Aptitude Research
Schedule a Briefing

Author: Madeline Laurano

Madeline Laurano is the founder and chief analyst of Aptitude Research. For over 18 years, Madeline’s primary focus has been on the HCM market, specializing in talent acquisition and employee experience. Her work helps companies both validate and re-evaluate their strategies and understand the role technology can play in driving business outcomes. She has watched HCM transform from a back-office function to a strategic company initiative with a focus on partnerships, experience and efficiency.

Before founding Aptitude Research, Madeline held research roles at Aberdeen, Bersin by Deloitte, ERE Media and Brandon Hall Group. She is the co-author of Best Practices in Leading a Global Workforce and is often quoted in leading business publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Yahoo News, The New York Times and The Financial Times. She is a frequent presenter at industry conferences including the HR Technology Conference and Exposition, SHRM, IHRIM, HCI’s Strategic Talent Acquisition Conference, Unleash, GDS International’s HCM Summit, and HRO Today.

In her spare time, she is a runner, an avid sports fan and juggles a house full of boys (where a spontaneous indoor hockey game is not unheard of!).

Categories
Blog Workforce

Workday Acquires Peakon: Employee Experience Matters

Yesterday, Workday announced plans to acquire Peakon, an employee engagement provider, in an all-cash deal worth $700 million. Peakon is an employee engagement survey platform that collects feedback and measures employee sentiment in real-time. For anyone following the engagement survey market, this acquisition is no surprise. Companies spend millions each year on surveys, and pressure from C-level executives has increased this investment recently. If an executive is concerned about the company brand, personal reputation, or employee retention, surveys are the go-to response.

Over the past few years, companies have switched from the expensive, traditional consulting model (Aon, Willis Towers Watson, and Gallup) to SaaS providers that offer real-time insights and a better experience. Providers like Glint, CultureIQ, CultureAmp, SurveyMonkey, Perceptyx, and of course Qualtrics have thrived in this market. And 2020 was no exception. Even the traditional consulting firms have invested more heavily in technology. Willis Towers Watson (now merged with Aon) has experienced significant growth in its pulse surveys and engagement survey platform.

But, the engagement survey market is not just a tech play. It requires deep domain expertise, services, and some significant hand-holding as companies look to take these insights and turn them into action. Some providers have focused so heavily on the tech component that they lose sight of the partnership. Providers that have balanced both will see the most success (CultureiQ and Perceptyx are two examples).

So, what does this acquisition mean for the market?

  • 2020 has accelerated the demand for a better experience. The events of 2020 have forced companies to engage with employees in new ways. According to a study we did this summer, 1 in 3 companies increased their investment in surveys. And, many companies had to think differently about the insights they were collecting. Questions around safety, childcare, and mental health are a critical part of the employee experience today.
  • More acquisitions will follow. Qualtrics also made news this week and went public, just two years after SAP acquired it for $8 billion. All eyes are on engagement surveys and people analytics right now and providers like Oracle should be evaluating their options.
  • Engagement surveys need to align with business priorities. One key differentiator of Peakon is that companies can integrate employee engagement data with other key performance indicators like customer retention in one dashboard. The future of engagement surveys is not just in measurement but in the actions and alignment with overall business priorities.
  • Acquisitions are part of Workday’s strategy. Peakon is undoubtedly not the first major acquisition that Workday has made in the HCM space. It continues to become a leading provider in this market through its development, partnerships, investments, and acquisitions. I don’t expect this to be the last major announcement from Workday this year.
  • Partnerships will continue to be a differentiator. The speed and engagement that these next-generation survey providers offer are valuable for any company looking to engage its workforce. Still, companies should not lose sight of the importance of partnership. Understanding what support, expertise, and change management is available should be an important consideration when evaluating these providers.

The next year will be interesting. Companies will continue to invest in these providers, and we can expect more acquisitions. But, whatever happens, this is an impressive market to watch, and it is reassuring to know that companies are committed to understanding their workforce.

Categories
Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies

Talent Acquisition Trifecta: Looking Beyond the ATS

The Talent Acquisition Technology Landscape has become crowded, complicated, and overwhelming. With thousands of providers in the market and new categories that seem to emerge every month, it is difficult for companies to understand what they need to be successful. Not long ago, companies relied solely on their ATS providers or their job boards to manage recruitment. Today, technology choices seem endless. As a result, many companies are making uneducated decisions that can prove costly and damaging to the overall talent acquisition function. In fact, 2 out of 5 companies are either dissatisfied or indifferent to their current technology.

