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Ultimate Software: Fulfilling a Promise of Putting People First

Ultimate Software logo

Last week, I attended Ultimate Software’s Connections Conference for the first time and to be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Mollie and I travel to about 25 conferences a year. These events keep us up-to-date on the HCM technology space and they tend to cover the same stuff…product announcements, customer success stories, and company updates. And, no surprise, some do a better job than others. But Ultimate was impressive on all three fronts. This provider lives by a mantra of putting people first and it does so throughout both its customer engagements and product enhancements. It is a company that takes customer success seriously – listening to what customers want and innovating across its suite of products.

Here’s what I learned:

Product Updates

Product announcements took three forms: standard updates to address general customer needs, more innovative and forward thinking announcements (Ultimate invests 20% of its revenue in innovation), and new products.

  • Standard announcements include branded notifications and customer referral management to its recruitment solution, crossboarding functionality, mobile enhancements, and web-based adjustments to payroll.
  • Innovation that was announced centers around “Xander”- a people-first AI solution that is embedded in the products to empower managers and teams to improve the decisions they make around their workforce. Xander was inspired by Kanjoya, the disruptive workforce analytics solution that Ultimate acquired last year. It combines statistical data with insight into the emotions and attitudes that managers need to better engage and understand their workforce.
  • New products include the announcement of a Learning Management System (LMS) focused on leadership and a more flexible workforce.

Customer Success

I was surprised to learn that 51% of Ultimate’s employees are focused on services. They want their customers to be successful and offer robust programs for building talent pipelines, certifications, and leadership development programs. In addition to customer service, Ultimate offers activation, consulting, and free access to learning. On average, customers achieve a $3.88 return on every dollar they have spent.

Company Updates

Ultimate is a leading HCM provider. They have demonstrated product leadership, a commitment to customer satisfaction, and breadth in their suite of solutions. Company success includes financial growth and recognition:

  • 27% recurring revenue growth
  • #1 Great Places to Work for technology companies
  • #7 Fortune 100 Best Companies
  • #2 CEO on Glassdoor

Ultimate is fulfilling its people-first mantra through its services, technology, and engagement of its own employees. Mollie’s upcoming Payroll Index Report will provide a more in-depth analysis of Ultimate next month.

 

 

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Why We Do Not Rank Vendors in Our Reports

recruitment marketing index from 2017 displayed on a smartphone

When Mollie and I founded Aptitude Research Partners, we did so because of a massive need in the Human Capital Management market for a more productive conversation between HCM technology users and providers. Our goal from day one has been to move the dialogue beyond feature and function, to what really matters.

The mission of our business is to enable a new conversation where organizations have the insight to better understand their own HCM needs, and providers can clearly highlight their differentiators in order to create stronger relationships and improve the overall employee experience.

The Experience Economy, as we call it, is a delicate balance. Each member plays a distinct role. As far as we are concerned, as analysts, we take on the role of a kind of Sherpa leading both vendors and practitioners up the mountain to new heights.

 (See mountainous logo, etc… now it makes sense!)

It’s a role we take quite seriously.

And unlike the traditional analyst ranking models made popular by Gartner’s Magic Quadrant or Forrester’s Wave,TM  we do things a bit differently. We feel it’s critical to maintain objectivity to truly add value to both parties.

That is why we do not rank vendors in our reports

To-date we have published two Index Reports, one last year on Talent Acquisition Systems and one this month on Recruitment Marketing. The Indexes are an expression of that new conversation.

[Update: Now three Index Reports. Read our latest Index Report on Payroll Solution providers.]

They bring the concepts of the HCM technology landscape (our perspective of the vendor landscape) and an understanding of the buyer’s journey (detailing what matters to practitioners) together. The reports explore key trends, meaningful differentiators, and provide our opinion on how to think about the process of matching organizations with the right provider with a unique look at the top players in the space.

It is NOT a stack-ranked list of providers, or a shopper’s comparison guide. This is important. Instead, it provides an overview of the market and helps companies rethink how they determine their own needs, the evaluation criteria used to select partners, and what providers might meet their unique requirements.

As the market becomes more complex, organizations must take a step back and reexamine what is driving success, and ask new questions around technology decisions. The profiles of providers in these reports describe their attributes along these criteria. The insights are based on survey data from hundreds of technology users, in-depth demos and conversations with providers, and our own experience and expertise in the HCM space.

