SAP SuccessFactors Reviews

A. SAP is making a firm commitment to creating a new single unified platform for every app it owns, based on the top of Hana in Memory Platform. In the future I aspect HR connected with IOT with Leonardo platform.

B. SAP is asking to professional to rethink HR, less transactional and more "Conversational". In SF, the architecture of the system allows to have very structured vertical functionalities (Learning, Performance, Compensation, etc.), but you can draw new service models using together the individual modules (you can design a “Pay per performance” process for example with Performance Goal Compensation)

C. SAP SF includes libraries of free contents (different data structure in Employee Central according to local laws, competencies libraries, goals libraries, etc.)

D. The usage of HCI and HCP (from HANA Cloud family) will extend the functionality of the product connecting with third-parties software or by extending the features of the individual modules. SAP has created a market place with dozen of 3rd parties apps

E. Artificial Intelligence is the new horizon:

Intelligent Services can automatically connect all actions that the system must take when an event occurs: have a new assignment. In less than two years, SF has released 40 predefined services.

In "Business Beyond Bias" against gender and race discrimination. The recruiting module has a feature that highlights a discriminatory language for example in the job description.

BOT. I saw some test where is possible interact with the system in natural language where for instance you can require to the system a Time OFF and the system will run all the appropriate actions.

F. Collaboration with Microsoft, Apple, Slack

Microsoft, with its technology Azure, is one of the partners to improve the data center services, I suppose also that we will see a better integration with Office world.

Apple, mobile first is the claim, is working to redesign the mobile user experience. At the end of June 2017 FIORI for IOS available.

Slack, we have already discussed about the bot: in the future I assume that the interaction will be made by voice with Siri or Cortana, or Google As.

We can design a “quick & dirty solution” or “very complex services”, we can manage small enterprise projects (in our experience 150 users) as the big organization (in our experience 40000 users), all with the same solution. This is a big saving of time, costs, and team usage optimization.

Employee Central made an incredible improvement, but still is behind the SAP HCM “On Prem” solution.

5 years - the full suite. 10+ years Learning Management System module (formerly Plateau Software).

Not on the platform side. At the end of 2015 there are been issues in the Data Center based in Germany with access problems.

No.

On a scale from 1-10: 7/10

a. 10 years ago we used SABA, due to a cut costing program they moved all the developers from US to India, the result was a release with hundreds of bugs.

b. 3 years ago we tested Cornestone for a premiere Insurance and we recorded some issues when the new releases went live and a weak technical support service in Europe.

a. Employee Central is critical, you need to have a good experience to work on it. Is very powerful because the choices will impact also on the other modules. We are called to support some projects that were in fact blocked for wrong configurations due to limited product knowledge by other partners.

a. Price is based on: Number of users and number of modules. Other companies like Oracle or Cornestone are very aggressive, but it’s only is a business practice that cannot go on forever. For instance, Cornestone is under pressure to be sold to investors.

Invest the right time on Employee Central, looking for a competent partner with a proven experience on real projects.

User Interface - Gives a polished look for both users and administrators when they login and access the system.

Workflow configuration - Can configure any level of workflow for approval process with functionalities such as dynamic group, dynamic role concepts.

Role-based permissions - Can define a very clear role-based permission based on portlets or fields level permission.

The implementation has helped the organization by having a unified process across all locations.

Configuration transportation functionality is not available in SuccessFactor. If this functionality is introduced, a lot of time can be saved configuring individual systems.

I have been using it for three years.

We haven’t had any specific issues except for few issues related to the upgrade, which was resolved by SAP.

No specific scalability issues have been found.

I would rate technical support average to good.

We used legacy human resource systems in which there was no employee self-service functionality, as well as no workflow for the approval process. The authorization part was so rigid that it was very hard to maintain. Hence, we switched to SAP SuccessFactors.

The setup is straightforward and SAP provided adequate and updated version documents for reference.

There is room for negotiation with reference to pricing and licensing, which SAP supports.

There were other products evaluated, but we found SAP SuccessFactors to be more promising with reference to functionality and from an implementation perspective.

The first activity any company should do is to streamline their policies and procedures, set a clear authority matrix and identify their reporting requirement before going for implementation. A good policy can add real value during the implementation.

The Admin Tools functionality in Employee Central is great. For a technical/functional associate within our IT team, we can accomplish many (but not all) of the requests from our business partners.

The role-based permissions functionality is beyond great (in my opinion) and is honestly more robust and flexible than any other security setup/process that we have with other business software that we use (and have the ability to maintain security roles with).

Prior to implementing SuccessFactors, we had nowhere to go for a single snapshot of our entire company. Today, we have our entire North America, Europe and Hong Kong businesses in the system and therefore easily accessible.

SuccessFactors allows us to have an online performance/review process that is consistent across the organization.

SuccessFactors has a workflow/approval process in place to ensure that updates are made/approved by the official ‘manager’ and 2nd level ‘manager’ for that associate. Prior, everything was done on paper and faxed to payroll for entry into the legacy JDE system.

All department/store leads now have the ability to see employee information for those reporting through them (initial level and cascaded down).

