HRM software is another term used for HRIS or HRMS software. For the purpose of this article, it means the same thing.
Don’t think of the sales rep as only a sales person. If they are good, they can actually provide you a great deal of valuable information and provide tremendous assistance with finding a quality HR system that meets your needs and your budget. As a general rule, a good HR software sales person is much more of a consultant than a sales person. This is certainly true when it comes to assisting you with a needs assessment. After the initial call with the vendor, the vendor will likely want to schedule a needs analysis.
With this step, the HRM Software vendor is basically looking for what your pain points and needs are for a system. This presents a case they can use to sell their system. A good sales rep will offer a solution, not sell a product. From your stand point, however, the sales person or consultant is assisting you with determining your needs for a system. This can be extremely valuable to you in picking the right system. After going through the process with a handful of vendors, you should have a much better understanding of exactly what you should be looking for.
I would actually be concerned if the HR software sales rep does not perform some type of needs analysis. How do they know if their system will meet your needs or correct problems for your organization if they don’t know what your needs or problems are?
A typical software needs analysis is going to start with questions on how you currently handle HR and Payroll system needs. The next logical questions will be “What do you like and don’t like about the current process” or “What improvements are you looking to make”. The rest of the interview will cover specific features or options you may need, systems you may need to interface or integrate with, or specific reports you may need. Questions related to budgeting and the approval process will likely follow. It’s a good idea to write down the needs and problems that are uncovered through these interviews. It’s possible that a good consultant, i.e. sales person, will be able to uncover needs and problems that you were not previously aware of or had not given much thought to.
When you actually see a HRM software demo of the product, make sure you are shown the capabilities that meet the needs that were established during the needs analysis. If you need a specific type of report or an interface to your existing payroll product, make sure these options are shown to your satisfaction during the demo.