Ventana Research Analyst Perspectives

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Workforce Management Suites Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research.  

A major focus of investment and optimization efforts for decades, workforce management processes and activities have undergone a huge transformation in recent years. In our view, this is mostly a function of two significant trends: the continuing maturation of technology innovation associated with maximizing artificial intelligence, machine learning and embedded analytics in human capital management processes and operations and the solidification of the change in employer/employee relationships stemming from the now-universal emphasis on elevating the employee experience. 

In the realm of workforce management, the Basics category has a streamlined focus on the foundational elements of timekeeping and scheduling. Tailored for organizations seeking a focused approach, these solutions offer a straightforward, user-friendly experience with a wide range of features to support timekeeping and scheduling needs. The Basics category provides a robust, yet focused toolkit designed to ensure that the essential aspects of workforce management are handled with precision and ease, making it an ideal choice for those who value simplicity and efficiency. 

The Suites category is reflective of comprehensive WFM solutions, encompassing a broad spectrum of features from activity and task management to time-clock enhancements, seamless collaboration, extensive analytics and robust integrations with HR, financial and business productivity platforms. This thoughtful segmentation ensures that providers are recognized for true specialties, aligning them with peers of similar breadth and depth and paving the way for a future where every organization can find its perfect match in the WFM landscape. 

This Suites research evaluates the following software providers that offer products that address key elements of workforce management as we define it: ADP, Dayforce, Infor, Oracle, Quinyx, Replicon, SAP, UKG, Workday and WorkForce Software. More information on the Basics edition of the Workforce Management Buyers Guide is located HERE and has these providers covered: ADP, Blue Yonder, Dayforce, Infor, Oracle, Paychex, Paycom, Paycor, Quinyx, Replicon, SAP, UKG, Workday, WorkForce Software and Zebra. 

This research-based index evaluates the full business and information technology value of human capital management software offerings. I encourage you to learn more about our Buyers Guide and its effectiveness as a provider selection and RFI/RFP tool. 

We urge organizations to do a thorough job of evaluating workforce management offerings in this Buyers Guide as both the results of our in-depth analysis of these software providers and as an evaluation methodology. The Buyers Guide can be used to evaluate existing suppliers, plus provides evaluation criteria for new projects. Using it can shorten the cycle time for an RFP and the definition of an RFI. 

The Buyers Guide for Workforce Management Suites in 2024 finds ADP first on the list, followed by Oracle and UKG.  

Enterprises that rated in the top three of any category ﹘ including the product and customer experience dimensions ﹘ earn the designation of Leader.  

The Leaders in Product Experience are:  

• Oracle. 
• Dayforce. 
• ADP. 

The Leaders in Customer Experience are: 

• ADP. 
• Replicon. 
• UKG. 

The Leaders across any of the seven categories are: 

• ADP, Oracle and UKG, which has achieved this rating in four of the seven categories. 
• Dayforce in three categories. 
• Workforce Software and Workday in two categories. 
• Infor and Replicon in one category. 

The overall performance chart provides a visual representation of how providers rate across product and customer experience. Software providers with products scoring higher in a weighted rating of the five product experience categories place farther to the right. The combination of ratings for the two customer experience categories determines their placement on the vertical axis. As a result, providers that place closer to the upper-right are “exemplary” and rated higher than those closer to the lower-left and identified as providers of “merit.” Software providers that excelled at customer experience over product experience have an “assurance” rating, and those excelling instead in product experience have an “innovative” rating. 

Note that close provider scores should not be taken to imply that the packages evaluated are functionally identical or equally well-suited for use by every enterprise or process. Although there is a high degree of commonality in how organizations handle workforce management, there are many idiosyncrasies and differences that can make one provider’s offering a better fit than another. 

Our firm has made every effort to encompass in this Buyers Guide the overall product and customer experience from our workforce management blueprint, which we believe reflects what a well-crafted RFP should contain. Even so, there may be additional areas that affect which software provider and products best fit an enterprise’s particular requirements. Therefore, while this research is complete as it stands, utilizing it in your own organizational context is critical to ensure that products deliver the highest level of support for your projects. 

You can find more details on our community as well as on our expertise in the research for this Buyers Guide. 

Regards,

Matthew Brown