All department/store leads now have the ability to make change requests for anyone in their reporting tree without having to fill out a form and faxing to payroll.

The entire company now has a tool to view basic information (including associate photos) on their fellow associates.

I think the integration methods can be more user-friendly.

SuccessFactors modules must become more integrated than they are today (i.e., EC with Performance, Goals, Onboarding, Compensation, etc.).

SuccessFactors modules must become more integrated with other SAP products (i.e., SAP ERP, Concur, Fieldglass, etc.).

Would be nice to have more standard integrations created for SuccessFactors. Currently, we are aware of standard integrations with WorkForce Software Time & Attendance and BenefitFocus. Others would be good to have (i.e., ADP).

The new hire process should have direct deposit entry as part of the initial step; we had to custom build this to ensure that every associate had at least one direct deposit record upon hire (we are 100% direct deposit company).

We went live with EC, Performance, Goals and Compensation in May 2014; a little over 2 ½ years ago.

We have not really had any stability issues. During performance review time (i.e., August/September) there seemed to be data center issues where associates were all having system timeout issues, data was being lost from Performance Reviews documents, etc. This has been resolved, but was an issue at one time.

I am not aware of any scalability issues.

Technical support has been an issue since day one. We have made our concerns quite apparent. We pay extra for Premium Support (SAP Preferred Care) and honestly cannot see what we are really getting at times. We have an assigned CSM, but this is our 3rd one (although we like our CSM now). When a priority issue is sent to ‘Engineering’, it becomes a black hole of sorts. The priority of our case is no longer relevant as the CSM (and team) cannot do anything once it gets sent to the Engineering Team. This is a problem, since for us, SuccessFactors support is SuccessFactors support, regardless of what department/level the case sits in.

More direct interaction with the case specialist would be very helpful. When we occasionally have the ability to speak with the person actually working on the case (i.e., not CSM or initial support team), we find it extremely helpful (but unfortunately, doesn’t always happen).

We had no specific HR system. Employee data was housed in the payroll system and not available to anyone outside of HR Payroll. Performance reviews and comp were all manual with Excel and other Microsoft tools. The organizational chart was basically Excel and not always accurate.

Setup was straightforward, but that was only because our implementation team (IBM) did all of that for us and walked us through everything. Eventually, we realized how intuitive the process actually is.

The only other product we were going to use was SAP HCM On-Premise for HR and payroll with a connection to SuccessFactors for the Talent Management suite (i.e., Performance & Goals, etc.). That project never got started and once we saw Employee Central as a SaaS offering, we determined to keep the existing payroll process (it has since been upgraded to ADP) and go forward with the Employee Central/SuccessFactors integration (especially since SAP purchased SuccessFactors and should’ve had SuccessFactors/Employee Central fully integrated, which it wasn’t).

I would make sure they do their homework on an implementation partner, as that can make all the difference in the world.

I would make sure that all potential business changes are reviewed ahead of time so that the implementation partner can incorporate accordingly. For example, organization hierarchy changes, performance/goals modifications, job code changes (if necessary), etc.

Inquire about what all of your integration and reporting options are within SuccessFactors.

Inquire about how much you, as a customer, can do (i.e., Admin Tools) once implementation is completed.

SuccessFactors includes a variety of talent solutions, core HR, collaboration tools and workforce analytics.

One of the talent solutions is a learning management system (LMS), which is also my main area of responsibility. Based on my overall experience in the SAP world, I consider the LMS a key component-tool to engage people across the organization. It might be challenging to set it up and align with clients' requirements. However, once it is done, it becomes very handy and easy to use from a user perspective.

It is attractive enough to come and launch this application on a periodical basis due to its user-friendly interface and intuitive functioning.

Shorter implementation timelines (comparing to on-premise SAP solutions), quicker response on configuration change cycles, modern look and mobile integration possibilities: Everything together makes SuccessFactors LMS a well-recognized and demanded talent solution across different types of organizations.

It provides easier access to corporate learning contents and advanced tracking possibilities.

SuccessFactors LMS generally is not a financial system. However, some of the clients previously asked for more advanced financial integrations; mainly invoice processing and mainly with external systems. Learning functionality, in this case, hardly can fulfill the requirements. On the other hand, there is actually ongoing improvement in this area, and new features are introduced on a periodical bases. Definitely a positive sign.

I have used this product for three years.

We had stability issues from time to time.

We have not really had scalability issues.

Technical supports gets 4/5.

Previously, we used SAP ERP. Then we jumped into the cloud world.

Setup was really straightforward with a simple implementation road map and an open configuration that can be easily or mostly supported by local company admins.

Be prepared for price surprises. It’s quite expensive. However, once you have maintained and started utilizing it correctly, it should be a great payback on your resource development.

Work on requirements. Clear vision will simplify the roadmap. Prepare your master data if any. Start with easy processes implementation and usage, if possible, rather than focusing on complex heavy processes that are not obviously needed across the organization. Use the opportunity for reorganizing or at least structuring your business processes.