On November 18 at 2 pm EST, I will be presenting some of our latest research on talent acquisition technology focused on the trifecta (CRM, ATS, and Onboarding). This webinar, sponsored by Oracle, is based on new research conducted in 2020 will look at the talent acquisition trifecta and how companies are seeing positive results and measuring ROI by thinking more broadly about their recruitment technology investment.

What is the Talent Acquisition Trifecta:

Talent acquisition deserves its suite of solutions and its technology stack. Strategic talent acquisition is achieved when companies invest in three major technology areas, including a recruitment marketing platform, traditional ATS, and an onboarding system. As the pressure to identify talent intensifies, companies need these systems to handle every stage of the candidate’s journey from a lead (recruitment marketing) to the applicant (ATS) to new hire (onboarding).

Leading companies are beginning to take a step back, reexamining their recruitment processes, and providing more emphasis on the idea of an integrated talent acquisition tech stack. They are finding that the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) as a stand-alone product is not enough. To be efficient and provide a positive candidate experience, organizations need capabilities that engage talent both before applying for a job and after they accept an offer. Consistency in this experience throughout every stage of the candidate’s journey has become essential in talent acquisition.

Why Does It Matter?

Talent acquisition is more complicated than performance, learning, succession, and compensation combined. The buyer is different. The user is different. The experience is different. When organizations invest in solutions that are committed to talent acquisition, the overall talent acquisition strategy improves dramatically. Not only does the task of identifying, attracting, hiring, and onboarding talent becomes less complicated, but organizations are more likely to identify quality talent and improve the candidate experience.

I am excited to share the latest research on the talent acquisition trifecta this month, and I hope you can join the discussion.

Categories
Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies

HireVue Acquires AllyO: A New Look at Conversational AI

Eightfold AI: What’s Next?
Eightfold AI: What’s Next?

Companies are increasing their investment in conversational AI for talent acquisition. In research we conducted earlier this year, 36% of companies invest or plan to invest in these solutions this year compared to 7% in 2019. The value goes beyond speed and efficiency. Conversational AI improves the overall experience and helps to keep candidates engaged throughout the process. When recruiting and hiring teams are asked to do more with less, this is non-negotiable.

From an analyst’s perspective, this has been an exciting tech area to watch over the past year. Customers are more innovative in how they use these solutions. Providers are expanding their capabilities, and investors are looking for new opportunities. Companies in a variety of industries are looking at how these solutions can improve their talent acquisition efforts. All eyes are on conversational AI.

And yesterday, HireVue announced plans to acquire AllyO, a leading conversational AI provider that offers interview scheduling, onboarding, and employee experience capabilities. The acquisition helps to strengthen HireVue’s interview and assessment offerings with an improved experience.

Here are some of my thoughts on the acquisition:

  • Expanded Use-Cases: Some of the misperceptions of conversational AI are around the use cases. Companies tend to think that these solutions can help anyone applying for a job or anyone interested in learning more about the company. Conversational AI provides value throughout the entire candidate’s journey from apply to onboard and even employee experience. This acquisition by an interview and assessment provider will allow clients to engage with candidates and simplify scheduling and screening in the interview to hire stages.
  • Omni-Channel Communication: Candidate communication is a priority for companies, but what works for one candidate or one job might not work for another. Companies need a broad set of communication tools to engage with candidates where they are most comfortable, including video, chat, messaging, and text. This acquisition gives HireVue clients a broader set of communication tools to reach talent.
  • Future Acquisitions: The question remains…Is the future of conversational AI in a stand-alone market or part of a larger talent acquisition suite? When one provider gets acquired, others tend to follow. It will be interesting to watch how HireVue integrates with AllyO and how customers respond.

We will keep you posted as we continue to learn more, but overall, this acquisition further validates the staying power of conversational AI and TA’s future.

Categories
Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies Uncategorized

Jobvite Acquires Talentegy: Improving the Candidate Experience Through Analytics

This week, Jobvite announced the acquisition of Talentegy, a leading talent analytics platform designed to help companies improve the candidate and employee experience. This announcement follows a busy summer for Jobvite with the acquisition of Predictive Partner and launch of AI Innovation Lab, which includes new capabilities for analytics. While many of its competitors have halted investments this year, Jobvite continues its commitment to enhancing capabilities and providing a more comprehensive end-to-end talent acquisition platform.

