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Pros and Cons of ADP Workforce Now
Updated February 25, 2021

Pros and Cons of ADP Workforce Now

Stephanie Bidle | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 3 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with ADP Workforce Now

We currently use ADP Workforce Now for payroll (not Time & Attendance), performance appraisals, recruiting, onboarding, benefits, employee data, company policies, and other various ADP capabilities. We currently use ADP Workforce Now across the whole organization for our employees. It helps us effectively track our employee data, enroll in benefits, and pay employees.
  • ADP Workforce Now, on the payroll processing side, is relatively easy to use. Adding paydata batches and making payroll changes is very user friendly.
  • The layout of employee data is easy to view (the employee profile, pay profile, talent profile, etc.)
  • I do not particularly like the Performance Appraisal dashboard. I find it difficult to find employees. Wish it was easier to determine if supervisors haven't completed reviews. Several reviews do not get distributed and they have to manually input them. Overall, I find it difficult to use.
  • The free onboarding is not easy to use. You have to re-do the entire process if you make any changes.
  • ADP Workforce Now has been helpful in effectively processing payroll to employees.
  • Recruiting dashboard is not customizable, making it more difficult to recruit.
ADP Workforce Now does certain things well, but it is not very customizable. The employee profile and other fields can not be customized to tailor to the organization's needs. If what you want is part of the profile, it works really well. However, if you want to customize, typically it is not an option or is very costly.
  • Time & Attendance
We use a separate Time & Attendance model, which integrates well with ADP Workforce Now. So far, it has effectively met all of our needs.
Have very limited experience with SAP to give an accurate representation of the product.

Do you think ADP Workforce Now delivers good value for the price?

No

Are you happy with ADP Workforce Now's feature set?

No

Did ADP Workforce Now live up to sales and marketing promises?

No

Did implementation of ADP Workforce Now go as expected?

No

Would you buy ADP Workforce Now again?

No

Overall, ADP has been a disappointment. The customer service is pretty bad - we have had 6 new payroll account managers within the last two years. The platform for payroll is pretty user friendly, but there is not a lot of room for customization. We will likely leave ADP.
ADP Workforce Now does well with their payroll processing system. I find it very easy to process and paydata batches are simple and easy to use. The Payroll Account Manager is a nice idea, and is great when they know the answers, but very difficult when it is outside of their knowledge base. ADP Workforce Now is good for payroll and benefits, but using it for performance appraisals, recruiting, and onboarding is difficult. Our rep recently told us about other HRIS systems that integrate well with ADP, which I think is a great solution.

ADP Workforce Now Feature Ratings

7.1
Employee demographic data
9
Employment history
8
Job profiles and administration
9
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
8
Organizational charting
4
Organization and location management
6
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
6
7.5
Pay calculation
8
Support for external payroll vendors
5
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
Not Rated
Benefit plan administration
8
Direct deposit files
8
Salary revision and increment management
8
Reimbursement management
8
Not Rated
Approval workflow
Not Rated
Balance details
Not Rated
Annual carry-forward and encashment
Not Rated
7.3
View and generate pay and benefit information
8
Update personal information
8
View company policy documentation
6
Employee recognition
Not Rated
Asset Management ()
Not Rated
6.0
Report builder
6
Pre-built reports
7
Ability to combine HR data with external data
5
Integration with other HR capabilities ()
Not Rated
2.5
Performance plans
4
Performance improvement plans
3
Review status tracking
1
Review reminders
2
Multiple review frequency
Not Rated
Succession Planning ()
Not Rated
Onboarding ()
Not Rated
Not Rated
Corporate goal setting
Not Rated
Individual goal setting
Not Rated
Line-of sight-visibility
Not Rated
Performance tracking
Not Rated
3.8
Job Requisition Management
5
Company Website Posting
4
Publish to Social Media
4
Job Search Site Posting
3
Applicant Tracking
4
Notifications and Alerts
3

COVID-19 Response

They were really slow in getting the correct codes for FFCRA leave up and running and having the codes set-up correctly.
We worked at full capability and did not need any assistance regarding the PPP loans, etc.
The webinars were helpful in providing some insight on the new laws being passed.

