Enhanced Talent Management Soln for SMBs

CALIFORNIA, USA: SuccessFactors, Inc., the global leader in on-demand performance and talent management solutions, has announced the immediate availability of a new version of its suite for small and mid-sized businesses, SuccessFactors Professional Edition ULTRA with Self-Service Administration.

The new suite is easier to use for employees, managers, administrators, and   includes applications for managing goals, performance reviews, 360 degree reviews, compensation management, and new functionality for configuring and managing the suite.

Designed for organizations of up to 500 employees, this new upgrade leverages Web 2.0 technologies for advanced integration between modules and easy, results-focused capabilities, and delivers a simplified user interface and more intelligent search to create an engaging user experience for managers and employees.

Smaller companies want tools that embody the power of enterprise-class performance management solutions in a format that is intuitive, flexible, cost effective, and supports them similar to larger enterprises. Professional Edition ULTRA with Self-Service Administration gives small and mid-sized businesses powerful on-demand solutions presented in a non-intimidating format that is as approachable as an everyday online consumer site, enabling them to better manage, motivate and engage their people in order to drive better business results.

“SuccessFactors offers one of the most flexible and well-adopted talent management suites on the market today,” said Leighanne Levensaler, director of talent management research for Bersin and Associates, a research and advisory firm focused on enterprise learning and talent management. “SMBs in particular want easy-to-use, easy-to-buy solutions. By adapting ULTRA to the needs of small and mid-sized businesses, SuccessFactors is answering the market's demand to bring innovation and performance efficiencies to companies of all sizes.”

The new release also includes new functionality that makes it fast and easy for small businesses to set up, administer, manage, configure and rollout their SuccessFactors instances. SuccessFactors Self-Service Administration combines best practice content for SMBs with an easy-to-use interface that is now more graphical, flexible and intuitive. Other new capabilities include:

• An enhanced user interface that streamlines navigation across the suite of applications and provides users with the ability to customize the solution to better meet their specific needs;
• Web 2.0 technology from some of today’s popular and viral consumer-facing applications and social networking sites to make the applications more engaging and fun to use, giving employees the ability to interact with each other similar to social media and networking-type communities;
• Integration with Microsoft Outlook Calendar enables teams to keep track of their goals and performance review milestones;
• Interactive Org Chart enables interactive and dynamic views of company reporting structures, accelerating the on-boarding of newer employees and supporting strategic talent decisions.

“The new Professional Edition is much easier and more intuitive, and will make my job a whole lot easier,” said Darryl Carson, Learning & Development manager with Synaptics, Inc. The company, a leading worldwide developer of custom-designed user interface solutions for mobile computing, communications and entertainment devices, currently uses Professional Edition to manage performance and talent workflow for more than 400+ global employees. Carson added, “This is a big step forward and it’s great to see the software evolve based on specific customer pain points.”

“With this release, SuccessFactors extends its leadership in delivering relevant, high-impact, easy-to-use technology to drive business value. Professional Edition ULTRA is the result of direct input from our customers for an intuitive and fun tool to use on a regular basis, making both individual employees and companies as a whole more successful,” said Paul Albright, general manager, SMB and CMO for SuccessFactors. “This release reflects our continued commitment to providing SMBs the same caliber of innovation and breadth of services as enterprises, in a format that fits the needs and characteristics inherent to the small business environment.”

SuccessFactors’ SMB offerings – Professional Edition for organizations up to 500 employees, and SuccessPractices for organizations with up to 2,500 employees – brings enterprise class best practices to small and mid-sized businesses. The Web-based, Software-as-a-Service technology model enables SMBs in all industries to cost-effectively implement the technology without the need for extensive IT support. By providing real-time, company-wide visibility into such critical performance data, companies are able to make better, more informed decisions about how to promote, recruit, compensate, reward and manage their employee base.