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What initiatives or projects are you currently working on or accountable for?

• Annual plan strategy
• Compensation and Benefits
• Employee relations
• Employee recognition platform
• Talent - Mergers and Acquisitions
• Talent - New lines of business  
• HRS systems, benefit administration

“Anything that affects or impacts, or directly correlates to the HRS systems, our benefits administration system, or our employee recognition system.”

“We’re redefining the employee value proposition, restructuring the HR department, and making sure that our pay is market-competitive, and we’re also enhancing our talent acquisition processes.”

“I’m responsible for finding and implementing a new employee recognition platform.”  

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In the next 6 to 12 months, do you think these initiatives will change? If so, please explain.

• Responding to changes that a hybrid model brings
• Overhauling benefits package
• I hope to execute current initiatives
• They change all the time

“Many organizations thought the hybrid environment was just a temporary thing. But it’s here to stay. That implies continuous focus of transformation in total rewards.”

“We always are gonna have the HRS system, the benefit system, employee relations issues, but those are all going to change with time.”

“Initiatives are relatively fluid in HR, which is either nice or the bane of my existence. I swear sometimes things change every hour.”  

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What initiatives do you envision taking on in the next three to five years?

• Address generational changes in the workforce
• Expanding our HR footprint globally  
• Getting our workforce more comfortable with technology
• New HR Technology and more HR analytics
• Dealing with mergers and acquisitions
• Increasing digitization of everything

“Baby boomers value salary and stability above all. Those factors rank probably ninth and tenth for Millennials and Centennials. So there’s a fundamental shift coming.”

“As millennials and centennials become more of the workforce, we’ll need to pay attention to work-life balance issues and changes to monetary and non-monetary rewards.”

“Strategic growth through acquisitions will impact employee relations and HRS because you have to absorb those companies’ cultures and technologies short term.”  

“We hope to give rewards for acquiring leadership skills.”

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What are your key performance objectives?

• Talent Acquisition
• Retention
• Improve hiring standards
• Extend training and development  
• Control spending

“A progressive culture with rewards and recognition that help us attract and retain the best talent in the market. Talent acquisition is always going to be a key performance initiative for us.”  

“Controlling spend while still providing great outcomes for our employees”  

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What are your aspirations for personal success and growth?

• Keep our best people
• To keep doing what I’m doing and do it well
• Continue to grow our function
• Stay ahead of trends

“I’m at the pinnacle of the HR world, but professionally, I want to continuously expand my breadth of knowledge and improve what I do for the organization.”

“Retention is the focus for all our policies and the procedures.”

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What are your aspirations for personal success and growth (specific to recognition)?

“To be recognized as one of the best employers to work for in the total rewards environment.”

“Make sure that I recognize everyone that needs to be recognized.”

“To complete the recognition program we have in the US, and expand it globally.”

INSIGHT: CHROs can use employee recognition to fulfill strategy and increase brand equity. For example, earning a place on the FORTUNE 100 Best Places to Work list or becoming a top employer in a particular industry can attract talent and retain employees.

What challenges are you facing in your role?

• Post Pandemic hybrid model and impact on recruiting, retention, medical plans
• Building consensus between executives
• Attracting and retaining talent
• Communication
• Controlling spending

“The same two things keep every HR exec up at night: 1) attracting top talent, and 2) retaining top talent. And that’s getting more and more expensive. You can get them in the door, but if you can’t keep them you’re sunk.”

“Each of our presidents has a slightly different way they want to do things. Reaching consensus is always a big challenge.”

“The biggest challenge is to make sure the messages you’re communicating are reaching people in the way you intend.”

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In the next 6 to 12 months, will these challenges change? If so, please explain.

• No (universal response).

“I think people strategies get even more critical because organizations have always been too slow when it comes to people, processes, and procedures.”

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What are the current challenges you’re facing in your role? (specific to recognition)

• The older workforce and younger generation have very different needs (majority)
• Managing hybrid and remote workers

“Keeping both older and younger employees happy, while focusing on the future.”

“People are far less dependent on employers than they used to be.”  

“What if your house is in Norfolk, Virginia, but you’re working in Cairo, Egypt for six months? How do we plan award shipments for things like that? It matters to employees.”

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What type of risks do you face in your role (e.g., political, process, financial targets)?