And, the timing is right. The ATS no longer defines the talent acquisition market. Companies need different capabilities to engage talent, improve the candidate experience, and measure their effectiveness. This acquisition is significant because it represents the future of talent acquisition technology and redefines these platforms through the lens of analytics, technology, and partnership.

What is Talentegy?

Talentegy was created to help companies provide more engaging user experiences. It tracks user activity across all talent systems (CRM, career sites, HRIS, etc.) and enables companies to measure what’s working and what’s not working to maximize these experiences. Some of its differentiators include:

  • Companies do not need IT involvement or in-depth integrations. Talentegy brings multiple systems in one view through its Smart Tag capabilities.
  • Talent acquisition leaders receive automated alerts when candidate and employee engagement is not working. They can then adjust their strategies.
  • Talentegy offers surveys that collect feedback on candidate and employee experiences to inform talent acquisition leaders better.

What Does This Mean for Jobvite?

Jobvite has invested in robust data analytics this year, and Talentegy continues that strategy. It will allow Jobvite to help companies understand what needs to change and how to improve the candidate experience. Customers can leverage the Talentegy solution as a standalone product or purchase it as an add-on to Jobvite’s current Analytics offering. Jobvite will also incorporate Talentegy product capabilities into its existing suite of solutions.

Acquisitions are not easy. They can create new opportunities for customers, but they can also create frustrations or disruptions. Add a pandemic, and they become even more challenging. Jobvite has done well. It has made very strategic decisions around its investments and its impact on its culture. It continues to expand its offerings while maintaining a commitment to its employees and customers. And it is helping to make the TA tech industry as exciting as it was in 2019.

Categories
Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies

Modern Hire Acquires Sonru and Expands Its Global Reach

compass with the arrow pointing towards the word talent

Modern Hire announced the acquisition of Sonru, a global video interview provider based in Ireland. This acquisition further demonstrates Modern Hire’s commitment to improving talent acquisition through technology, science, and insights. While some HR technology providers are slowing down this year, Modern Hire is ramping up to build a more comprehensive solution and expand globally.

According to our latest research, interview management (52%) and selection (42%) are the most impacted by COVID-19. As companies transform their talent acquisition functions this year, the value proposition for these capabilities has never been more significant.

I have spent time with both companies (and their customers), and below are my thoughts on this latest announcement.

A Shared Commitment

As most talent acquisition technology providers were scrambling to build recruitment marketing capabilities over the past decade, Modern Hire and Sonru remained focused on interviewing, assessments, and hiring.

When Montage and Shaker International merged to form Modern Hire in 2019, the goal was to help companies improve efficiencies and provide a better experience through deep functionality and science. As competitors (including video interviewing and some traditional assessment providers) lost favor in the market, Modern Hire maintained and strengthened its reputation and customer retention.

We interviewed P&G last year, and it was able to achieve the following results through a partnership with Modern Hire.

Expand the funnel of diverse and highly qualified talent by 7%.

Shorten the interview process by ~2.5 months

Cost savings of 80% per assessment

Sonru has had similar success with steady growth and over 400 customers globally, including a strong presence in Europe and APAC. I met with Sonru in Dublin in 2018, and the cultures of both companies align in, and the way they approach client success is similar.  They have built expertise and improved customer experience in critical areas of talent acquisition.

A Look to the Future:

Science: Modern Hire is built on data and science. It has over 15 million candidates and enables over 1 million hires in over 20 languages in 200 countries and territories. The acquisition of Sonru expands its reach and strengthens its commitment to insights.

Global Footprint: Sonru has a strong presence in EMEA and APAC. Customers come from various industries, including several Fortune Global 500 companies such as DHL, Nestlé, Qatar Airways, Rolls-Royce, UBS, and Westpac.

Comprehensive Solution: We see companies shift courses rapidly from a stand-alone interview and assessment tools to more comprehensive solutions to improve quality of hire and the overall experience. Bringing Sonru under the Modern Hire brand greatly expands Modern Hire’s reach and market share while signaling high demand for the talent acquisition industry.

Over the next year, Modern Hire will be focused on integration and client success. This announcement is more than acquiring new technology. It is an acquisition that will expand its reach while strengthening its client support model and operational model.

Categories
Blog

New Research on Returning to Work: Safety, Childcare, Communication, and Recognition

The “return to work” conversations have left employees feeling vulnerable and concerned about their future. For most companies, questions about childcare, safety, and communication have not been answered. And, as the uncertainty continues, it is having a devastating impact on the employee experience.

