Item: Cornerstone OnDemand
Rating: 1
Author: Tim Whitley

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have implemented Learning, Performance, and Compensation in all of our Domestic locations. We have not yet implemented internationally due to language pack issues. The LMS contains all of our "soft skills" training along with compliance related training and certifications. We use the system to track due dates for almost all of our recurrent training.

In the Performance module, we currently use goals and performance reviews. Both of these processes were done on paper before we switched to Cornerstone.

Pros and Cons

From a user perspective, it is mostly user friendly.
Our current Client Success Manager (which is our second) is very helpful and knowledgeable.
They provide lots of training opportunities through their Client Support website.

Their Certification Module is underdeveloped and hard to use. The user interface is different from the rest of the LMS and it is hard to report out of without external modifications.
Technical support is very inconsistent. We had some special requirements which required technical support and they literally took months to complete and were very expensive. Most of their support is overseas.
They use third party vendors for most of their implementation and support. This causes a lot of issues because they are often not knowledgeable of the product. They also seem to be overbooked and also pressure you to end implementation as soon as possible even if you are not ready to go live. We were told they are incentivized by Cornerstone to get customers through the implementation process as quickly as possible.
The overall reporting functionality is lacking. We actually had to purchase access to the data warehouse so we could create our own custom reports and dashboards outside of Cornerstone.
Their Support Center is difficult to work with. Response time is slow, especially compared to other vendors we use. They also have given us incorrect or incomplete information at times.

Return on Investment

The system has helped to streamline our training considerably as we were using a very archaic system before.
We have had a lot more requests from the business to create new training because it is so easy.
While the initial cost of Cornerstone was a lot lower than more feature heavy competitors like Success Factors, the amount of money and time we have had to spend to implement far exceeded what we would have paid if we would have paid more up front for a better vendor.

Alternatives Considered

IBM Kenexa BrassRing

We use BrassRing as our ATS and are currently considering implementation of their Onboarding module. The level of service provided by IBM is far superior to what we have seen at Cornerstone. For example, a BrassRing team recently came and spent almost an entire day looking at our processes and made recommendations based on features available to us on how we could improve our processes at no charge. Their support team is highly responsive and engaged. If I could go back, I would choose BrassRing over Cornerstone.

Other Software Used

Kenexa, Tableau Desktop

Likelihood to Recommend

I think if your company has pretty basic requirements this could be a great product. We are in a highly regulated industry so training compliance is very big for us. Their compliance module just does not cut it. Also, with a younger, more technically savvy workforce, you would probably find a lot of success. It seems like they put a lot of development into their mobile and connection modules. Our workforce is older and many struggle with computers and technology.

Usability

From a user perspective, it is good. From an administrator perspective, it is terrible

Users and Roles

2000 - All employees use Cornerstone

Support Headcount Required

10 - We have a variety of people who support Cornerstone:
HRIS - Configuring, reporting, updates/patches, troubleshooting
Training and Development - Creating and updating content, troubleshooting, developing new features and uses

Business Processes Supported

Conducting compliance related trainings
Completing annual performance reviews
Conducting career development training

Future Planned Uses

Development plans for employees
Curated training tracks for career development
Linking performance with training

Likelihood to Renew

We have had a lot of issues with Cornerstone and are unhappy with their technical support. However, our employees and management enjoy the system and it has become embedded in our operations. At this point, changing to a new system would not create enough value to be worth the cost and time

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Technical support not required Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using	Do not like to use Unnecessarily complex Not well integrated Inconsistent Lots to learn

Easy Tasks

The user's ability to view their training record
The user's ability to see their completed training
Finding available training

Difficult Tasks

Most administrative functions
The Certification Module user interface is terrible
Reporting is lacking

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes, but I don't use it

Support Rating

Response times are ridiculously long. I've had ticket sit for 60 days without even an initial response. Often high priority tickets require escalation to get any traction on. I typically don't even open tickets any more unless there is an obvious issue because it takes so long to get a response.

Cornerstone OnDemand Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Kept well informed	Slow Resolution Poor followup Less knowledgeable Problems left unsolved Escalation required Difficult to get immediate help Need to explain problems multiple times Slow Initial Response

Let the buyer beware!

Overall Satisfaction with Cornerstone OnDemand