The Complete HRIS Buyer's Guide

Not every HRIS can call itself all-in-one, but your top priority should be to find one that is. An all-in-one HRIS is designed to handle the A to Z of HR—employee records, payroll, performance, time tracking, benefits, hiring, onboarding, and so on, allowing you to leverage one system to do your job instead of a combination of systems.

When companies go on the hunt for new HR software, the most common problems they're trying to solve generally point right to an all-in-one HRIS as the solution:

Every employee uses HR software to manage information such as benefits, PTO requests, performance reviews, and tax documents. With that in mind, individual employees will need an HRIS with easy self-service features, a reliable communication system, and quick access to important content.

Giving employees a good experience isn’t just for their sake—a positive employee experience can also improve business outcomes. In research by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services (HBRAS), companies who prioritize employee experience have higher profitability, resilience, and growth.

So whether it’s an executive who wants comprehensive oversight reports or an entry-level employee looking to review their paystub, every stakeholder's needs should be considered when choosing an HRIS that will benefit your people and the business.

To make the most of an all-in-one HRIS, seek out features that’ll streamline your compensation processes.

• Payroll: Payroll underpins your organization’s success—not just through compliance with labor laws, but also in retaining your employees. For instance, many employees will start looking for a new job after just one or two payroll errors. An effective HRIS will sync seamlessly with payroll software to remove the danger of human error and the time cost of manual entry.
• Time Tracking: For organizations with hourly employees, a time tracking system is an essential extension of the payroll process and your HRIS as a whole. Along with looking for effortless sync with your HRIS and payroll systems, other time-tracking features to consider include project tracking, mobile clock-in, and timesheet approval workflows.
• Benefits Administration: An HRIS with benefits administration makes it simple to create enrollment windows, approve elections, and set up deductions in payroll. For optimal benefits management, choose an HRIS with automated carrier connections, allowing you to seamlessly deliver data to providers.

While it’s important for an HRIS to address major operational needs like data management and payroll, it’s just as essential for an HRIS to provide premium employee engagement tools that help HR attract and retain top talent.

An HRIS should also make it easy for both managers and individual contributors to access important information, complete necessary workflows, and feel engaged in their company’s digital environment.

When you’re shopping for an HRIS, it’s not just about reviewing the software itself—you’ll also need to consider the quality of service provided by the software company. Your HRIS company should have premium customer support, a perfected implementation process, and an excellent industry reputation.

As you research a potential HRIS, you should find out:

• What types of support are available? Does the vendor use phones, chat, and email?
• Will customer support be available during your organization’s business hours? (Be sure to make note of time zones when reviewing the customer service hours.)
• What are the average ratings and reviews for the vendor’s customer support team?
• How does implementation work? How long does it take, and what kind of help is offered to customers? Does implementation support cost extra?
• What other resources does the vendor provide? Do customers have access to tutorials, industry tips, and other professional resources?

Customer support should go beyond a phone number. Look for an HRIS that offers a variety of ways to find answers quickly and learn more about the product.

A quality vendor will also offer ample enrichment opportunities for HR professionals and be eager to share their industry insights. Here are example resources an HRIS company might offer to help you learn more about features and get extra industry tips‌:

As wonderful as it is to hear that a software is the absolute perfect choice for everyone, the truth is that each HRIS is unique, and some may fit certain needs better than others. A sales representative who claims that a software does everything equally well and is a great match for every kind of organization isn’t being forthright.

For instance, one vendor may appear to have a high ranking on G2, but will actually have a lower score within specific categories, such as ease of setup or quality of support. A sales rep should help you make an informed decision by telling you exactly what their software can do and who it’s made for.

When evaluating an HRIS company’s quality of service, the implementation process should be at the forefront of your mind. Implementation is what happens after you buy new software; it’s the work of integrating the software into your company’s processes and workflows.

In many ways, implementation can make or break your software experience, creating the foundation of user knowledge and determining whether stakeholders feel confident using the HRIS in their day-to-day. It also sets the tone for your relationship with the vendor’s support team going forward.

A high-quality HRIS vendor should provide an efficient implementation timeline with clear and accessible support. The implementation process should fit your needs regarding your organization’s size, the types of data you’re handling, and any customized features you’ve requested.

One of the biggest questions regarding implementation is how long it will take. An all-in-one HRIS is supposed to increase efficiency, so you want to avoid getting bogged down by an unclear or drawn-out timeline.

How long it takes to implement an HRIS depends on many factors:

• The number of employees in the organization
• How much data you’ll need to migrate or digitize
• If you need to customize any functionality
• Your data security requirements

Your vendor should be able to give you an estimated timeframe for implementation based on your requirements. Common timelines range from as little as six weeks to several months, depending on the vendor and their offerings.

As you map out the implementation timeline, identify the key decision makers from relevant departments (e.g., executives, IT, payroll). These are the folks who’ll need to know what implementation support a potential vendor is offering and—once the HRIS is purchased—be involved in the actual implementation process.

Pro Tip: Share specific dates for those stakeholders to keep them accountable and outline what you’ll need from each of them to keep the process going smoothly.

In addition to looping in the key stakeholders, you’ll also have to think about who to include in a soft launch. When you implement a new software for an organization, it’s helpful to start by introducing the software to leadership and management, so that they can learn how to use it and how to help their employees use it.

Pro Tip: By rolling out to management first, you’ll save time in the long run, as they can serve as a resource once the HRIS is rolled out to the rest of the company.

Much like customer service, a vendor’s implementation support should include plenty of resources and education.

During the shopping stage, discuss what implementation resources are offered. Find out if you have the option to implement yourself with set-up videos or guides, or if the vendor will assign an implementation manager to assist you throughout the process.

Whatever the options, it should be clear how you can get help when you need it.

Before you even ask for a trial or attend a demo, ask to try out or see a workflow in action. While it’s great to learn about a software’s snazzy features, the actual workflows are where the real HRIS user experience takes place.

Trying out your team’s most common workflows is a valuable litmus test for whether the product is a right fit. Time how long the workflows take and look out for any cumbersome elements.

Once you’ve tested out a few workflows, it’s time to ask for a free trial. A free trial, sometimes called a demo account, is the best way to find out if an HRIS has the right features and is going to make it easier for you to do your job.

During a trial, you can fully explore all the features and see for yourself if it’s the right HRIS for your organization. Note that a demo account should be free to set up and easy to use—if it’s not, that’s a big red flag for a company’s quality of service.

You might not have time to try a free trial for every HRIS you're interested in, in which case you can request a live demo instead. During a live demo, a sales representative will walk you through the experience of using the system.

A live demo can be helpful, but the sales rep will likely show you an idealized version of the product, so to gain a deeper understanding, come prepared with questions about:

• The product’s ability to handle problems you’re currently facing
• Specific features you need or want
• Features you might need in the future

Discuss pricing models with your finance team to figure out what type of pricing model is best for your organization, particularly monthly versus annual billing.

Here are the most common ways HR software vendors charge for their services:

• Per employee, per month
• Per user, per month
• Per employee, per year
• Once-yearly payment
• Additional fees for add-on features

Before bringing a price quote to stakeholders, be sure to consider every element of the pricing model that might impact your organization, including charges per employee or user, and whether you plan on using features that have additional fees. You should also inquire about any discounts that could apply to your organization.