The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. The same holds true for truly innovative HR (and all business) systems. If I have to click through a jabillion login systems, remember 40 passwords and learn to navigate an unfriendly UI that’s based on a legacy system, I’m not only likely to believe your SaaS exists, but hate it.

Thus was the lesson learned the first day of the HRDemo Show. After each demo, myself and several others would compare notes, talk about the differences between this presenter and the last, and generally discuss what we thought of the actual material. First, a few tips for presenters:

- You know your product. We don’t. We’re here to learn about it and you’re here to sell it (hopefully) or at least increase awareness. So please speak in terms we can understand. And if you can’t explain something without using business buzzword bingo (functionality, integrated, widgets, etc) then tell a story.We need to you to talk to us like we’ve never seen or heard of your product before. Because we haven’t.

- Show us how it works for BUSINESS. Not just Human Resources or Talent Management. The most successful presos had more to do with how a reporting function could be used across the organization and in a global situation. While not all companies have offices in Sweden and Mexico, showing how to use SaaS across companies both large and small is very effective. I want to know how my CIO or VP of Marketing can use the technology, or at least how I can make a solid business case based on our people when I go and speak with those folks.

- Say why you are different. I heard many of the same features being discussed in each one of the demos. Not that this groundwork does not need to be laid out (see point 1) but it should start to sound like a given. “Like many SaaS products you’ve seen today we offer, X, Y, and Z, but one thing you’ll notice about ABC Corp’s offering is Q,R, and S.” This is my first time sitting through multiple demos in one day but I will tell you that if I were looking to purchase I would expect as a matter of course, the following:

incredibly fast search

graphical data representations

the ability to pop something into a PDF or CSV

have different user roles with redacted data under different privacy settings

currency calculators

Okay, so now in terms of the actual products themselves. While the blogging set (myself included) were very impressed with some of the “built from the ground up” offerings, I think what is more important are the tools that people can use today. While tools built to integrate with SAP and Outlook may not ring my bell, there are many companies who are already (dare I say) addicted to these technologies and for whom it’s not practical or profitable to switch now (it may never be practical but that’s another blog post). For these companies, we saw some impressive solutions. The idea that many of these companies are building on legacy platforms but moving their offerings toward a fully functional SaaS is one that very effectively solves this issue. However, what happens when we have to completely re-vamp those systems (some of which are 25 years or older and built to address entirely different business environments)?

“Built from scratch” tools that are entirely browser based (on the other hand) are showing their flexibility, moving and stretching to meet their client needs. Not only is the interface slicker and more intuitive, but we’re seeing a clear difference in the way users are addressed and in the way people actually use the web today. Faster implementation times, employee centered user roles (show me someone who won’t want to upload a picture or access their ‘All About Me’ page?), expand and collapse modules that prevent tireless toggling between screens are all benefits.

Best for a fast-growing, innovative company: WorkDay. This is a system that can grow with you. Average client size is currently 17,000 but their solution is used by companies as small as 500 employees (through a partner channel) and as large as 200,000. Lightning fast implementation (avg is 144 days) and “sandbox” for customers to play in before implementing new features will help corps eager to get going on a full service HCM solution. In addition, the UI is user-friendly, easy to learn and just about everything is clickable (which Gen-X and Y-ers –ME–) love.

Best for a BIG company invested in SAP that wants to stay current: euHRka from NorthGate Arinso. This product boasts a 6 month version cycle and SAP legal and maintenance every month. With a pretty flexible service tier, you can get euHReka OnDemand, as a layer over your existing SAP license or in just about any combo you can imagine. Training is offered but I don’t think included and they work closely with your team to create a customized solution for your organization.

Best for Global Movers and Shakers: Lawson offers features in both its HR and Talent Management offerings. Currency converters, embedded translation, and “as-of” date changes to org charts were all great to see in this tool. It works with Outlook and offers clients a variety of ways to access the information, from desktop, to Outlook, to browser. Neat productivity tools are a nice touch (to do list, calendar, etc) but not necessary. Best feature is the competency profiles, which Lawson admits take time to fill out but can be a wealth of info for hiring managers, line managers and KPIs for the employees themselves.

Best for Small Social Companies ready to get serious: UltiPro was the most “social” of the products demoed here today. From FB and Twitter links to introducing “tag clouds” in the sidebar and a big bold RSS button on the front page, there were more social links on the front page than all the other tools combined. However, their reporting functions were top notch and allowed people who were familiar with Excel or completely new to the tool to immediately start generating reports. Folder centric  layout and easy search were some highlights of this tool. Size wise, they’re looking at 200-1000 emps. Bonus: The twitter handle for UltiPro engaged with those of us tweeting during the session.