BambooHR vs. symplr Talent Management Solutions

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an on-line human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$250
per month
symplr Talent Management Solutions
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
symplr acquired HealthcareSource in July, 2021. The former HealthcareSource now forms the foundation fo the symplr talent management suite.N/A
Pricing
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Editions & Modules
Core
$250
per month
Pro
$250
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNo matter what HR looks like at your company, we have the perfect plan for you!
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
120 Ratings
3% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data7.8102 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.7109 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.4106 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.393 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.1105 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management8.096 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.557 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
76 Ratings
1% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.250 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.244 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.030 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.859 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.458 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.060 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management6.730 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.8
104 Ratings
9% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
-
Ratings
Approval workflow9.1102 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details8.995 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.485 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.7
115 Ratings
7% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information7.971 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information9.2114 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation9.094 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition8.677 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history9.0107 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.8
48 Ratings
1% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.848 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.7
91 Ratings
1% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
-
Ratings
Report builder8.187 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.785 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data7.463 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.6
95 Ratings
7% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
9.2
2 Ratings
22% above category average
New hire portal8.791 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.683 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Compliance tracking and reporting00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.2
59 Ratings
1% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
8.1
2 Ratings
11% above category average
Corporate goal setting8.246 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting8.257 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.245 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking8.153 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Subordinate goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.9
65 Ratings
1% below category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
9.0
1 Ratings
27% above category average
Performance plans7.658 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.052 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Review status tracking7.959 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Review reminders8.261 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.856 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Rater nomination workflow00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Workflow restrictions00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.1
45 Ratings
10% below category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
6.5
2 Ratings
10% below category average
Create succession plans/pools5.831 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Candidate ranking7.737 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Candidate search7.139 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Candidate development8.035 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
78 Ratings
4% above category average
symplr Talent Management Solutions
6.8
2 Ratings
7% below category average
Job Requisition Management8.055 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.361 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Publish to Social Media8.256 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.259 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.453 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.268 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.672 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Customized Application Form00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Resume Management00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
Candidate Search00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Collaboration00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Task Creation and Delegation00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Email Templates00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
User Permissions00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
-
Ratings
symplr Talent Management Solutions
8.4
1 Ratings
17% above category average
Course authoring00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Course catalog or library00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Player/Portal00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Learning content00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Mobile friendly00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Assignments00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Compliance management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Learning administration00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Social learning00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Paycor
Paycor
Score 7.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Darwinbox
Darwinbox
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM
Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM
Score 7.5 out of 10
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User Ratings
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(124 ratings)
6.1
(11 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(10 ratings)
7.3
(5 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(51 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(48 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.2
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.6
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.3
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
9.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BambooHRsymplr Talent Management Solutions
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
I think BambooHR is meant for companies that have more than 200 employees, because it is not cheap, but for what they are offering, it is a nice software with some easy UI to understand for everyone at a company. I think for a small company, it is way too big of a software and it is not that worth the price.
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symplr
If their HRIS system holds all their data - employees, supervisors, positions then HealthcareSource can really take advantage of that data and save you a lot of time. We looked at a lot of systems and one of our needs was both Applicant Tracking and Performance Management and these systems work very well together. Other systems we looked at didn't have all our most needed features - we needed a vendor that could do both, integrate with our HRIS, report back data in a customizable fashion, and be user friendly. Some systems listed the features but during the demo and product reference calls we found they didn't perform as advertised. Some had reporting but the reporting was missing key data or didn't export in a data friendly manner. We have found HealthcareSource to be not only "pretty" - aka user friendly/non-cluttered but also had the engine under the hood as well that met our data analyst needs.
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Pros
BambooHR
  • Customer Service - The customer service is consistent and the team is always eager to help. They are polite, patient, and there are never terrible interactions.
