff to actually manage their own learning."
  • "The price could be lower."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for a lot of things: HR, performance management, and learning management. There are a lot of features embedded in SuccessFactors.

The solution was implemented on the old platform, and we cut it over to S/4HANA.

What is most valuable?

Under SuccessFactors, you have the HANA performance management, Headcount. You have Headcount by gender, employee Headcount by location, and employee Headcount by company code. There are personal profiles of the individual staff. They have their leave management, development plan, and learning activities. They can review their performance.

There are a lot of features in SuccessFactors that HR can actually explore. We recently implemented a learning platform that employs the individual staff to actually manage their own learning. They can subscribe to courses and then, when they renew to get approval from there, that's where they can seek and get approval through the course. They can do it at their own pace. SuccessFactors allows you to manage your team, have calibration for promotion, and you can generate reports and see how you're doing.

There is a pack called Fiori. It's user-friendly because the way it is laid out, you can easily see what you want to do. Once you use it frequently and interact with it, you get the feel of it.

What needs improvement?

The price could be lower.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far, the stability has been good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable. We can add more things, and it doesn't interfere with the solution. We do a test run and quality assurance before the production environment.

How are customer service and support?

We have in-house support. Calling technical support sometimes takes a while, but we have some people who have the experience. We already have them employed, so when we need anything, we go to them. If it is beyond them, then we escalate to SAP.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is a matter of planning. If you get your planning right, the deployment of SAP or any part of the module will look very easy. With the proper planning, you will have the right skills and the right SAP partner that can partner with you in the rollout, and you'll be able to deliver with little or no hitch.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

For SAP, the product is pricey, both CAPEX and the OPEX. It's something that could be improved.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10. 

The product is stable, scalable, and addresses a lot of issues. You can add more modules onto various factors as you go along. But it is a pricey solution.

I would recommend this solution for large enterprises because of the cost. I would like to see them come up with products for small enterprises.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Rahasia Rommel - PeerSpot reviewer
Country Human Resource Manager at PT. Grobest Indomakmur
Real User
Good performance management and business processes with an easy deployment process
Pros and Cons
  • "Overall, it's excellent performance management."
  • "The pricing of SAP is quite high."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the performance management system. Under the performance management system we monitor the target, the objective of the employee, and have the assessment on the employee as well as the final result in order to track employee performance.

What is most valuable?

The performance management system of SuccessFactors is very valuable. We can set the goals and then the business process flow.

We can have goals reviewed and approved and then we can submit them to the system. We can review things and get self-assessments. Managers can add comments.

We can track and measure our goals from mid-year reviews to progress. We can calculate excess money in relation to goals and can self-calibrate. Overall, it's excellent performance management. 

The deployment process is easy.

The business processes on offer are excellent.

What needs improvement?

The solution needs to offer more languages. Many in Indonesia, for example, are not so good at English. In this product, English is the default language. We need to translate it to our main languages, which is difficult. 

The pricing of SAP is quite high.

It would be good to have tutorials for employees. If we had something to distribute to them to help with a general understanding of the solution, it would be quite helpful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for around two years or so.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is very good. I don't have any downtime and the solution offers very good availability. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is quite good. It can provide services to many companies and many business units.

In Indonesia, we have 250 employees that are on SuccessFactors. Globally we have about 4,000 users, however, I can't speak to how or if it is used elsewhere.

Currently, the solution is only for the supervisor, manager, and the head of business. However, we are considering expanding to more staff in the future.  

How are customer service and technical support?

In Indonesia, we mostly deal with Hong Kong. There's a team member in Hong Kong that works closely with our SAP consultant. I'm not sure of how responsive the consultant is as I don't deal with them directly. However, our project manager is quite good and understands this product well. When there are issues, he usually can handle them.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

While I only have experience with this solution, in the last company I worked for, we also use OrangeHRM.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy, however, we need to explain to the employee about the process of the performance system due to the fact that, for the most part, they don't know how much is processed in their performance management system. We'll give direction and then it's easy for them to handle. We'll also follow up to make sure they understand and everything makes sense. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's my understanding that the licensing is paid on a yearly basis, however, I cannot speak to the cost. The project manager handles that aspect of the product.

It's my understanding that SAP as a solution is quite expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did evaluate other options. Typically, I look at local offerings. However, due to the fact that our company is multi-national, I've only really looked at SuccessFactors for this particular work. We don't really have the capacity to decide locally. 

What other advice do I have?

We are using the latest version of the solution. 

I would recommend the solution to other users.

