Best Talent Management Software on the market

Having worked in Human Resources for 25 years, I have had the opportunity to use and/or evaluate a great number of "talent management" systems. Unfortunately, the vast majority of systems are one-dimensional; focusing on recruiting, job descriptions, performance reviews, IDP's and/or succession plans. Rarely does an individual system capture multiple areas well and I have not found any that do it as well as HRToolbench. Most "talent management" systems are designed and marketed by software companies looking to get into this growing space. These systems are often flashy, look great, and their sales teams do a nice job showcasing the product and how to navigate within their system. However, a quick look under the hood and you quickly see that these systems were designed by "techies" as plug-and-play systems that anyone can use. HRToolbench is different. It was written by HR professionals for HR professionals. The system is module-based (e.g., recruiting, job descriptions, performance, compensation and succession planning) making a phased implementation simple and easy to understand. Furthermore, the way in which information is shared between modules (i.e., job descriptions to performance forms, performance forms to compensation analytics, etc.) as well as how information is shared between users, make this one of the most powerful tools on the market. It took me approximately 6 months to get all of our job descriptions approximately 100 in total) built and a year to get a complete performance cycle under our belt. But now that we have solid data in the system, the analytics and reports that I am able to run are simply amazing. Lastly, I cannot say enough good things about the level of customer support demonstrated by the team. Their responsiveness and their willingness to assist is top notch.

Pros

Comprehensive & robust, great customer service, powerful analytics and great overall value.

We use the Performance Management System of HRToolbench.

Pros: We really like the job description function in HR Toolbench. In a regulated environment, it is really useful to be able to access an employee's job description upon request. The job description is the foundation of the entire performance management system. Cons: We have employees and managers (usually the tech oriented employees) who really like using a cloud based electronic performance management system. We also have managers and supervisors who do not the performance management component saying it is too cumbersome to work with and prefer the paper based performance reviews. I think the more we use the system, they will get used to it. One item I am not happy with on the performance review side is the inability to change the review once someone has begun entering information into the review. We have promotions that happen throughout the year (like most companies), so if the manager has started working on an employee's review and then this employee is promoted to a new position, the performance review is still pointing to the old job description. And, if the manager began working on the promoted employee's review when he/she was in the old position, we can't change it internally so that the new job description and new review are in alignment. We usually have to contact Bob to do this for us. This is an inconvenience for us and for Bob (who also needs to contact the programmer on his end). Overall, HRToolbench is a good system for us!!! And, a big piece of this is the awesome customer service. Whenever I have an issue, Bob is so responsive. Thank you Bob Levy!!

Bob Levy has been outstanding in offering support and guidance on the operation of this software.

We have found the compensation module the most useful. The point factor system for classification is easy to use and understand. The Job Description functions are sometimes cumbersome, and require manual input, when it would be great to clone a detail job desc to a func job desc. It would also be helpful to have a way to update salaries from a spreadsheet instead of having to go into each individual record.

A Very Good and Cost-Effective Solution

Pros

HRTooblench is thoughtfully designed with an understanding of - and appropriate focus on - the structural tools we need to develop and manage high-performance talent. It is obviously built by people with a background in HR knowledge and expertise.

Cons

It would be nice to have more flexibility in allowing users to create or design their own reports or query underlying data with something like SQL.

Finally bringing our Human Resources process into the digital age.

Pros

The owner, Bob Levy, has real-life business experience in human resources management and consulting, which he has incorporated into his software. Like any new software, there will be a learning curve, but once learned, it's quite intuitive and easy to use - even for those of us who not as tech savvy as others. Using HR Toolbench has allowed us to eliminate the pesky and unsafe paper-based HR system we were using (i.e. employee files) and made our HR Management much easier, but more importantly, it has ensured that our job descriptions meet with federal and state statutes.

Cons

We are relatively new users, so we haven't run into issues yet.

Great talent management and staff evaluation tool!

Pros

HRToolbench allows employees to actively be involved with managing their own career development and goals. It is interactive and efficient. Software support is almost immediate, and questions are always responded to quickly. It has greatly enhanced our annual staff evaluation process by contributing to meaningful staff evaluations. Templates and built-in suggestions made for easy set-up of job descriptions and staff evaluation questionnaires.

Cons

Need to be very careful to save your work frequently, especially if interrupted or distracted.

The key to realising returns on your intellectual capital

Pros

Great support and complete modules that exceed expectations. one call leads to many thoughts and gives direction.

Cons

There are no shortcomings in my experience of many years.

Have used the software for several years and implemented job desc., perf. mgmt. & succ. plnng.

The on-line software is easy to use takes a lot of the pain out of the performance review process after the initial set-up and training is done throughout the organization on how to use the system. The tie in between the job description and the performance management system is excellent and forces the reviewer to focus on the essential functions of the job and rate performance on those factors. The competencies to do the job are also reviewed and if there is a gap between the competency necessary versus what is exhibited this can be used as a development opportunity. If used properly HR Toolbench makes performance management an ongoing process as opposed to a once a year ordeal.

Well Received - Senior Managers to Field Supervisors

While still new users, we have experienced an amazingly smooth transition from a very manual system to HR Toolbench. The staff behind the product was very helpful and available. Our management team quickly became familiar with the product and embraced it's ease of use and straight forward format. There is much more to learn and use and we're all very excited that we have this suite of modules to guide and support our communications and employee growth.

All in One Solution!

Pros

The software is easy to use and intuitive once the initial training is complete. The vendor supports the product and is willing and able to provide ongoing service if necessary.

Cons

The initial set-up takes some time, but that is to be expected if you are looking for a customized program.

HRToolbench for Evaluations, Reviews, and Career Planning

Pros

I like the analytics available and the ease of accessing reports for the various modules, as well as the ability to customize competencies from a vast library of competency templates.

Cons

It would be more efficient to have the candidate data flow through to the administrative module for candidates hired.

Excellent Product!

Pros

We were searching for a succession planning software and got so much more. It was easy to learn and does everything we need it to do.

Cons

Initial set-up takes some time, but that is to be expected with 200+ employees.