**By Scott Lenox, National Sales Representative at OCI**
This week, we’re tackling Part II of the blog series ***Leave Management Software, No Really, Where Do I Start?!***
Fully understanding the benefits your software vendor can provide, not only to your department, but other departments, and to the overall organization, will assist you in your internal discussions. Often times, purchasing a Leave Management software system will include different departments and decision makers.
Two departments that are typically included during the decision-making process are IT and Finance. Gaining Influencers around your idea and overall need can help you during these discussions. Ensure you fully understand the benefits your vendor has to provide before approaching different departments with your new goal. Communicating the benefits and advantages can ease the concern of setting up a new system. For example, an IT department may be extremely busy with existing projects. Luckily, many Leave Management software systems are in a SaaS (Software as a Solution) model, and Internet based. This model means the vendor is hosting the software, and you are accessing the software using a username and password via the internet, just as you would with your own bank account. Very minimal IT attention is needed with a model such as this, because all of the loading, upgrading, and ongoing maintenance is being handled by your vendor, not your IT department.
Another important factor to assess is establishing a budget. Don’t panic. You may have to go through a Procurement department, and/or design a business plan. During this process, more than likely, the final approval will have to come from Finance. Be ready to show tangible numbers based around ROI, cost savings, time savings, lowered RTW days, increased productivity levels, and employee retention. Try to tie these different beneficial areas into real dollars saved for the organization. Yes, that means pulling out the trusty ole calculator and figuring out average wages and applying those dollars to what additional lost days/hours around unmanaged leaves are costing the organization. Don’t forget to use your resources during building a business plan. There are templates of business plans out on the internet, and your vendor should be able to provide you with white papers around ROI studies they have conducted, and other published figures that can contribute to your findings.
Enjoy the fact that you are taking on a project that will truly benefit your department, the employees, and the organization. Better management of your leave data coincided with better reporting will give you the business intelligence needed to make better informed decisions around your leave management processes for years to come. I applaud you for taking the first step in learning more!
*Scott Lenox has been selling in the HR and Technology industries for over 11 years. Scott grew up in rural Illinois about 100 miles west of Chicago. He now resides in the Chicagoland area with his wife and three year old daughter, Stella.*
Leave Management Software, No Really, Where Do I Start?! - Part II