“Our workforce retiring and not being able to replace their knowledge and productivity.”  

“Our competition moving in and approaching our top talent.”  

“Our company not evolving and keeping up. Without the right talent, you can’t innovate.”

“You can’t trust people with the way we are working now. It’s kind of a nightmare.”

“There’re so many legal risks when it comes to dealing with people, it’s exhausting.”

“A serious claim from COVID is probably $200,000 plus. So if you have a breakout, you could be looking at millions of dollars in medical costs.”   

“Not being able to find the right talent, or to retain talent.”

“Cyber system failures and cyber attacks.”  

“Risk of litigation related to compliance issues. HR has become more and more regulated. There are new laws every year that differ from state to state. You have to think like a lawyer.”

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What type of risks do you face in your role (related to recognition)

• Lack of recognition / poor recognition drives people away
• Employees have more choices in the marketplace
• A program that doesn’t work / employees don’t like or use the program

“Losing people over a poorly executed program.”  

“It’s mass re-negotiation more than mass resignation. People are making demands, and when our offer doesn’t fit, they’re out, because they have other options.”

“Low adoption of the program you’ve poured time and money into.”

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What problems do you face that impede the attainment of your operational and functional goals or objectives?

• Getting the right people and keeping them
• Technology improvements
• Working like one global company
• Funding for recognition

“Talent acquisition. If we want to grow, we have to have people. And we’ve raised the bar on who we want to hire. So talent acquisition is huge.”

“Our technology is not as modernized as I would like it to be in terms of systems enabling remote teams to collaborate. That impedes the war for talent.”  

“Globalization. In the past, we operated in silos, but that won’t work for the next 10 years.”

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What problems do you face that are impeding the attainment of your personal and performance goals?

• Time management
• Lack of funding.
• Distractions

“It’s noise, whether it’s outside influences distracting me or taking my energy or competing for my time.”

“We’re under-resourced. It’s difficult to prioritize with so many initiatives happening at the same time.”

“It’s mostly just working so much. I have a lot less time for personal growth than I used to.”

“A constant for me is time management.”

“My biggest challenge, and frankly my risk, is that if I don’t communicate to the C-Suite, I don’t get support for the initiatives I’m working on and they don’t get embraced by the team.”

INSIGHT: The CHRO role, although it has risen in stature, is often still 2nd tier in the C-Suite. CHROs who highlight risks, problems, or opportunities for employee recognition to solve are more effective in strengthening their culture.

What problems does your organization face that impede attainment of your business/enterprise goals or objectives?

• Employee expectations
• Finding and keeping good people
• Competitive pressures

“Employees say, ‘I need more than a 1% or 2% raise because of inflation.’ We’d love to pay more. But we can’t. If you’re not generating the revenue, you can’t spend the money.”

“I have 1,000 empty trucks today because we can’t find enough drivers for them.”  

“No matter how good we get, our competition gets better, too. It’s tough out there.”

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How do you tie your purchase process to larger company goals or initiatives?

• We work backward from company strategies to what gets funded
• Our budget-setting process is rigorous and focused on real needs
• We set clear expectations and make sure vendors meet those requirements

“It’s all about business outcomes: topline growth, profitability, engagement, brand value.”

“Everything is tied back to the strategic plan. If it’s on the plan, it gets funded.”

“We go through a strategy planning session where we lay out goals and objectives, and decide as a group how we’re going to prioritize those technology purchases.”  

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What strategic factors (e.g., business expansion, competencies, cultural fit) impact the purchase decision process?

“Our internal recognition program was inefficient, ineffective, and all but defunct. We realized we had to go outside to a company that does this for a living.”

“We wanted to drive higher levels of employee engagement, so we were looking for tools.”

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What financial factors (e.g., revenue growth, cost containment) impact your purchase decision process?

• It all depends on ROI

“We can’t buy anything that’s not specific to the strategic plan. That’s why some things are out 12, 14, 24, 36 months.”  

“ROI isn’t easy to measure. But if you want to spend money, you have to demonstrate it.”

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What operational factors (e.g., workflow efficiency, productivity) impact your purchase decision process?

• User experience, ease of use, workflows, and interoperability with existing systems
• Centralized or decentralized?
• What processes needs to exist to make the program sustainable?”