It is our hope that these reports help to simplify the confusion, and focus in on the real, practical questions users and buyers ask every day as they prepare to evaluate technology.

We’re always listening. Reach out on Twitter and Facebook, on our blog, or by emailing us at hello@aptituderp.com.

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The Power of Recruitment Marketing

A digital layout withs someone selected cartoon figures as ideal candidates

When we asked organizations to identify their priorities for talent acquisition investment, recruitment marketing was top of the list. Companies want solutions that can handle the top of the funnel or the pre-applicant workflow. It is not a new request. Companies didn’t just decide they needed a solution to attract, engage or nurture leads. They just didn’t have any good options in the past. Today, recruitment marketing is a critical component of any talent acquisition technology strategy.

The challenge most companies face is understanding what recruitment marketing is and how it can help drive overall recruitment success.  Often referred to as the “pre-applicant platform”, recruitment marketing includes capabilities that maintain the employer brand, foster candidate relationships and enhance messaging and communication efforts. While recruitment marketing can transform a talent acquisition function, the real value is found in a solution that integrates and supports the overall talent acquisition strategy.

Next Tuesday, June 21, I will be presenting a webinar with Charlie Nelson at SmartRecruiters to discuss the power of recruitment marketing. Below are a few topics we plan to cover.

  • The current state of Recruitment Marketing and the key drivers for investing in a technology partner;
  • The role recruitment marketing plays in the current talent acquisition landscape;
  • The key strategies to integrate recruitment marketing efforts with overall talent acquisition efforts;
  • An action plan to help companies get the most value out of their recruitment marketing strategies and investments.

This topic has gained a lot of momentum over the past year and I hope you can join us and share your thoughts on this space.

 

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Greenhouse and the Era of Next Generation ATS Providers

Many people holding up tablets in front of their faces with their pictures on the back

Greenhouse is on a fast growth curve. It has made a name in an industry that is crowded, confusing and incredibly competitive. This next generation talent acquisition system is growing at 200% annually with $60 Million in funding and over 2000 customers (mid-market). It is interesting to me because it is not necessarily disrupting the ATS market but it is thinking about recruitment differently. I learned a lot about Greenhouse at its user conference last week where I had the opportunity to meet with the Executive team and some of its customers. Below are a few reasons why I believe it has been successful and a few things it might need to consider for the future.

Why So Much Growth in Such a Short Period of Time?

  • Productizing Best Practices: Greenhouse with its scorecard functionality and its focus on best-practices is a product that guides recruiters and hiring managers to make the right decisions. It doesn’t force them into the decisions but it shows them what the obvious answers are and then let’s them decide. The job of a talent acquisition professional has become so complex that this level of simplicity and guidance goes a long way. Box, one if its customers at the event, said it was able to provide a simple experience for recruiters, improve how recruiting teams work together and cut time to fill from 60 to 28 days.
  • The Demand for Best of Breed: According to research we’ve conducted this year, 50% of the companies that are unhappy with their ATS are using an ERP. Companies today are looking at best of breed providers and no longer have to sacrifice integration for deep functionality. Stitchfix stated that when considering an ERP and Greenhouse, the partnerships and integration  with third-party providers helped influence its decision to go with best of breed.
  • Happy Partners: In conversations with several companies in San Francisco, Greenhouse has a reputation for being a good partner. Why is this important? Well, the next generation talent acquisition platform is dependent on an ecosystem of providers to support everything from sourcing to screening to interviewing candidates. This ecosystem is the lifeline of an ATS and having strong partnerships in place can greatly improve the customer’s experience.

What It Needs to Consider Moving Forward?

  • Move Out of Tech: Right now, Greenhouse has nearly 60% of its customers in the technology industry (including eretail and fintech). When we ask companies what influences the recruitment tech decisions, “word of mouth” was number one. While it is great that tech companies are so impressed with Greenhouse, it will need to expand outside of tech to sustain its growth and rethink its messaging and even sales strategy.
  • Expand in Recruitment Marketing: Next Generation TA platforms are defined as having 3 critical systems: a Recruitment Marketing platform, ATS and onboarding system. Greenhouse has the ATS and onboarding but needs to build recruitment marketing especially as it comes head to head with providers such as iCIMS, Lever, and SmartRecruiters.
  • A Stronger Message: As competition continues to heat up in this market. Messaging around making recruitment better and easier gets overplayed. Greenhouse will need to be very clear on its differentiators as it moves up market and into other verticals.

