HRTech interview with Kumar Siddhartha on importance of HRMS

Kumar Siddhartha talks about the importance of HRMS, employee engagement and chatbots.

1. What is the motive of Pocket HRMS?
Pocket HRMS is laser-focused on one thing – being a consistent trustworthy partner to HR in their constant endeavor to help their employees. We have been instrumental in revolutionizing the HR industry in India by introducing multiple one of the firsts such as AI chatbot, smHRt searcHR, a highly secure cloud-based platform, subscription-based HRMS model, etc. Even after almost 20 years, we are still conquering new frontiers by being one of the first to integrate vaccination modules into the HRMS platform.
When we launched Pocket HRMS, we developed a desktop application, as that was the most feasible solution for the time. However, with the advancement of internet technology, we understood that a cloud-based platform is a perfect way to complement HR in automating the common HR practices. Hence, we deployed our software on the world-renowned Microsoft Azure platform and there has been no looking back. Things have been sailing so smoothly that we have been able to push ourselves further and come up with modern innovations in every aspect of HR such as attendance and leaves, payroll, recruitment, etc.

2. Can you tell us about Cloud HRMS Platform?

Pocket HRMS is not only an excellent cloud-based platform but also an integral part of the HR experience.

It is a comprehensive HR tool that encompasses all the different modules required by HR of any organization from startups to MNCs, namely payroll management, biometric attendance management system, online leave management system, online recruitment, expense management, Employee self-service portal, performance management system, HR chatbot, etc.
We have also received excellent feedback from our partners since we switched to the cloud platform. With Microsoft Azure providing an exceptional reliable backend, Pocket HRMS has been able to fully utilize the power of artificial intelligence to provide world-class cloud services to our clientele. Switching to a cloud-based model has several advantages over the traditional infrastructure such as being accessible from anywhere, anytime using any device with an internet browser. This has proved especially beneficial since the onset of the pandemic as our clientele were able to seamlessly adapt to the work-from-home routine due to the adaptability and accessibility of the cloud infrastructure.
Furthermore, our users need not worry about the maintenance and updating of the software too. An integrated payroll and attendance management system not only helps in accurate time-tracking and automated salary calculation and disbursal but also helps in taking care of the statutory regulations by keeping up with any new updates in the statutory requirements. Similarly, having a comprehensive HR solution also eliminates the need for cross verification and data validation, thus saving the HR’s valuable time which can be allocated for improving the employee experience and engagement.

3. Can you highlight the importance of HRMS software in organizations?
Before the days of HR digitization, the daily tasks were done using manual paperwork, which resulted in bureaucracy-related waiting time as well as manual errors. Even at the start of HR digitization, the companies started using spreadsheets and that meant even more time required in training the staff, while still being error-prone and inefficient. However, all of this changed with the advent of HRMS software. It is implemented in organizations to improve the efficiency of the HR department as it helps in streamlining multiple departments such as recruitment, attendance management, payroll process, etc.
Having comprehensive human resources management software also helps the HR department automate most of the mundane tasks. This provides HR more time to plan the future policies and employee engagement activities, which helps to retain them as well as increasing their loyalty and trust. It is a proven fact that HRs spend 40% of their daily working hours attending to their employees’ queries and having an AI-powered chatbot immediately helps in eradicating this loss of productive time. Similarly, having a cloud based HRMS software also helps in keeping the payroll statutory compliant as the new updates will be implemented by the software vendor themselves.
Modern HRMS solutions like Pocket HRMS utilizes the power of AI and predictive algorithms to predict future trends and help the company in efficiently managing its most valuable resource – the employees.
This helps in managing the employees effectively by helping in understanding the attrition reasons and taking precautionary measures. Moreover, with the advent of wearable technology, AI-powered chatbots like smHRty will take center stage and be an integral part of the HR experience in the future and Pocket HRMS is already at the forefront by deploying this bleeding-edge technology to keep HR teams equipped with nothing but the best.