“99.9% of recognition companies are cloud based, so you can access the system anywhere. They also handle the logistics, shipping, procurement. It really takes us out of the equation. So that’s nice.”

What unique language or vocabulary (e.g., keywords, phrases) is commonly used in your job role or industry to describe needs, pain points, initiatives, and challenges?

• Talent acquisition
• Talent retention
• Software solutions
• Rewards and recognition
• Employee engagement
• Employee interaction
• Employee incentives
• Employee recognition
• Service awards
• Employee turnover
• Competitive pay
• Competitive pricing
• IT problems

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How do you use internet searches to learn about market trends, vendors, or products (e.g., keywords about an industry problem or initiative, specific product/technology category, particular vendor name)?

• Google search
• Peer groups
• SHRM vendor guide
• Companies like Gartner
• Unbiased review sites
• Newsletter subscriptions

“It’s well known who the major competitors are. Sometimes we hear about a smaller company and we’ll include them in the RFP process.”

What is the job you hired this recognition solution to do?

• Retention
• Strengthen culture
• Incentivize employees  
• Improve recognition

“Help pinpoint where recognition needs to go”  

“The initial reason was to reward tenure, but the scope has expanded since then.”  

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What problem(s) does your current recognition system solve?

• People feel appreciated
• Keep our best people
• Better participation
• Better award experience
• Less complicated for admins

“The Service Anniversary Program has been fantastic. People absolutely love it. They love the fact that there are thousands of options and not just a little catalogue. Variety is everything.”

“From an administrative standpoint, it’s much easier for us, we get one bill, it breaks everything down, it’s super easy.”

“Going through Amazon and Awardco, you give someone a $100, and they get a $100. If we do that through a traditional partner like O.C. Tanner, they might only get $75 of that $100.”  

“Just to increase frequency and the feeling that people believe they’re getting recognition.”

What elements comprise your current recognition program?

• Give service awards, recognition awards  
• Manager to employee (points to spend on amazon), we’re expanding to additional divisions
• Non-monetary and different levels of monetary recognition
• Global Recognition Awards that come from the CEO (Chairman’s awards)
• Nominations for specific behaviors

“It lets us see what inspires employees to go further.”  

“It allows us to check loyalty.”

Which elements of your current solution work well? Which don’t?

• They all pretty much work well
• It’s easy
• Everyone can use it
• Easy to recognize vendors

“The associate experience is fantastic and very easy.  The back-end administrative part is less so, due to our company being a little complicated on how we bill or pay things.”

What do you wish your current solution could do?

• Better analytics to understand the ROI
• Customize messaging to associates faster
• Deliver a happy birthday message
• A video from the owners on the anniversary
• Different landing pages, depending on where people work

Are you the key sponsor or champion for the purchase of a product, service, or solution?

• Yes (majority)

“With total rewards, it’s always going to be the Head of HR since that’s where the budget lies.”

“Always. We will get input from different departments. But in the end, it’s our decision.”

“For us, it’s the Director of Total Rewards.”

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Do you make the final decision for the purchase of a product, service, or solution?

• Yes (majority with a few exceptions)

“My HR team and a cross-functional team of leaders make a recommendation to the executive team (CEO, CFO, and presidents).”

“Yes, always.”

“Myself and our CFO.”

“The Chief Technology Officer”

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Do you use the purchased product, service, or solution on a day-to-day basis?

• No, it’s an HR Manager (majority)

“An HR Manager or Director is the day-to-day administrator of the program.”

“We have an HR manager on the administrative side who manages the program and coordinates with business units, etc.”

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Do you handle procurement and negotiation, or manage the settling of terms, conditions, and pricing?

• Yes, I handle procurement
• Yes, myself and our Chief Legal Counsel
• Yes, my team plus Procurement team

In what key stages of the purchasing process do you play an advisory role?

“My role was an advisor or participant in the steering committee to make sure that we were staying focused on the objectives we had and then reviewing the various proposals.”

“The team zeroed in on the ones they felt were most in line with the RFP (and most comfortable with). That sub-group presented to me, one of my VPs, and a few members of the steering committee. We then presented that to the deputies.”

“We had anniversary coordinators from each division, the executive admins or the sales admins. Also, HR business partners on the committee and IT folks. But none of them were part of the decision-making process at all.”