Aptitude Research has launched a major study to look at how employers are supporting their workforce during this time and how employees are responding.

We found some significant gaps in what employers and employees had to say around:

  • Productivity: 85% of employees say they are working more during this pandemic, while nearly 50% of employers say that employees are working less.
  • Flexibility: Only 32% of employees are getting more flexibility during this time, even though 55% of employers state that they offer more flexibility.
  • Wellbeing: 62% of companies state that they are investing in employee wellbeing yet, 64% do not feel valued by their employer.

One thing that both employers and employees agree on is the amount of stress in the workforce. 71% of employees state that they are more stressed during this year, and 95% of employers agree. Employers need to rethink how they are supporting employees today, including communication, safety, and wellbeing. I am excited to share the first look at this research this Wednesday, July 15, at 2 pm EST.

Below are a few of the topics:

Employee Safety: Although 49% of employers say that employee safety is their top priority,  nearly 40% of employees do not feel safe returning. When asked what companies are doing to ensure safety, 58% are providing masks and protective equipment, and only 21% have redesigned their office spaces to provide a safer environment. Most companies are frequently communicating with employees about safety, but few are taking action.

Childcare/Homeschooling: Companies can’t talk about “returning to work” until they address the reality of “returning to school.” And, most families are still uncertain about the future of childcare. Employers do not typically address childcare issues, and most employees do not feel safe talking about their needs with their managers. In today’s environment, companies must think about how childcare impacts the employee experience. Currently, 1 in 3 employees do not feel comfortable talking about childcare, and only 11% of employers ask employees how to support their childcare needs.

Communication: One of the most basic strategies companies can use today is to communicate frequently with employees. Seventy-three (73%) of employees we surveyed said that the only communication they are receiving is email, and 60% said they would prefer other forms of communication. Companies need to rethink the tone, frequency, and method of communication.

Recognition: One of the most concerning findings from this research study is that 61% of employees do not feel recognized today, and 78% do not feel recognized by leadership. Employees work long hours, adjust to change and new technology, and sacrifice their health and time with family. Yet, most employees do not feel appreciated. 1 in 2 employees has not received any recognition since the pandemic started.

These topics impact employees both personally and professionally. I hope you will join us for this important conversation, and I am excited to share this latest research project with you.

Categories
Blog Talent Acquisition Strategies Uncategorized

New Research: Conversational AI in Talent Acquisition

One of the biggest changes in talent acquisition technology over the past year has been the uptick in conversational AI. Companies are looking for better ways to communicate with candidates, improve efficiencies, and offer simplicity- especially through the past three months.

I am excited about Aptitude’s latest research report on this topic in partnership with Paradox. Currently, 38% of companies are investing in conversational AI compared to 7% last year.

Below are some of the key findings from this research:

1. Conversational AI is more than a chatbot. Many of the misperceptions around conversational AI stem from the belief that it is simply a chatbot. Chatbots provide value in giving responses to candidates in real-time. These responses are typically canned answers to basic questions delivered through text. Conversational AI offers a more sophisticated and more personalized solution to engage candidates through multiple forms of communication. Conversational AI gets smarter through use and connects recruiters and candidates in a more meaningful way. In fact, 39% of companies using conversational AI state that the most significant benefit is improving the candidate experience (Aptitude Research). By referring to this technology as “chatbots,” companies miss the many use cases for engaging talent and the numerous benefits beyond saving time.

2. Companies that use Conversational AI see high adoption and satisfaction. Low adoption and poor satisfaction are two common complaints with talent acquisition technology. According to Aptitude Research, 79% of companies see the value in their conversational AI investment. One reason is that these companies see greater adoption across their talent acquisition teams. While companies are using only 3% of their ATS functionality and only 2% of their recruitment marketing functionality, nearly 60% of companies are using all of the capabilities in their conversational AI solutions (Aptitude Research). Conversational AI is intuitive and straightforward when compared to many other areas of talent acquisition technology.

3. The Conversational AI market is growing. Conversational AI is quickly becoming a crowded market; many providers seem to have a chatbot, which creates confusion and misperceptions about how to evaluate and select a partner. While several of the ERP and ATS providers have chatbots or are looking to build chatbots, conversational AI solutions are few and far between. Companies that want to transform talent acquisition through better engagement and an improved experience are looking at stand-alone providers. According to Aptitude Research, nearly 60% of companies are looking at stand-alone providers over their ATS providers.

