The one HR tech feature you'll regret not asking to see in the demo

I have seen lots of HR software, done more than a few of my own selection processes and subsequent implementations, worked on an HR tech product team for awhile and even been an end user of a bunch of different HR technology solutions over the years.

And if I have, in all these years and in these varying roles learned any single thing about HR technology I think it might be this: In the sales/evaluations stage almost no customer asks their potential HR tech vendor that will be supplying technology solutions that will (hopefully) be used by every person in the organization to review and demonstrate perhaps one of the most important feature/functions of the software, namely, the 'I forgot my password' process.

I don't know why, and I suppose I may be wrong about this as I am not actually sitting in every HR tech vendor demo going on (shock), but I know that I have never seen, nor asked any vendor to discuss and/or demonstrate that actual process that employees would have to follow when they forget their passwords. And they will forget their passwords. Probably every few months. And if the 'I forgot my password' process is slow, clunky, and hard to complete they will become more enraged than they were before. 

So the 'use case' for the "I forgot my password' process flow also needs to factor in the increasing frustration and impending rage of an employee, who has just tried three or more times to (unsuccessfully) log in to the HR system, likely because someone told them they have to, and now the technology tosses them into the 'I forgot my password' abyss. This seems like an incredibly small thing, but for some reason I think it is more important than we tend to believe. 

You have an already unhappy customer who is not able to log in to the system. Make sure the process for welcoming them back into the system doesn't make them even more unhappy. Make sure you take a look at the 'I forgot my password' process when you evaluate any HR tech supplier.

Happy Thursday.

Technology in 1969

So I was thinking about 1969 today.  No, not really remembering 1969, but just thinking about it, I am not that old.

Why? Well after having yet another discussion on the topic of 'Who owns Enterprise 2.0, IT, HR, or the business?', I started to question why the HR community in particular seems so fixated on this debate.

Could it be simply another effort by HR to gain the elusive 'seat at the table', is it simply a priority of 'social media experts' to define a new market for their services, or perhaps it truly is an important and impactful debate that will have lasting effects on the future of HR and it's role in the enterprise?

For the record, I do think that whatever 'Enterprise 2.0' means, it is critical that HR be one of, if not the sole, driving force behind the selection and deployment of new tools and technologies meant to derive the most value out of the enterprise's human capital. 

And it could be that I am simply getting frustrated with the down economy, the seeming lack of meaningful progress of HR Technology in many organizations, and the overall inability of HR to lead in this area.

In 1969, 40 years ago, man landed on the Moon, the ARPANET was developed, the Concorde was test flown, and the Boeing 747 was put in service.

Forty years ago, almost everything seemed possible.  Forty years later far too many people are wasting their talents pushing paper around, manually typing information into un-integrated systems, and arguing over who 'owns' some new technology that may or may not ever be used.

In 1969 we were celebrating this:

In 2009, at least in HR Technology we can and should be doing better.  I will try my best, from my tiny pedestal to make a difference, to be a better resource, and more of a facilitator for my students and my friends in the use of technology for a better organization, work environment, and life.

We can, and should be doing better.