SMEs are considered the backbone of the Swiss economy. In a world of rapid technological change, however, it is precisely these companies that often face major challenges that make Digitization necessary. In this Specialist articles, you will learn four tips on how to proceed when selecting software to find the right solution for you.
In Switzerland, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 250 employees make up more than 99% of the business landscape and are considered the backbone of the economy. In view of the rapid technological developments, as part of an SME you face the challenge of remaining efficient and competitive. A well-thought-out digitalisation strategy is crucial.
Implementation of a comprehensive HR Suite solution can bring you significant benefits. These solutions make it possible to effectively overcome operational challenges and optimise business processes. In the past, such comprehensive suite solutions were reserved exclusively for larger companies. However, thanks to technological advances and changes in market offerings, they are now also accessible and economically viable for smaller operations.
But how do you find the right solution in the software jungle? In this Specialist article, we share with you the four most important steps that, in our experience, need to be considered when choosing a software solution.
Step 1: "What is your biggest challenge?"
The first step in determining whether there is a need for an HR Suite solution in your organisation is to define the business problem. It is important to accurately identify and understand the challenges within your organisation. The most effective way to do this is to talk to your employees and managers and ask them directly about their biggest challenges. An open and honest working atmosphere is conducive to this.
Once the challenges have been identified, summarise the findings. Analyse the information collected to identify patterns and key problems that need to be solved. This step will help you prioritise the most urgent needs and plan effective solutions. A Swiss SME in the retail sector struggles with efficiency issues as only payroll and recruitment are digitised. This leads to significant time losses in data maintenance, document creation, talent processes and communication between departments. Thoroughly analysing these inefficiencies has highlighted the urgent need for action. Recognising these problems is the first step towards a solution and indicates that a comprehensive digital transformation is necessary.
Step 2: "Which tools are already in use?"
Investigate which digital tools are already in use in your company. In the example above, a Payroll solution and a recruitment system are already in place. You should now check whether it makes sense to integrate the existing solutions or whether they should be replaced by new, more comprehensive tools.
Step 3: "What do we want to achieve?"
Focusing on results ensures that the Technology delivers direct, measurable improvements, such as a 30% reduction in throughput times, rather than distracting from the actual business goals with superfluous features. This encourages targeted use of resources and avoids the complexity often associated with feature overloaded systems. Based on this goal, you should formulate requirements for the HR suite. These include, for example, the ability to automate processes, a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for your employees and managers to access and use, and integrations with existing systems to ensure data consistency.
Step 4: "Is the tool/partner right for us?"
It is essential to choose an HR solution that not only meets your current requirements, but also has the potential to grow and develop with your organisation. To ensure investment security, you should check how much the HR tech provider is investing in the development of its solutions and what resources are available for this. A provider that continuously invests in innovation and improvement of its products can ensure that the Technology will continue to meet the changing needs of your organisation in the future. The SME in the example above emphasises an open and agile corporate culture. A suitable HR tech provider or implementation partner should support these values and offer a flexible, adaptable solution that can grow with your organisation. This includes continuous adaptation to new market requirements and technological advances in order to provide effective support in the long term.
Conclusion
A strategically chosen HR suite can deliver benefits far beyond automation, helping you to make your HR strategies more effective and your entire organisation more agile and responsive. The right provider will understand your business strategy and culture and offer technology that integrates easily with your existing systems, avoids redundant steps and can adapt to the future needs of your organisation.
Author
Stephan Bodenmann
Solutions Expert Team
Stephan has been helping HR Campus customers achieve greater efficiency with the help of suitable tools for almost 10 years. In his wide-ranging role in the Solutions Expert Team, he specialises in providing advice across HR topics and identifying tailor-made solutions that not only make the work of HR departments easier, but also offer end users - employees and managers - an optimal experience.