HRdirect Smart Apps vs. Zoho People

UPDATE 3/20/2020: I initially gave HRDirect a "0" recommendation due to all the issues we had with the PTO Module. However, since purchasing the Harassment Training Module ($90), this product is the best value for the money and puts us in compliance with mandated requirements. It is easy to use and well-presented. At this point in time, with the issues and frustration level of all our employees, managers, and payroll department, it would be difficult for me to recommend this app as suitable in any scenario. However, should HRdirect fix the issues and get the app to perform as it was originally designed, it would be a great product for a small to medium company that has limited resources yet wants a good product for the money. In our experience, the new hire portal did not appear to be functioning properly; our new hires were not able to access the blank documents. They could see them but not open them (PDFs).

Incentivized

Zoho People is well suitable in both Remote & work location setups, It will reduce the time for senior management to track their attendance and other activities. It helps a lot in getting the info of their colleagues. Able to request for leave and get approval at the same place and the interesting thing is no need to note it down as it will automatically fall to the respective employee's attendance tracker. It is well useful in remote settings. This is the problem we faced and Zoho People is the solution for us.

• Initially, you were able to see all activity and drill down for details.
• It was easy-access for all our employees in the 7 states we operate in.
• It provided tracking for the managers.
• Payroll had access to all PTO requests.

Incentivized

• Zoho People is an exceptional software to improve the effectiveness of your team's communication.
• Easy check-in for my team, Seamless Trackers for Leave, Time, Attendance, Performance.
• Compensation and many others.

Incentivized

• HRdirect performed an upgrade in 2019 and that's where things went awry.
• You could no longer drill down through the calendar to see the details - i.e. Doctor's appointment, illness, childcare issues, vacation, etc.
• Previous year PTO requests were not archived and you now had to scroll through hundreds of PTO requests to see the most current.
• Previous PTO requests were listed oldest to most current, resulting in much frustration trying to locate specific ones.
• The print option was not longer functional.
• The online help request form was no longer accessible.

Incentivized

• Customer Support- Occasionally support response to questions can take a bit to get to the root issue, which can be frustrating from the technical side of running the system. However, the 24/7 availability is great.
• Onboarding Features- Could use some improvements. Not as expansive as other Zoho People features.

Incentivized

As previously described, there are too many unresolved issues.

Incentivized

Due to the fact that we were patient for more than 6 months with no resolution in sight, we decided to end our relationship with HRdirect for PTO tracking. 3/20/2020: We have purchased the Harassment Training Module. Excellent product with great value for the money.

Incentivized

We only use Zoho People because it is part of our Zoho One suite. We originally used Zenefits, which was great for hiring/onboarding, and we currently use Employee Navigator to manage benefits and PTO, which is much easier to use than Zoho People. As of now, Zoho People is very buggy when it comes to managing PTO and there is currently no real benefits management or onboarding process that's easy to use.

Incentivized

• Initially, HRdirect was proving to be an excellent tool, and we were getting a quick turnaround on small issues. However, the upgrade messed things up on our accessibility, with no resolution in sight.
• Harassment training module is excellent.

Incentivized

• For us, the time/attendance tracking function of Zoho People has done a lot to increase accountability for scheduling and attendance. Since we are a volunteer staff, scheduling can be difficult, and this has made it so much easier to quantify and track everyone's weekly time commitments.

Incentivized