Vision and tech link. Look for a strong connection between vendor practices and its technology mission. If a vendor focuses internally on mental health, total wellbeing and the voice of employees, for example, it could prove to be a good fit for a CHRO emphasizing similar attention to those areas.
Platform attributes vs. platform features. Ask which one the vendor emphasizes. Platform attributes are more important because they often take longer to update and improve. "If user experience is a 4 on a scale of 10, it's not going to be an 8 or 9 in the next year," said Goldberg.
Expectations. Does the potential vendor manage them well? If a solution provider is transparent about the quality and efficacy of EX and scalability, it helps set expectations as to how long product improvements will take to implement.
Target market and proof points. Most HR tech vendors will say they have a target market, and if your industry happens to be one they focus on, this is optimal. Proof points are equally important. "It's not just that we have a critical mass of customers on this vertical but we understand and deliver results and success stories with real tangible proof points," said Goldberg.
Marketing vs. reality. In his 15 years as an HR tech buyer, Goldberg witnessed and expected "padding" in the promises and deliverables in the marketing materials. What's important is how far ahead of reality the marketing claims are. "One year is reasonable, and 18 months I could live with, [but] if marketing, messaging and positioning are not manifested in the product for two to three years, I would have some personal discomfort around that," he said.
Customer success models. Buyers should ask for and evaluate them. This includes putting HR leaders and their teams in touch with like-minded customers.
Product roadmaps. Customers should "demand" them. If a vendor shows a product roadmap with disclaimers about deliverables, HR leaders are within their rights to ask how they plan to execute those features.

"When I ran product management at PeopleSoft, we wanted the product roadmap process to be rational and defensible. The customer needs to understand that the roadmap might change, but they don't want the fear that the next customer will hijack the roadmap," he said.

Instant Insights /

10 considerations for CHROs when buying new HR tech solutions

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