The most valuable features are:

• Provisioning
• Job scheduling
• Competency library import and export
• Bulk employee export
• BizX audit report (RBP & employee profile)
• Candidate merge
• Cloning company from stage to production
• Admin user import

It has improved the way our organization functions as follows:

• It has a pre-configured master tenant which can run applications.
• It consumes less time for deployment using SAP methodologies and best practices.
• It has a quality gate in which they assure quality at the milestone of the project.
• It can use the same methodology for small, medium, and large enterprises.

The integration with Employee Central and Employee Central Payroll needs improvement as the client is still considering on-premises solutions.

We have used this solution for over two years.

I have not encountered any stability issues at my level. I only know the Indian market.

I have not encountered any scalability issues so far.

I would give technical support a rating of 7/10.

I have used the following solutions:

• Adrenalin ERP: I have used this as a process owner. It is average, with limited ease of use.
• Greytip HR: This is an average to good solution, but only for small and medium size enterprises.

The main reason for switching into SAP SuccessFactors was for its brand, ease-of-use, predefined solution per business scenario, and agility.

The installation was straightforward initially, but also complex and vast while dealing with data migration and mapping. You need good knowledge of the product.

You need a good background when dealing with MDF objects. You also need the right configuration and an understanding of SAP on-premise for hybrid scenarios.

If you are deploying SuccessFactors for the first time, the first step is to get clarity from the implementation team on licensed features about any module. Do this before gathering requirements, or before doing iterations, to avoid last-minute chaos.

For enterprises, spend time choosing a product for its suitability as per your business process. Customization is limited in some cases, or inapplicable in other cases.

• Cloud based
• Accessible anywhere
• UI

It has improved the way my organization functions by introduction of self service and consolidation of processes.

Integration between HCM modules can be extended to incorporate all data. SuccessFactors have improved their integration between their HCM modules substantially over the last two years and have identified continued room to improve. Improving this area would help in simplifying processing further.

I have used it for three years.

We have not encountered any stability issues.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

Technical support is 7/10.

We previously used the SAP on-premise solution. We switched due to SAP investment and roadmap forward was SuccessFactors cloud-based solution, improved UI, and accessibility.

Initial setup was straightforward; complexity lied within consolidating processes across the organisation and simplifying to ensure requirements could be met by best practices in the SuccessFactors solution.

The solution is subscription based on employee count and modules implemented.

Before choosing this product, we did not evaluate other options, as we ran SAP Payroll and did not want to change our payroll solution. We implemented SuccessFactors to enhance the solution and provide flexibility moving forward.

Ensure business processes have been reviewed prior to project commencement and simplified. As SuccessFactors is implemented using an iterative approach, ensure testing commences early and all stakeholders are involved.

• All features are available on mobile and also on cloud (internet); no need to connect any server or application systems. All HR business processes across the customers are available.
• Cross-module integration
• Updated with all industry best practices
• Less cost compared to the on-premise products

I’m a consultant from Wipro, an implementing partner of SuccessFactors; hence, we take the feedback from customers.

Customers are expecting more features in these modules:

• Employee Central
• Succession and CDP
• RCM integration with Indian job portals

I have used it for three years.

We encountered stability issues in integration of SuccessFactors with SAP ECC HCM via Dell Boomi middleware; still more standard integrations are expected from customers.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

I rate technical support as medium.

• WFA, WFP and Onboarding modules pricing and licensing to be very specific

It is the best cloud product in the market, with strong support from SAP, which is a market leader in the world. Integrating SuccessFactors with any other systems/applications should be understood clearly.

SF Learning and Employee Central are the most valuable modules in my experience.

SF Learning is a key element in making SF a tool with added value for the entire organization. All levels (managers, employees, HR, interns, etc.) can be involved in these processes and use SF Learning for compliance training, to improve their own skills, and work on their own talent development.

Employee Central is often the first full personnel backbone for a company. It offers all the possibilities to manage employee data, but even more important, it offers out-of-box headcount and strategic reporting.

For companies who are looking for a solution that supports their time registration and payroll processes, the SF solution will have some functional gaps. However, SF Employee Central is fast evolving and these gaps will be closed soon.

It enables active talent development by the employees, instead of driven by HR.

I would like more functionality in time registration, calculation and payroll.

I’ve been using SuccessFactors for three years.

We had stability issues multiple times; sometimes disturbing and in a few cases, it caused blocks for business.

We have not had scalability issues.

I give technical support 2.5/5. It takes too long to fix issues and the impact on our business is often underestimated by SF support.

We were using SAP Talent and Taleo. We switched to SF because of the SAP/SF roadmap strategy and insufficient integration options within Taleo.

Initial setup was straightforward. We aligned business processes, where needed, to the SF solution.

Don’t go for the traditional implementation approach with remote/offshore consulting. Use an experienced implementation partner who has enough expertise in HR projects.

We evaluated Taleo. It had insufficient integration options and was not a full-scope product. We also looked at Workday. It was not a full-scope product and was not localized enough for European HR.

Choose an implementation partner wisely for the long term. One who has a proven record in SF implementations and understands your business. Go for phased go-lives and apply a template for rollouts. Use the momentum to optimize business processes and align where possible to the SF solution. Start this before you start the implementation.