Whilst undertaking a recent market scan on HR technology vendors, it occurred to me that the average HR technology customer is faced with a minefield of slogans, verbage and "techo" terminology when dealing with vendors and exploring technology options. It is not surprising that HR professionals are mystified by what technology is available and what business problem these so-called 'solutions' will solve. Vendor-speak can be a thoroughly frustrating and perplexing language to deal with.
When first approaching the market place, the customer is interested in understanding basic system functionality. The marketing information available in sales brochures, however, is often a convoluted combination of generic functionality and claims as to how the "robust technology will effectively enable you to up-skill your workforce and improve productivity". A closer examination of the wording used by many technology vendors reveals that the underlying message is hidden under sales and marketing-speak. For example:
Vendor A delivers two learning environments to enable customers to efficiently manage their enterprise learning strategies: Solution A and Solution B. Solution A offers out-of-the box integration to a Third Party Software Vendor, so customers can realise interactive, online, virtual learning sessions that improve productivity and quality of training - while reducing costs related to traditional classrooms.
Let's translate this example into plain English. If the actual functionality and the elaborate language are separated, we are left with the true meaning of the product's functional capability:
Vendor A delivers two learning environments: Solution A and Solution B. Solution B offers out-of-the box integration to a Third Party Software Vendor to deliver virtual learning functionality.
An entire brochure or website peppered with this style of product promotion can be bewildering for even the most tech savvy HR professional. Of course salespeople would be foolish not to provide some level of enticing embellishment to sell their goods. If, however, the end result is a confused (or misinformed) customer, then don't be surprised if your sales are not what they should be.
Whilst some HR departments are big enough to dedicate whole teams to managing HR technology requirements, for many companies the exercise of technology evaluation is part of a bigger (and arguably far more important) portfolio of client services. In today's world of doing more with less, very few HR departments have the resources or time to dedicate to translating vendor jargon or immersing themselves in new technology fads. There is little point talking about 'cloud computing' or 'web 2.0' technologies when some organisations are still coming to grips with hosted solutions and software-as-a-service. Vendors need to appropriately educate without patronising the customer, and at the same time, provide straight forward definitions of offerings in clear and simple language.
Glossaries and lists of terms help with this. But case studies featuring client success stories are the ultimate way to prove the pedigree of a solution. This eliminates the risk of functional specifics being overshadowed by fancy and elaborate language.
HR also has something to learn from these observations. The HR profession can also be guilty of using an array of meaningless terms and confusing language. By ensuring that they too keep the language simple when engaging with their own clients regarding HR technology, they avoid the risk of alienating the end user and undermining their own success.
And all this comes from an HR management consultant - a profession that is all too often guilty of using extravagant language to illustrate a simple point! If we all aim to focus on clear and simple presentation of important information, we can "keep it real" for all stakeholders in the HR technology game.
charleyj@capegroupglobal.com
www.capegroupglobal.com