4. What are the technological changes expected on this platform?
Adapting to the cloud-based architecture is very easy. You simply need to train your employees on the usage of the new software, and you are good to go. However, the most important aspect from the end user’s perspective is the user experience. So, we developed our entire user interface to be as intuitive as possible. Furthermore, Pocket HRMS also conducts training sessions as well as updates your staff on any new improvements. This has been a cornerstone of our customer-centric approach since we understand that helping you run the software is an integral part of the deployment process. We also have dedicated online guides with step-by-step information on the HRMS software usage to help your HR cross any hurdles that they might encounter. We are also planning on developing a more interactive user guide to further the user experience.
We are also able to provide military-grade security for all our customers since our cloud services are being powered by the well-renowned dependable Microsoft Azure platform. We are constantly improving our database and updating it to be more efficient and provide world-class services for the benefit of our esteemed clientele. Our AI chatbot smHRty is getting more advanced daily with the usage data being fed into the system, thus making it a truly marvelous creation that gets polished with every usage! As mentioned earlier, we are also looking into developing the app for smart wearables such as smartwatches to make the app as well as the chatbot truly accessible anywhere, anytime. This kind of interactive experience will also help in improving employee engagement which goes a long way in retaining them.

5. How important is employee engagement on online platforms?
It is a well-known fact that a highly engaged workforce results in 21% higher profitability for the company. They complete their tasks on time and are more productive overall. Hence, employee engagement is one of the cornerstones of any online HRMS software. When we refer to employee engagement, it is defined not only by the online experience but also by the user experience one has with our application.
Pocket HRMS team has given a lot of thought to developing the software to be highly intuitive and engaging for the end-user. Our AI chatbot smHRty is omnipresent throughout the app to help and guide you in case you require any immediate assistance. It is constantly learning from your interactions to help remain relevant for your specific needs and hence, it becomes an integral part of your HRMS experience. Similarly, with the help of face recognition, you can register your daily attendance right from your smartphone, which has become an essential part of the work-from-home system. Along with these features, Pocket HRMS also brings birthday reminders, interactive reports, and other features such as a well-thought-out UI to the table, which helps engage the user to ensure that they are rewarded with a warm experience every time they use it.
We have also integrated our application with the most used office software to help HR seamlessly transfer the data between the applications so that they are always up to date with their workflow. These kinds of integrations also help in making their tasks more efficient, which is a win-win for the company and the employees. Moreover, with the availability of a 24/7 online dedicated ESS portal, an employee can access it anytime from anywhere for any information related to their employment. Similarly, HRs will also be able to access it from anywhere using any device to help their employees anytime. We believe that it is this enduring passion for helping employee engagement that has helped us in securing the coveted ‘Best HRMS Software’ award in the World HRD Congress mega-event held in February of 2021.

6. Can chatbots help employees to answer queries?
Yes, and that is simply the tip of the iceberg! If used effectively, chatbots can be the most important aspect of any HRMS solution. They can serve as a knowledge repository that can be accessed by the user whenever they require! Since the chatbot resides within the app, it is available 24/7. Right from providing you with the navigation path to helping you download your pay slip, the chatbot can perform all the activities that you require from the software. You can simply ask the chatbot your query in normal language and using the power of NLP, it will be able to parse it, comprehend your query and perform the relevant task. As most of these activities are action-oriented, the chatbot ultimately helps HR in focusing on more important tasks at hand.
Our AI chatbot smHRty has been an integral part of the Pocket HRMS experience since its launch. We have received very positive feedback for it and hence, we have been in the pursuit of constantly polishing it to be relevant for any kind of HR task you can throw at it. Moreover, with the use of NLP, you can speak to it directly as is common nowadays with smart speakers being a part of our daily lives. You can think of smHRty like your personal HR in your ‘Pocket’! Such kind of interactive experience not only helps in relieving the HR of their routine query answer sessions with the employees but also helps in making every interaction with Pocket HRMS an experience in itself.