What is the purchase decision process at your organization (e.g., discovery, evaluation, commitment)?

“Here’s our process: Issue the RFP, get responses back, filter out the ones that didn’t meet basic requirements, schedule demos, select two or three finalists, then you negotiate terms and the pricing with the top one or two. It comes down to price, capability, and/or fit.”

“We got bad feedback about our current program. Our VP of HR agreed to take this on. She did some research among her contacts, formed a team of direct reports, put out an RFP, narrowed it down to three, and chose the one that was the best fit for us.”

“We were with a traditional vendor, and every year I’d see the catalog and say, ‘This is so old fashioned. Why are we doing this?’ One of my HR VPs took it on herself to do some research and talk to a bunch of different vendors. We found Awardco and my head just started spinning with all the possibilities and where we could go with it.”

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Please rank your involvement in the discovery (early) phase of the buying process from 1 to 5.

Avg: 3.25

Range: 2–5

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Please rank your involvement in the evaluation (middle) phase of the buying process, 1 to 5.

Avg: 3.25

Range: 0–5

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Please rank your involvement in the commitment (final) phase of the buying process, 1 to 5.

Avg: 4.88

Range: 4–5

How do you evaluate vendors to choose one over another?  

• User experience / ease of use
• Pricing and contractual obligations
• Bells and whistles, what do you do better than anyone else?
• Speed of implementation
• Data privacy and security
• Scaleability—can they handle a client our size?
• Integration with HRIS and existing systems

“We look at the ease of the user experience, is it a five-step process or just two steps to recognize someone? Then the workload, what works best in our environment, the functionality of the product, how well does it interface with our HR system Workday.”

“I look at ROI, pricing, contractual obligations, the user experience, and then the bells and whistles: what do they do better than everyone else, even if they’re more expensive.”

“We look at breadth and depth, process maturity, the employee engagement model, technology, how they manage data privacy and security of PII information, speed of implementation, whether it’s cloud-enabled technology, how it interacts with other HR systems: payroll and their HDM environment, possibly even their ERP environment.”

“Is it points? Is it dollars? How do they calculate points?”

“Product pricing and fulfillment. I don’t want to give someone 100,000 points so they can buy a TV and find out it’s the cheapest, lamest TV ever.”

“If they can’t support the implementation very well, then you know you’re in trouble. Check references.”

INSIGHT: CHROs will often, in a low-profile way, reach out to peers when they have questions or want to know if they’re on track in the buying process. It’s a good idea for our Sales and CS team to keep their high-level clients aware and up to speed on what is working for them. We want that conversation to help us rather than hurt us.

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How important is post-purchase support in your decision? How do you evaluate a provider’s ability to provide ongoing support?

• Yes, very important (majority)

“It’s important. We want to meet the account management team and begin to understand what their post-sale process, and post-implementation process looks like. Do we meet quarterly? Who’ll handle our account and how easy are they to get a hold of?”

“If your account rep is too far down the food chain, they don’t know what’s coming down the pipe regarding product, nor can they make things happen on your behalf if there’s a problem.”

“Yes. The salesperson will always tell you they offer great post-implementation support, but you have to check what your peers are saying to know if that’s true.”

INSIGHT: It’s critical to make the transition from Sales to CS as seamless and smooth as possible. The CHRO won’t be in day-to-day contact with us, but they will certainly be aware of good (and bad) news from their team.

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Is it important or helpful to understand the provider’s long-term plans for the offering? How would you want the provider to share that information with you?

• Yes, absolutely (majority)
• Quarterly reviews are best
• We demand product roadmaps
• What’s coming down the road 5 years out?
• Show us you can stay current
• We need to know you are stable and innovative

“Very important. I need organizations that are going to take the pulse of what’s going on in the market and with employees.”

“I want you talking about what’s happening, what are the trends, what are you seeing, what are your innovations? Quarterly business reviews are the right environment for that.”

“We need to see a roadmap. How are you investing in the product? Where do you see the product going? What features are you sunsetting? What’s coming next?”

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How important is a provider’s reputation for corporate social responsibility in your decision process?

• Very important (about 50%)
• Not important (about 50%)

“We absolutely care. If our vendor is unscrupulous, it sort of negates the program.”

“It’s not part of our decision process. We take it on face value and hope for the best.”