Greenhouse is one of the providers we are including in our upcoming Index report. Stay tuned…

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The Top Four Investments in Talent Acquisition Technology

A dark picture with someones palms lit up with different data and graphics displayed above it.

The number one question I get asked by corporations and solution providers is “what is the hottest talent acquisition technology right now?” It’s not an easy question to answer.  It never has been. What may seem hot is not always what drives efficiency and success. And more often than not, hot fades away. Companies need to think about what brings value to their existing processes and what will improve how they operate and the overall experience of candidates, hiring managers and recruiters.

Talent acquisition buyers are making more strategic decisions around their technology. They are listening to their peers, questioning their existing providers and looking for partners. We asked companies in our 2016 Hire, Engage and Retain survey what investments they will be making this year and below is what they had to say (this data does not include the ATS market). Many of these solutions are not necessarily the “hottest” new technology but rather solutions that companies believe will help them recruit better and provide a positive experience.

  • Background Screening: Although it’s considered a tactical area of recruitment, background screening can have a dramatic impact on a company’s overall recruitment strategy. Organizations that make a strategic investment in these solutions are able to expand their global reach, improve the candidate experience, and strengthen the quality of hires.
  • Pre-Hire Assessments: Pre-hire assessments encompass the tools and technology that enable organizations to evaluate if a candidate has the right skills and behaviors to perform a job. Today, companies of every size are providing objectivity to the hiring process by leveraging a variety of pre-hire assessments consistently throughout their organizations, from executive-level positions to front-line workers.
  • Recruitment Marketing Platform: Often referred to as the “pre-applicant platform”, this solution includes capabilities that maintain the employer brand, foster candidate relationships and enhance messaging and communication efforts. Companies are investing in stand-alone solutions as well as some of the more innovative talent acquisition systems.
  • Employee Referral Tools: Companies are looking at solutions that can automate the employee referral process. Often these tools can make sure that referrals get in the hands of hiring managers and recruiters and provide employees with the confidence and information they need to make referrals.

The talent acquisition technology landscape is changing rapidly and there is no shortage of innovation. Companies in the process of evaluating what technology they need should consider solutions that will align with their processes and drive business outcomes.

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SmartRecruiters: Three Things I Learned at Hire Success

compass with the arrow pointing towards the word talent

I met Jerome Ternynck for the first time in 2008. At the time, he was the Founder of Mr. Ted (a popular recruitment solution in Europe) and he was about to launch a free ATS called SmartRecruiters. He made the announcement at ERE Fall and if you were at the conference, you probably remember that this was a very BIG deal. Jerome was offering an ATS with all of the basic functionality to anyone – even small companies with just a few employees. His vision was simple. He wanted to make recruitment simple for both employers and job seekers. Anyone could sign up and start using SmartRecruiters. To be honest, the solution was just ok. Remember, it was free. But, the beauty of SmartRecruiters was its integration and its vision to be something more than a traditional ATS. It was designed as a platform that could truly integrate with many third-party solutions such as background checking, assessments and onboarding. Today, integration is still one of its key differentiator but a LOT has changed.

I was fortunate enough to attend SmartRecruiters’ first user conference this week and below are a few things I learned.

  1. Integration is still a Differentiator: SmartRecruiters’ marketplace allows companies to discover and connect with pre-integrated solutions such as job distribution, assessments, and video interviewing. Solutions are added regularly. SmartRecruiters recently announced integration with LinkedIn, DocuSign, and Tableau. It is a solution that appeals to both recruitment and IT.
  2. Going Global: The company has made significant product enhancements and it is looking to compete at the global enterprise level. This is not the same solution from 2008. It can support multiple brands, handle high-volume and manage the complex needs of global companies. Oh, and it just landed Visa as a client.
  3. Customers Come First: SmartRecruiters is looking at its customers rather than its competitors when making product announcements. Customers helped develop this product and product enhancements and releases happen often. This year 573 ideas were submitted by 3,000 users. I had the opportunity to chat with the Head of Talent Acquisition for Atlassian who said that SmartRecruiters listened to what they wanted and helped to make changes to the product based on their feedback.

The ATS market has changed significantly over the past few years and companies are looking at next generation talent acquisition platforms such as SmartRecruiters that can support a more holistic approach to identifying, attracting and hiring talent.

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