4. The investment remains steady during this global pandemic. While other areas of talent acquisition technology have been slowing down during today’s global pandemic, the investment in conversational AI remains strong, with over 30% of companies still investing or planning to invest in these solutions in the next year. As companies face new realities with remote recruiting, candidate communication, and the future of work, conversational AI solutions can support companies through this uncertainty.

5. Companies should look beyond candidates. When considering conversational AI, most companies think about the apply process or the screening process. Yet, many companies are expanding their use of these solutions into areas such as interviewing, onboarding, and the employee experience. The benefits of consistent communication, real-time feedback, and 24/7 access should benefit more than candidates. It should reach employees and HR teams as well. Companies are exploring the use of conversational AI to support the full employee experience. McDonald’s just announced plans to hire 260,000 people this summer and conversational AI is a big part of its’ story.

6. Companies across many industries are leveraging these solutions. Conversational AI is disrupting many industries. The belief is that these solutions are only suited for retail and restaurants. Aptitude Research found that the most significant growth was also in financial services, healthcare, and aerospace.

This report is available today and includes the business impact of conversational AI, use cases beyond talent acquisition, and a McDonald’s case study.

Categories
Blog Uncategorized

Recommendations for Recruiting Remotely

This week I joined Stacey Schmidt at Pegasystems and Andre Boulais at Jobvite to talk about recruiting in a remote world. Companies are rethinking their processes and technology to support virtual recruiting. And, making changes doesn’t require a huge overhaul of your talent acquisition process. In many cases, it requires some small changes and some different tools. Our discussion offered some practical advice for companies looking to support their recruiting teams, hiring managers, and candidates.

Below are some of the highlights we discussed across the full talent acquisition lifecycle:

Recruitment Marketing
• Be genuine: Companies need to be genuine with their messaging and communication. Employers should use social media to be transparent rather than promotional.
• Clean-up Your CRM: Companies can think about organizing their CRM and reengaging talent. They can also think about targeted messaging and reengaging alumni, internal employees, and candidates that did not receive an offer.
• Rethink rejection: Companies need to rethink the rejection process to engage with talent and provide insights to candidates who may not move forward now but could continue to engage as candidates or customers in the future.

Technology: CRM, Social Media, Career Sites

Sourcing
• Look at competitors: If competitors are laying off employees, consider campaigns in your CRM that would reach these candidates.
• Engage talent pipelines: Companies can reach out to talent pipelines via campaigns and refresh old profiles and continue nurturing those relationships.
• Improve employee referrals: Companies can think about the employee referral program to gather leads for prizes and communicate these programs to employees.

Technology: CRM, passive sourcing solutions, employee referral solutions

Screening
• Invest in Conversational AI and Text: Companies should consider conversational AI or chatbots to support initial candidate engagement during the process and collect necessary information on a candidate.
• Invest in video screening capabilities: Video can help companies screen candidates early in the process and allow hiring managers and recruiters to prebuild these videos from home.

Technology: Conversational AI, Text, Video Screening

Assessments
• Consider digital assessments: Companies should consider digital assessments that can provide validity but also improve the candidate experience through a simple process.
• Shorten the assessment: Companies looking to fill positions in a short period of time should consider providers that offer shorter, candidate-friendly assessments.

Technology: Digital assessments, game-based assessments

Interview
• Leverage digital interviewing solutions in place of onsite interviews: Digital interviewing offers the ability to schedule, manage, and track interviews. Companies should look at providers
• Videotape your company: Key team members and employees can share what it is like to work at your company. Companies can do this by keeping the message genuine and encouraging employees to talk about their jobs. Employees can do this from their homes and submit their videos.
• Communicate with candidates: Companies should overcommunicate with candidates on the interview process. They should guide virtual interviewing and tips to be successful during the interview.

Technology: Interview scheduling, Conversational AI, Video interviewing

Offer and Onboard
• Automate forms management: Companies should be investing in a provider to support forms management for all new hires.
• Connect new hires with team members and peers before day one: Companies should create an environment where new hires feel connected through virtual meetings and networking with peers.
• Consider online coaching: New hires can feel supported through online coaching and mentoring programs.

Technology: Onboarding system, Learning solutions, Online coaching

Categories
Blog Uncategorized

Coronavirus and the Workforce: An Interview with Dr Patricia Hibberd

Uncertainty is the new normal when it comes to novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We don’t know. We don’t know who has it or who has been exposed. We don’t know if we can travel or if this is something we need to worry about for the next few months. Companies are starting to take action by restricting travel, implementing work from home policies, and communicating plans with employees. But…we just don’t know.