INSIGHT: When it matters, it matters, so be sure to ask

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Do you consider the provider’s supply chain and distribution partners when making a purchase decision? If so, how?

“We’ve got DEI requirements and want partners who share our values. So we look at who vendors use and what practices they have. That’s an important reflection of who they are.”

INSIGHT: DE&I requirements are becoming more and more prevalent. Work with your management to know what O.C. Tanner is doing in this regard.

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How do you justify your recommended vendor to move the purchase through the approval process?

• Prove it solves a company-wide problem
• Justify it early in the process
• Include success stories

“I have to show how this product solves a current business challenge, not just for my department, but for other areas of the company as well.”

“Before the selection process, we justify the need with our executive team. We present the problem, the need for a solution, and the anticipated ROI. So when we come back after selecting, we’re just reaffirming.”

“We show what the vendor has done for other organizations. That’s the best way to demonstrate potential business outcomes that are critical to our bottom line.”

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Can you think of instances in which gaining approval for a purchase was more difficult than you expected? Why was it difficult? How could the vendor have made it easier?

Reasons for difficulties

• Pricing and contractual obligations
• Budget issues
• Competing priorities
• C-suite doubts

Things vendors can do to help

• Be patient with budget/timing needs
• Help us prove the ROI

“The biggest hurdles are pricing and contractual obligations.”

“We often budget things for the back half of the year. But if we don’t hit our revenue targets at mid-year, those things will get pushed to the following year.”

“We know total rewards can play a huge role in attraction and retention. But we need help getting the C-Suite to understand that.”  

“Just help me make the case for ROI.”

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How do you tie your purchase process to larger company goals or initiatives?

• Start with company goals
• Make it about engagement
• Everything we do touches every employee
• Think impact, not price

“That’s where it starts in the first place, with larger company goals and initiatives.”

“We talk about employee turnover, employee engagement. That way, it forces procurement to look for impact, not just the cheapest option.”

Do you strongly prefer (or dislike) particular products or providers?

“I love the ones that talk about me and my problems. Features aren’t interesting, impact is interesting.”

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Do you have strong feelings about how providers in this category have responded to your needs?

• Do your homework. Bring me insights.
• Too many old school solutions
• This industry could use more competition. Everyone feels the same

“Too many don’t do the research before they show up.”  

“Come to me with insight. Don’t come to me with 20 questions, I don’t have time for that.”  

“A lot of vendors still feel kind of old world.”

“I’d like to see more competition in this area. There don’t seem to be many options.”  

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Do you have any trust issues or frustrations with the buying process?

• No (majority)

“There’s a discipline which is: assessment and strategy, baselining, understanding the challenge, defining the future state. If you understand those parameters, it’s easy to decide.”

“The biggest trust issue I have is what we’re being sold versus what we get in back-end support. I’ve been burned a few times, so it takes a few months into a contract to earn my trust.”

In the discovery (early) phase of the purchase decision process, what type of content—or contact—informs or influences your thinking most?

• Case studies
• White papers, articles, ebooks
• Research and reports
• Consultants and experts: Gartner, Berson, Willis Towers Watson, SHRM
• Peer references
• Google searches
• Vendor websites
• Vendor videos
• Webinars
• Reputable news outlets, NYT, WSJ, Washington Post

“Case studies from large corporations. No question about it. That’s number one. There is nothing like a live example, particularly from the last 12 months.”  

“Insights from white papers and research, conversations with total reward consultants, and then peer-to-peer references to learn what other organizations are doing.”  

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In the evaluation (middle) phase of the purchase decision process, what type of content—or contact—informs or influences your thinking most?

• A demo with a sandbox
• Google searches, top 10 vendors
• Explore offerings on the vendor’s website
• Friends at big companies
• Input from each vendors’ end users
• Conversations over content
• Online ratings
• A formal RFP
• Gartner

“At that phase, it’s all about the demo. I want a sandbox where we can go in and play with the product.”  

 “I call my friends at Walmart, Bank of America, American Express, or MassMutual and say, “What tools are you guys using? What do you like? What do you not like? Why?”

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In the commitment (final) phase of the purchase decision process, what type of content—or contact—informs or influences your thinking most?

• Demos, process, compatibility
• ROI
• Fit

“That’s where we are doing virtual demos, looking at their technology, looking at their process maturity and ensuring how that connects with our existing environment.”

