Solving the Most Common HCM Integration Problems

Just as a properly integrated HCM system improves the employee experience and increases organizational efficiency, failing to integrate your human capital management software correctly impairs productivity and profitability.

Seamlessly integrating best-of-breed applications like those for payroll, talent acquisition, and learning management helps you transform to a strategic HR function. Your organization increases its return on investment by leveraging the most advanced technology for each HCM function, like attracting, retaining, or developing talent. 

Maximize the benefits of your best-of-breed strategy by avoiding these common HCM integration problems.

1) Disruptive Implementations

Implementing point solutions can disrupt operations. “With multiple best-of-breed modules, work is often needed to ensure compatibility and seamless communication, requiring middleware and patches to transmit and ‘translate’ information between different software packages,” HR manager Dave Foxall explained in an HRMS World article about best-of-breed solutions.

Consider hiring HCM consultants who can help you customize inbound interfaces/outbound interfaces and optimize your systems.

2) Troublesome Updates

Updates also can be disruptive. They also can be costly and time consuming as you must ensure that each application updated remains integrated with other systems.  You are more likely to have problems as you add point solutions. Juggling updates for many products and multiple vendors may strain IT teams as well. 

“With an integrated HCM system, each individual module is updated at the discretion of the partner, and there is significant involvement of the customer’s IT team to ensure that end-users do not run into any problems,” Ceridian noted in a blog post about choosing an integrated vs. single human capital management system.

See if the consultants that assisted you with implementation also offer HCM support services like help with system upgrades.

3) Data Problems

Managers may make bad decisions if they have bad data or not enough information. This is more likely to happen if you have poorly integrated systems.  Data must flow smoothly between your HCM software as well as inter-departmental IT infrastructure like accounting or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. “Integration is key to reimagining HCM because, at its core, modern HCM is about accurate and integrated data,” Cloud Elements wrote in a blog post about creating an integrated HCM system.

Without proper integration, systems may have conflicting information, thereby making it harder for your team to discern what is correct. Employees also may have trouble accessing data that is siloed in individual systems.

Manually transferring data between systems can cause errors. You must account for compatibility issues or adjust for formatting differences.  

Consultants experienced in data migration could help you avoid errors by integrating HR data correctly. They also may be able to help you glean insights and reach company goals through HR analytics and reporting.

4) Poor User Experience

Employees may struggle to learn, adopt, and switch between multiple HCM applications. For example, companies use an average of 24 different applications for recruiting alone, including sourcing tools, video interviews and assessments, according to iCIMS.

“They’re all must-haves. But these all change frequently, and their lack of integration bogs down internal processes, forcing your team to navigate in and out of several applications multiple times a day,” iCIMS wrote about the importance of seamless integration.

A properly integrated HCM system lets employees and HR professionals work without moving between environments or taking users out of context, Cloud Elements noted in its blog post about creating an integrated HCM system.  HCM consultants may be able to help you with training and user adoption initiatives and ongoing change management.

Best-of-breed solutions give you the best technology for any specific need, like payroll, talent acquisition, or learning management. But you must have a properly integrated HCM system to maximize the benefits.  Increase your ROI by avoiding common HCM integration problems.