Using ADP Workforce Now

6 - HR, Finance, Operations Director
3 - - Reporting
- Payroll
  • Payroll
  • Reporting
  • Employee Information
  • Benefits
  • Reporting
  • Benefits Dashboard
  • Performance Dashboard
The only reason we haven't yet switched from ADP is because it is a huge lift, a big change for practitioners with the learning curve, and implementing a new system to employees. We will likely change to a new system within the next year.

Evaluating ADP Workforce Now and Competitors

Yes - Paylocity, looking for more customizable payroll and growth.
  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
The main was the product usability - for both practitioners and also for employees. Wanted it to be easy for employees to access and use.
Put a larger focus on the ability to customize and optimize the system.

ADP Workforce Now Implementation

Put time into the implementation, do not rush. Get insight from multiple departments and think about everything that needs to be set up correctly.
  • Implemented in-house
Change management was a minor issue with the implementation - I think more time should have went into the ADP implementation. There are items that come up now that were not thought of before, creating unnecessary problems.
  • Knowledge to set-up correctly

ADP Workforce Now Training

  • Online training
  • in-person training
The training was sufficient in giving the tools needed to use the system. It went over the basic items needed to be able to use the system properly. Additional tools would have made it better. Training is available online, which is a helpful feature and can be used as needed.
Yes - the system is pretty self-explanatory. I found that just playing around in the system was even more helpful than watching the training. Overall, the system is pretty easy to use and learn. In terms of ease of use, I would rate it pretty high compared to other items.
In-person training was pretty good - I think this significantly depends on the trainer. Our trainer was really good and showed what ADP can do - but I know that all trainers are not the same - and this truly makes such as difference. Overall, our training went pretty well.

Configuring ADP Workforce Now

There is basically no customization, if available it is extremely expensive. Some items not even available for extra charge.
Make sure to set up correctly, really try to get a good rep if possible, it will make all the difference.
No - there is no facility to customize the interface
No - the product does not support adding custom code
If you have customizations needed from the basic model, do not choose ADP.

ADP Workforce Now Support

ProsCons
None
Slow Resolution
Poor followup
Less knowledgeable
Escalation required
Difficult to get immediate help
Need to explain problems multiple times
Support doesn't seem to care
Slow Initial Response
No, but it may have been a good idea. The customer service received is sub-par. Would have thought that the regular customer service would meet our needs based on the price of the system.
We had a wonderful rep (there seem to be very few) who demonstrated the Onboarding portal with ADP. They showed us the benefits of the program, how to implement, and tips to optimize. It was one of our best experiences with ADP. We often reach out to this rep to get assistance in other areas and who we should talk to, even though it is not in their job responsibilities, and they are very helpful.

Using ADP Workforce Now

ADP is pretty easy to use from the admin and user function. The main issue is lack of customization.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • Payroll Function
  • Reporting
  • Benefits Dashboard
  • Performance Dashboard
  • Recruiting Module
Yes, but I don't use it

ADP Workforce Now Reliability

Pretty good - very rare for application errors and unplanned outages. Has not been a problem thus far.
Overall, I think the functionality of the program works pretty well. Sometimes, certain browsers do not work well for the policy function of ADP, but that is the only issue thus far.

Integrating ADP Workforce Now

The integration of retirement was relatively easy. Our payroll account manager had to do the set-up (if you get a good rep, that would make this easy). They had limited integration and could only do a 180 integration based on our retirement provider, not 360, which is what we are looking for.
  • Performance Dashboard
  • Retirement
Performance Dashboard - yes, can be expensive
Retirement - Sort of, limited functionality
  • File import/export
Not that I can think of.
Be sure to check out other options before doing an ADP integration. Often, these can be expensive and more costly than maybe having a stand alone service. There are also limited options for integration, so be sure you know what you are getting before you start - this will help the integration be more successful.

Relationship with ADP

Vendor was great at selling us the product! It definitely worked to get us to buy the product. More of the after the fact is the problem.
After purchase, customer service decreases significantly.
Bundle deals for different functionalities
Make sure to know what you need, do your research, evaluate other vendors. Understand your needs and price point to make sure you get what you want and not what they want to sell you.

Upgrading ADP Workforce Now