“This is when we talk contract, commitments, pricing, discounts. But we don’t always look for the cheapest solution, we look for the best ROI available to us.”  

 “At that point, you’re choosing what’s best for your firm. A vendor can hit all the criteria but still not be the right fit. In the end, it’s a qualitative call.”

Where do you start your search for information when considering a purchase (e.g., search engine, vendor website, industry website, industry peers)?

• Other HR leaders and peers
• Google/vendor websites
• Consultants
• Purchasing
• IT leaders

“A peer group of high-level HR leaders. They are candid and will steer you away from certain vendors and really embrace others.”   

“It’s a combination. I would say it’s industry websites and industry peers.”

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How do you compare similar products?

• RFP
• Product demos
• Specific criteria: pricing, usability, scalability, user experience, capability, impact, ROI, etc.
• Looking for unique bells and whistles
• How it all fits in with existing systems

“The RFP is everything. Our disciplined approach takes the emotion out and really focuses on requirements, workflow, goals, user experience, functionality, capability, impact, and ROI.”

“I have to go through the demo.”

“Any car gets you from point A to point B. So it’s the extras that matter. With this, it’s things like ROI, pricing, usability, scalability, end-user interface, and unique bells and whistles.”

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How do you prefer to receive or interact with vendors’ marketing and promotions (e.g., email, direct mail, high-impact mailers, phone call)?

• Email (majority response)

“I’m in HR. I talk to people all day long. But I don’t want to talk to vendors all day long. I prefer email.”  

“I’m insanely hard to get ahold of. Always in meetings. Email is much easier to correspond to.”  

“Email is far less invasive than a phone call. I can read it on my own timing.”  

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What triggers a response to a marketing message (e.g., relevant to my job role, an initiative I’m working on, or a problem I’m facing)?

• Something new, interesting, and relevant
• Anything unique and easy
• A proven, better way
• A compelling value proposition
• Proof that you understand my challenges and have a solution

“Some kind of compelling value proposition—a better way, better user experience, proven ROI, something quantifiable.”

“It has to be focused on impact, outcomes, or a risk we can’t see.”

“If it solves a challenge I’m facing in the moment, I might pounce on it.”  

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Do you prefer to meet with a vendor’s salesperson or sales team by phone, video conference, or in person?

• In Person (about 40% but strongly)
• Virtually (about 60% but strongly)
• Some prefer virtual early, and in-person later on
• In other words, it pays to ask

“Phone or video conference. I travel a lot. Virtual is just easier for me.”

“Well, post-COVID I’d say in person. In-person is always better.”

“I don’t need to meet people in person. We can do it all via video conference.”

“Definitely in person.”  

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What prompts you to take a meeting with a vendor sales rep (e.g., recommendation by a direct report, boss’s suggestion, significant financial investment, or high risk)?

• The offering is everything
• Significant financial impact to our company
• A peer reference

“I don’t want dinners. I don’t want lunches. I want a good product and good service. That’s it.”

“I never take cold calls. Ever. If I meet with you, I will make the first request.”

“My team takes all the exploratory meetings. Then I get involved.”

“Some kind of connection at a conference, or some kind of prework with an email that’s intriguing enough to make me want to learn more.”  

“If it’s about a solution to something I’m currently challenged with, I might engage.”

INSIGHT: CHROs are more involved in the process than they like to admit, but they often defer to the HR SVP, who usually runs the project. Don’t get too frustrated if you can’t reach the CHRO directly—the HR SVP will know where the CHRO stands and what matters to them.

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What does a salesperson do to win your trust (e.g., demonstrate expertise in my industry or company, show they care about my success, cultivate a personal relationship with me)?

• Honesty. Honesty. Honesty.
• Research and understanding of my business
• Competence and product knowledge
• Timely responses
• Don’t over-promise
• Respect timelines. Don’t push

“Be honest. You’d be surprised at how many are not. I catch people being deceptive.”

“You need to really know your product.”

“If you say you’ll get back to me, get back to me. Breaking little promises erodes trust quickly.”

“I shouldn’t have to follow up with a salesperson ever”

“Don’t over-promise.”  

“I understand commissions and I know you need to close. But that doesn’t mean I’m on your timeline.”