The main pain point, however, is the price. It may be why not all employees in Indonesia end up using it. However, the business processes are very good.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We're mostly quite satisfied with the solution and its capabilities. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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reviewer1488675 - PeerSpot reviewer
Country Expert Total Workforce Managemnet/ Learning & Development at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Stable and globally accessible, but needs more features and better user experience, flexibility, and integrations
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a global database, and it is globally accessible. By using this solution, we have moved away from paper, which is a big step for us."
  • "Its overall integration and user experience can be improved. SuccessFactors is a system that is built out of three different systems. The elements part was bought from Plateau, and the original performance dialogue was built by SuccessFactors itself. After that, SAP bought it, and it hasn't improved in the last few years. SuccessFactors is a perfect tool if you use it the way it is meant to be, but if you start building custom sessions and try to use it differently, then it is a total mess. It is not agile. It is like an old Mastodon truck or whatever. We don't have the Employee Central and Competence Management modules. Our company made the choice to not implement the Employee Central module. We also didn't implement the Competence Management module. We use the learning module to do some competence management, but I am not that fond of it. It would have been best to have the whole suite. SAP should never sell this without selling the whole suite because it just doesn't work. The biggest gain for me would be having the possibility of doing strategic personnel planning and managing internal mobility. If it could be used for social purposes, such as creating communities and connecting with media channels, that would be perfect. It should also have the possibilities for local admin and agile product development."

What is our primary use case?

It is a personnel administration tool. As a normal associate, I use it for performance dialogues and training management. I also use it for reporting on the LMS module. We are using the SaaS version of this solution.

What is most valuable?

It has a global database, and it is globally accessible. By using this solution, we have moved away from paper, which is a big step for us.

What needs improvement?

Its overall integration and user experience can be improved. SuccessFactors is a system that is built out of three different systems. The elements part was bought from Plateau, and the original performance dialogue was built by SuccessFactors itself. After that, SAP bought it, and it hasn't improved in the last few years. 

SuccessFactors is a perfect tool if you use it the way it is meant to be, but if you start building custom sessions and try to use it differently, then it is a total mess. It is not agile. It is like an old Mastodon truck or whatever. 

We don't have the Employee Central and Competence Management modules. Our company made the choice to not implement the Employee Central module. We also didn't implement the Competence Management module. We use the learning module to do some competence management, but I am not that fond of it. It would have been best to have the whole suite. SAP should never sell this without selling the whole suite because it just doesn't work. 

The biggest gain for me would be having the possibility of doing strategic personnel planning and managing internal mobility. If it could be used for social purposes, such as creating communities and connecting with media channels, that would be perfect. It should also have the possibilities for local admin and agile product development.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable enough. It has around 98% stability. There are accessibility issues, but they could be because of any reason, such as our network.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you count associates, we are a 450,000 associate company. About one-third of them are not active users. We have roughly 300,000 users in all kinds of roles, such as managers, FMs, and associates.

Our company doesn't want to spend any more money on SuccessFactors. We are not really extending the solution. It would be wise if we could use it better. We don't do any strategic personnel planning.

How are customer service and technical support?

I can't really evaluate SAP's technical support because there is so much bureaucracy in our support model. Support is not necessarily done in our country, and there is a really bureaucratic ticketing system behind it. We have national application specialists in every country. They are the guys who think about the right and proper text for the support tickets and how can a group in India or Stuttgart solve the problem. 

From another perspective, because I am also in a group of global specialists, I know that SuccessFactors or SAP does not necessarily react quickly to the issues of their customers, which is logical because they need to scale as well.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did use some local systems, but they are not comparable to this product. The biggest pro of SuccessFactors has to be the global database, and it is globally accessible with the integration with the management. I would always prefer a global solution instead of a local solution, but a local solution is like a Pappa and Mamma store on the corner. It is always more flexible, and it is logical.

How was the initial setup?

We didn't have a good data set, so the personal master data was a mess. It was a lot of work, especially on the data side. After one or two years, we kind of fixed it. 

It took about nine months to roll it out. We rolled it out in parts because we are a company that is active in 38 countries, with 450,000 associates. On our site, we had around 5,000 associates at that time. Currently, we have 4,000 associates because we are shrinking. 

In terms of the implementation strategy, we are tech equipped company. It was designed without any negotiation or input from the end-user. It was a technology push if you want to see it like that.

What about the implementation team?

We have our own SAP Competence center for its implementation. Its maintenance is handled by SAP. 

Our release notes are every three months, but from a central department, we only implement them once a year. So, everything is collected somewhere in June or July. There is a big update instead of different small updates. The global application specialists are responsible for updates.

What other advice do I have?

I won't recommend this solution. I would say, "Don't do it." Cornerstone or Workday is way better.

I would rate SAP SuccessFactors a five out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free SAP SuccessFactors Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free SAP SuccessFactors Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.