Like most people, coronavirus thoughts and conversations have been occupying a lot of my time this week. I have so many questions, and I am not sure what sources of information to trust. I reached out to Dr. Patricia Hibberd, Chair and Professor for the Department of Global Health at Boston University, and she graciously helped to answer my questions. She has traveled all over the world, studying better ways to diagnose and treat respiratory issues and helped the CDC study the Ebola virus vaccine in 2015.

Below are some of the topics we discussed, and the full recording will be available on the Radical Research, HR Happy Hour podcast next week.

What do we know and what don’t we know about coronavirus today?

“We know that countries are doing exactly what they should be doing. They are increasing their surveillance to find out how many people have it. The denominator is increasing every single day because we are looking in ways we weren’t a few days ago. We are increasing the number of cases and the denominator to figure out what to do with people that have tested positive.”

“Clearly, this is very serious for certain people, but we don’t know the denominator, and that makes it very difficult to know more about this disease. Countries are trying every day to increase that denominator.”

What sources of information can we trust?

“I feel very comfortable with the CDC and the World Health Organization. I am quite concerned with data coming from other sources. We can also trust health officials in each state who are working with the CDC.”

How prepared are we as a country?

“We are getting better. We were a little slow to be testing as widely as we need to be. There are problems with the availability of testing and limitations on who should be tested. Testing needs to be broader than it is. We need to test not just people that have traveled. We need to test anyone with a respiratory issue, and that includes fever, cough, and shortness of breath.”

“Testing also needs to be done at an approved laboratory- not just any laboratory. Anyone that goes to a doctor’s office linked to the state will be able to trust the test has been approved.”

What responsibility do employers have?

“Employers should follow the CDC guidelines and let people work from home if they have symptoms. They should not be setting up their own screening or policies, but they need to make sure that employees can access what they need to remotely.”

Dr. Hibberd also cautions anyone traveling since it might involve transit through a country at risk. As information seems to change every day, she recommends the following CDC. “Yesterday’s information is only as good as yesterday’s information. We need ‘now’ information.”

If anyone is interested in learning more or connecting with Dr. Hibberd, Boston University is live-streaming a discussion on March 14 at 4:30 pm that will include a panel of experts.  This is meant to be an interactive discussion and I am very much looking forward to attending.

Categories
Blog

Questions to Ask During a Merger or Acquisition

colleagues shaking hands

Mergers are different from acquisitions because the two companies are equal (for the most part), and they make the joint decision to combine forces. An acquisition is typically a takeover of a smaller firm by a larger firm. Most of the announcements in the HCM space are acquisitions, but we have seen a few mergers over the past year, including Shaker and Montage (ModernHire) and, most recently, Kronos and Ultimate Software.

Kronos and Ultimate Software can easily be characterized as equal companies coming together. They both have 6,000 employees, both have revenue of nearly $1.5 billion, and both went public and then went private again. But, more than anything, they both have the type of leaders who would come to your home if you were sick and cook you a meal and babysit your kids. It’s the type of leadership that was built on a foundation of kindness and decency. In technology, this type of leadership is rare.
While I do have some early thoughts on the merger of these two firms, some of my friends like Lance Haun have done a better job covering this announcement. But I have been thinking about mergers and acquisitions and what I would want to know if I were a customer.

So, here are a few questions that customers and prospects might want to consider when faced with a merger or acquisition:

Company
– What is the timeframe for change? When can customers expect to see changes to the company or products?
– What are the goals of this announcement? Are the revenue and product goals realistic?
– Will any office locations or headquarters change in the next year?
– Are there any plans to add headcount to the new organization?
– Will there be a rebrand?
– Are there future acquisitions or mergers planned in the next year or two?

People
– What will happen to the current leadership team? Are there a certain number of years leaders are required to remain with the new entity?
– What are the plans to retain key customer contacts, including sales, customer support, and services? Are there short-term or long-term plans to consolidate these functions or replace these functions?
– What will change for implementation teams and support? Will there be a transition period that will impact implementation timeframes?
– What is the morale of the current employees at both companies? Are they excited about the announcement or concerned about their future?

Products
– Are there any plans to sunset the brand of one of the companies?
– What is the investment in research and development moving forward?
– What are the plans to integrate these products?
– What products will be the focus moving forward?
– What is the product roadmap for the next six months to a year?
– Will customers be involved in product development?

LinkedIn Twitter Email
Top
Aptitude Research