  • Communication - BambooHR communication channels are simple. There are many different ways to communicate with the team. I prefer e-mail because it helps me keep track of the conversations and they respond within the appropriate time. Also, the e-mail reminders or notifications help tremendously and it's not overbearing.
  • User Interface - It's simple and easy to use!
Read full review
symplr
  • When any company implements a new program they have specific needs that they want customized for them. Healthcare source did a great job providing excellent customer service to our HR and IT professionals working behind the scenes to help us maximize the programs potential at our organization. They did not limit us to any standard uses or prohibit us from reaching our internal goals. Some examples include specialized reports, data uploads of employee data and time frames for our annual reviews.
  • They provided us with training and retraining and more training on using the system. This included training new members of our team when we had turnover in HR and inviting us to conferences and webcasts regularly.
  • The presentation of the software was very appealing and that may seem small but it really helps appeal to the employees that use it for their reviews.
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • Reporting - I wish that you could choose a timeframe for all reports. There are times when I need to run a report for information at a point in time, but there is no functionality to complete this (maybe this is an add-on, but seems like it should be a basic function.)
  • ATS - Customizable notifications and making it easier to figure out how to change notification/email settings. I figured it out, but it was difficult to find. I wish you could choose to notify managers of candidates 1/week instead of every time someone applies.
  • Custom Holidays - being able to set up 2 different Holiday policies for different working groups. Some of our team gets a floating holiday, but we can't set that up without doing it for the entire company.
  • Being able to intercept a form that was signed by an employee but not the 2nd signer. We can't access onboarding forms that new hires signed after the 2nd signer left the company. Now we have to have our team resign all their onboarding forms because we cannot access the one with their signature.
  • Delegation for approvals - being able to delegate this when someone is on leave or time away so that Admins don't have to manage.
  • Org chart - being able to customize this feature
  • More broad or customizable EEO categories
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symplr
  • To allow our team members choice, we offer training as either/or. The current system does not record either/or completions
  • To end enrollment of new hires for training at a set date, requires also ending the training of all those not yet completed.
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Likelihood to Renew
BambooHR
Overall we have not had any reason to discontinue our use of BambooHR. We have not found a better solution, and there is no pressing reason that we would want to move away from the product. If they should fail to continue to improve their features over time, I could see this changing down the road, but for now I would say we are very satisfied with them. We would definitely like to see continued growth of their product however.
Read full review
symplr
Looking back we can say that every year we used Performance Manager and other products too like HeathcareSource's Compensation and Position Manager we saw the ease of use for employees and HR staff members increase, we saw employees getting more comfortable with the product and HR Staff getting better at expressing their needs to the HealthcareSource team and this made us want to stay with the same company, when things are getting better each year we know we are in the right place.
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Usability
BambooHR
Is very easy to navigate. All processes once explained, you can actually create an implement process associated to your HR goals. It is like a digital file of your employees, with functionalities that let you be on track on onboarding, performance, information, among others process. Time off approvals are easy to navigate.
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symplr
The product is very intuitive to the end users and our online documentation seems sufficient to train our new employees.
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Reliability and Availability
BambooHR
Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Performance
BambooHR
I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
BambooHR
I have used the help chat function several times and that is easy and great to use. There are also many articles, FAQs sections and an entire learning platform to learn on your own. I believe that is great. I also have used ChatGPT to ask how to do certain functions as well, which were accurately reported.
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symplr
On the previous rating scale, I kept thinking "it depends". If I know it's an easy question or easy fix, the response is super fast. If I know I am asking something complex, custom or I just know it's not going to be able to be answered by 1st tier, it can take some time. I have worked on these issues with them (they are all very nice) I do now have avenues for finding things out from one person. We had one issue where we had a major problem and it required a software patch and their support team worked throughout the weekend to create, QA, and deliver the patch as promised. I was very impressed
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In-Person Training
BambooHR
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Online Training
BambooHR
As far as I can recall, everything went well with doing it online and got questions answered. Was thankful to work with a dummy file to get used to some practices prior to getting our own domain within bamboo to then place our personnel information in the system, this helped a lot!
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
BambooHR
It was some work involved in moving all of our documents from a drive over to the correct folders and creating the system of what folders were needed and what got placed where
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
Although there are many products in the marketplace, there is no perfect system. BambooHR is the most economical HRIS for a small business, start-up, or business that has never had HR software. BambooHR was selected for its affordable functionality. However, if they continue to ingore the lack of functionality the pretty package will no longer have any value.
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symplr
Both Health Stream and Healthcare Source have to-do lists, completion lists, and tracking. However, the functionality of Healthcare Source is far superior to HealthStream. The notifications are much better and helpful. The tracking on Healthcare Source is easy to use and see. Overall the interface in Healthcare Source is more intuitive.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
BambooHR
Since my organization has dropped with employees, I always find ways to reduce costs. I thought there would be a cheaper option, but I was glad that my package included a lot for the price, and downgrading would cost more. The rep could have let me downgraded and taken me to a higher package. I am thankful that didn't happen.
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Scalability
BambooHR
There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
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symplr
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • It's been a great force multiplier for our HR staff, supplementing their skills to allow them to focus on more complex tasks.
  • Employees enjoy using it and have to talk to HR staff less with the self-service options.
  • You may find as your organization grows that you outgrow a module or BambooHR and will replace with a dedicated solution.
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symplr
  • NetLearning has increased our nursing CEU credits with the most efficiency. Now nurses can take courses on NetLearning and have it track their hours.
  • On a compliance standpoint, NetLearning has benefited us when we are being audited and we have to show what trainings or classes an employee has made. Also, to make sure that their certifications are up to date.
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ScreenShots

BambooHR Screenshots

Screenshot of BambooHR's Reporting