Without question, I can answer with an emphatic “YES, they are”. That’s why we include Pre-Recorded demos on the site. I don’t expect someone to make a purchase decision purely on what they see in a pre-recorded demo but that’s not their purpose. I have found that many of the visitors to compareHRIS.com and our blog have not used an HR system and before they can really start the selection process, they need to first understand what these systems are capable of. In other words, they need to increase their HR system IQ. Viewing pre-recorded demos of a handful of systems will absolutely show a good initial view of what these types of systems offer. A potential client might even be able to narrow down their search of systems they want a more detailed one on one demo with based on what they see and don’t see from a pre-recorded demo.
The following compareHRIS.com vendors offer pre-recorded HRIS demos:
BambooHR, ECI Empower HRIS, Epicor HCM, Fairsail HR Cloud, Kronos Workforce Central and Workforce Ready, PDS Vista HRMS, SentricWorkforce, syncHR, and UltiPro HCM and Payroll.
We offer the following tools to assist HR professionals with improving their HRIS IQ when beginning their search:
Product Quick Compare Tool
HRIS Selector Tool
HR and Payroll Buyer's Guide
Over 250 Articles
HRIS White Papers
And yes, Pre-recorded demos.
Again, I don’t expect anyone to make a decision based solely on a pre-recorded demo but they do provide a great introduction of the system and will show the basics of what the vendor provides. At the very least, it is helpful to go to one site and be able to view the pre-recorded demos of so many of the leading HR systems without having to search around 15 or more individual sites for the same thing.
I decided to write this post as a response to an article I saw on another site which recommended avoiding “canned demos.” The only reason I can think someone would suggest such a thing is because their website does not offer their visitors the option of reviewing pre-recorded demos. That’s fine; it’s just one more item that is making compareHRIS.com the most helpful tool on the web for those researching HRIS and HR Management Software applications. I’m guessing the over 100,000 visitors per year from over 180 countries would agree.
About the Author
Clay Scroggin worked in the Human Resource and Payroll Software Industry for more than 15 years. During that time, Clay, and those who worked with him, assisted hundreds of HR professionals with their HR software needs. In 2007, Clay began working on compareHRIS.com, a site dedicated to assisting HR professionals with their search, selection, implementation and use of HR systems. The site contains several tools to assist HR professionals with their HR software research including an HRIS Selection Tool and a Quick Compare Product Tool.