7. Is the Pocket HRMS customized according to the client’s needs?
We are immensely proud of the fact that Pocket HRMS has a feature set that encompasses virtually every client requirement. However, we have intentionally kept it highly flexible and customizable since we understand that no two companies have the same structure, and you will require something adaptable to your specific requirements. For example, we recently provided Payroll Gurukul with a highly customized version of Pocket HRMS since their primary requirement was to have software that calculates statutory compliances automatically and has a good ESS portal and mobile app. In this case, we scaled back Pocket HRMS to suit their needs and budget, which helped strike a chord with their team.
Since we are genuinely concerned about your HR department and maximizing its potential, we always strive to scale our application as per your needs, even in cases where we may be required to scale it down to suit your needs. This open arms approach has helped us maintain long-term relationships with all of our clientele and even opened new doors for us. Moreover, due to the flexibility offered by Pocket HRMS, we have been able to deploy our cloud HRMS for a wide range of verticals from healthcare to real estate to retail to manufacturing plants. This kind of extensive domain knowledge has helped us carve an award-winning solution.

8. Are there expansion plans through collaboration?
Yes. We are perfecting our HRMS solution for HR and in that pursuit, we are open to any collaborations with others who share the same mindset. In fact, we have already partnered with Skreen Kiosk to provide the country’s first wellness-centric attendance kiosk. We are positive that this will usher in a new era of attendance management with innovative features such as face recognition even with face masks, thermal scanning and high-temperature alarm, contact-less attendance via QR code and RFID scanning, real-time oxygen level checker, etc. This kind of innovative system will revolutionize the way attendance is captured forever and we know that our users will highly appreciate having such a system in the post-pandemic world.
We are open to similar collaboration opportunities in the future too These collaborations help us to further explore the possibilities of helping HR in making the company more efficient and robust. These kinds of alliances also help us in gaining a fresh perspective on the HR issues and with the help of our partner, we strive to provide better solutions for the common benefit of HR. We are even open for the partnership for individual modules such as payroll process, biometric attendance machine, timesheet management system, training, attendance, leave management system, recruitment, employee time tracking, ESS portal, MIS report in HR, performance management system, etc. These collaborations will result in further innovations in the HR realm which is something that we are eagerly looking forward to.

9. Is Pocket HRMS planning to introduce third-party integrations?
Yes, being a highly adaptable software, we have already integrated with world class products such as Tally, Sage X3, Sage 300, ClearTax and SAP Hana to name a few. We are also in the process of introducing many more integrations in the coming months across various categories such as payroll management, employee time tracking, attendance system, etc. to enable the HR teams with a powerful toolset at their disposal. We aim to make these integrations so seamless that HR spends less time tinkering with the settings and more time being productive.
Integration with other software also helps the HR in carrying on their daily tasks without juggling between multiple apps. This helps improve their productivity, while also improving the user experience. We also have a well-defined plan of integrating other most-used applications with Pocket HRMS; however, we will not be able to share further details regarding the same at this stage of the process. Furthermore, we are actively looking for integrations with partners who might have interesting modules which would enhance our HRMS software.

10. What is your advice for organizations to invest in the right software?
From our experience, we have seen organizations investing in a solution that has all the bells and whistles, while forgetting to check whether said features are required by the company. Hence, before researching for the perfect solution, one should have a list of specific requirements from the software. For example, you might require the payroll management system and attendance software, while skipping the other modules.
Similarly, it is also beneficial to check whether any software that catches your attention has a trial version that will help you understand its usability and avoid any unpleasant surprises later. Along with this, it is also ideal to have a cloud based HRMS solution employing modern technologies such as AI and chatbots to ensure that it is highly engaging for the end-user while also being able to automate mundane HR tasks.
Meanwhile, for the SMBs out there, we strongly suggest that you go for an all-encompassing HR management system like Pocket HRMS as it will help you in streamlining every HR process. Moreover, being a cohesive HRMS, you will be able to utilize the full potential of the various modules such as payroll management, online attendance system, HR chatbot, employee training, leave management, recruitment, employee self-service portal, MIS reports, full and final settlement, etc. Above these benefits, the fact that it is a cloud-based system ensures that all your data remains secure while the software is being updated and maintained regularly to ensure that there are no hiccups in the daily working of the HR department.

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