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Besides the sales rep, which other vendor representatives (e.g., product manager, solutions specialist, executive) do you meet with during the purchase decision process?

• Product manager
• Product developer
• IT liaison
• Sales engineer
• Design or solution architect
• Implementation manager

“No question, the product developer. Absolutely. Very essential.”

“An IT liaison to help us understand exactly we need to do from a technical perspective.”

“I don’t want a salesperson giving me a demo. I want the product specialist to do that.”

“The design or solution architect is more important than the salesperson.”

“The implementation manager. That’s the person you’re going to work with when you launch.”

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What type of group interactions (e.g., webinars, seminars, conferences) do you find impactful during the purchase process?

• Webinars
• Trade shows

“I try to take advantage of as many webinars, seminars, and conferences as I can.”

“Webinars are a really great thing.”

“I like trade shows and things like that with the subject matter experts there in real time.”  

“I make sure we’re represented by having a director participating, but I do as little as possible.”

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What third-party influencers (e.g., industry analysts, consultants) do you interact with during the purchase decision process? Which ones are most impactful?

“We don’t. It’s all in-house. We have no third-party influencers.”  

“For this, we don’t really need a third party.”

What professional associations do you belong to? Do you listen to or follow any industry peers, authors, bloggers, or analysts to support your purchasing process, and would you recommend any to colleagues?

Professional Associations

• SHRM
• The Society for Industrial Organizational Psychologists
• HRAO—Human Resource Association Organization
• HRI (HR Institute)
• National Association of Corporate Directors
• Private Directors Association
• CPOHW Network
• Chief Human Resource Officers Organization

Peers / authors / bloggers / analysts

• Jack Welch
• Adena Friedman (CEO NASDAQ)
• Richard Branson
• John Taylor (CEO SHRM)
• Bill Gates

“Jack Welch was one of the first people to say, ‘HR is where it’s at.’”

“There’s not a leading voice as it relates to total rewards or employee engagement.”

What conferences or events do you attend and why?

• SHRM (Executive Level)
• HR Tech
• HRO
• Talent Connect (LinkedIn)
• Workday Rising

“The only one I attend is the SHRM annual conference.”

“I don’t attend conferences where I meet salespeople. I attend conferences where I meet C-suite executives focused on corporate leadership.”

“WorkHuman, I’m going to attend because we’ve just signed up with them. So I want to learn more about it and learn from peers how they’re using the platform.”

Do you go to vendor websites and, if so, why?

“Yes. To stay updated. To see anything new that might be out there.”

“Yes. To get a sense of who they are and what their products do.”

“Yes, absolutely. Because what vendors put on their website reflects their company.”

Do you participate in or belong to any online communities or forums (e.g., LinkedIn groups)?

• Yes (about 50%)
• No (about 50%)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

“LinkedIn is the largest one. It’s where we’re conversing most.”

“I don’t belong to any specific online communities, LinkedIn or otherwise.”

“Yes, quite a few forums around HR leadership, executive leadership, C-level councils.”

“I’m not a big online community person, but I encourage my team to keep up with that.”

In which social networks are you active for business purposes (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest)?

• LinkedIn (majority)
• Twitter (a few)

“I’m only active on LinkedIn and the SHRM management blog. You can reach everybody with those two.”

“LinkedIn and Twitter because that’s really where my peer group of HR experts is.”

“LinkedIn is a great mechanism to get quick feedback from folks I know.”

Which trade journals or publications do you read?

• New York Times
• Bloomberg
• HR Executive
• SHRM Magazine
• Wall Street Journal
• Harvard Business Review
• Wall Street Journal
• The Economist
• HRO Today
• HR Tech

“The Wall Street Journal seems to have the most broad-ranging articles.”

“I have at least 20 I read.”

Do you consider channel partners (e.g., resellers, systems integrators, distributors) useful resources for gathering information, advice, or recommendations? If so, how do you use them when considering a purchase?

“Yes. Good strategic channel partners will offer valuable insights.”

“It’s a great way to grasp the competitive environment and innovations we may not know of.”

“I regularly bring in consulting organizations to give me a sense of what they are doing for other organizations.”

What sources do you trust?

“The sources I find trustworthy are the club societies or professional organizations I belong to.”

“SHRM has a very slight bias, but I believe they try to be factual, and they are. So I trust them.”