Where The Innovation Went: Sales HR

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Where The Innovation Went: Sales HR

On September 26, 2012, in Big Data, Futures, HR Technology, HR Trends, HRExaminer, by John Sumser

With each passing year, I wonder a little more about where the innovation comes from.

Where The Innovation Went: Sales HR

Periodically, you should take a look at Ray Wang’s Software Insider’s Point of View There’s no better place to get an understanding of the evolving world of enterprise technology. Wang has a grasp of things that is both deep and subtle

Sunday’s update proclaims that Dreamforce is the South by Southwest for the Enterprise. Dreamforce is the annual Salesforce.com convention. With 48,000 attendees and 90,000 registrants, it’s like a Coachella festival for the sales team. In Ray’s words, “The event represented the intersection of where aspiration meets innovation for the enterprise.”

Like last year, I made a pilgrimage to the Moscone Center to witness the fun.

I’ve been watching the HRTechnology scene for a long time. With each passing year, I wonder a little more about where the innovation comes from. At Dreamforce, I found it. The sales department is doing the innovation that the rest of the organization needs.

Selling to HR is notoriously slow and difficult. The Sales Department, on the other hand, is real-time performance driven. Anything that can generate a shred of competitive advantage is an easy sell and an easy purchase. What do you know about the primary assets of the sales team? They are all people.

Social Learning, Talent Management, Performance Assessment and lots of tools that connect people. The software that wasn’t built for pure lead generation, sales management, marketing and reporting, all looked just like HR Technology. It’s just that you’re not going to see much of it at the HR trade shows.

Here are a few of the amazing companies I saw:

TalentAnalytics
At its simplest, this tool tracks performance and identifies top performers. It then groups them and begins identifying key similarities. These attributes drive the hiring and candidate evaluation process.
CETAS
Big Data Analytics. In HR, no one has ever heard of Hadoop. Effectively, data from all company systems (and loads of external data) can be blended into a single analytical tool. Companies like CETAS are in the business of helping their customers connect the dots.
Blackboard Learn
If you haven’t spent time inside a multimedia online classroom, you’re missing a key HR innovation. Sales Force agility depends on quick learning and the ability to rapidly communicate changes in the market. Blackboard learn was one of several social learning tools in evidence. Social learning delivers intelligence quickly to the places where it is needed the most.
InsideView
This is a focused, niche oriented, social listening tool (like SocialEars). It combines social media data with real time news feeds to support sales people as they move into a call. By providing a clear blend of relevant info, the rep is given tools to quickly warm the relationship. It would be a great thing to implement internally as a part of social HR.

About the author

John Sumser

John Sumser is a principal analyst for HRExaminer, an independent analyst firm covering HR Technology and the intersection of people, tech, and work. John’s mix of experience over the course of his career gives him a broad and unique perspective on the industry. Like anyone trying to process a lot of information, he is two or three steps ahead in some areas and still learning about others. Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR Technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Built on a foundation of engineering, design, and philosophy, John’s seeks to understand and advise clients on where their technology works best, for whom, and in what context. Each year, John examines the insides of hundreds of companies, their products, and ecosystems. He delivers vendor analysis by building the framework from which to deliver the critique. He is constantly connecting and making visible the front end of change. He can help you see the path of evolution and the risks on the journey. The HRExaminer is Sumser’s vehicle for understanding and explaining the inner workings of the industry. With three weekly podcasts, and written commentary, he covers emerging ideas, the state of the industry, and the executives who operate it.

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