HR technology solutions are becoming increasingly important in the business world, now more than ever. Companies that were once reliant on manual processes and employees to handle hiring, training, onboarding, payroll processing, and administrative tasks are now turning to software systems and cloud-based platforms.
More and more organizations are waking up to the fact that advanced technology can play a crucial role in streamlining their human resource processes, thereby providing a competitive edge over peers who have not yet adopted these solutions.
Pertaining to this growing trend, this edition, the Top 10 HR Tech Solution Providers, 2021, brings the spotlight on companies that strive to innovate such systems and platforms, leading to a consequential transformation of the HR industry altogether.
One prominent name among such companies is ConnX Pty. Ltd., which is on a mission to continually empower HR teams to create a great place to work, enable managers to lead with clarity, and encourage staff through improved employee experience.
With its headquarters in Milton, Qld, ConnX has helped hundreds of businesses streamline their HR workflow into a single solution for nearly two decades.
“Our vision is to have one single integrated platform, just one login, for all managers and all employees to be able to access their people operations through that one platform. This reduces the HR administrative burden, so HR teams have the time to think and act more strategically,” says Zane Knight, the Director.
A Legacy of Excellence
ConnX is a family business run by brothers Zane and Brent Knight, with approximately 60 employees. The team has created a family culture where staff can develop, provide feedback, be heard, and join in weekly events (and more importantly, laugh and have fun!). For the past 18 years, Zane and Brent have surrounded themselves with HR and payroll professionals – experts in their fields with decades of experience.
As software developers, the team is continually listening to client feedback and enhancing the ConnX solution. All software upgrades are provided free to clients, and clients can join monthly free webinars about topical changes and software upgrades.
ConnX is also selective about partnering with leading complementary solutions. “Our reputation is not only on our own software solution, but also extends to our partners. So, we are careful to ensure partner solutions are of the highest standard,” says the team.
Setting Benchmarks
ConnX’s modular approach allows clients to prioritize their solution to focus on what matters most with the end goal of managing every element of the employee lifecycle, from hire to retire.
The ConnX solution includes core HR, self-service, positions, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, learning and development, workplace health and safety, leave approvals and record keeping, and timesheets. Driving these processes is the very flexible and powerful workflow engine that automates many manual daily tasks.
“Our philosophy is to empower HR teams with the education to manage their own solution. This means when changes occur, they can re-configure the solution to suit the current processes and practices without incurring additional fees from us. We call them our ConnXperts!” adds Zane.
Overcoming Adversities
Talking about the challenges imposed by the pandemic on the company and how the team strove to sustain operations, Zane says, “COVID reminded us that ‘The Only Constant in Life Is Change’ and that we are extremely resilient. Whether that is home-schooling, working-from-home, missing loved ones, missing milestone events, or any other thing, we do what needs to be done.”
“At ConnX, we continued to help all clients navigate their way through that change. We enhanced our free monthly education sessions open to all clients; we transitioned (like everyone else) from face-to-face to fully online implementation and training. Our preference is still one on one, face-to-face training (which our clients don’t pay more for).”
“As a business, we kept all staff on, we ensured when clients needed us, we were there for them! We choose to put people over profit,” Zane expressed.
Opinions that Matter
We asked Zane for his opinion about the impact made by the adoption of modern technologies such as AI and machine learning on the HR Tech space and what more could be expected in the future, to which he said, “If we are honest, the current ‘trend’ has always been there. This is really just the next evolution of removing administrative burden and having the software do more of the background work for you. Process automation is around us everywhere we look, and this will continue as software vendors incorporate more into their solutions.”
“It’s great to see many vendors adding innovative features into their solutions. Everyone wins from this work as clients benefit from the automation, and the industry strives to achieve bigger and better goals.”
“At the end of the day, a person will always be needed to make and action the final decision. Well, let’s hope so anyway, or we may all be in trouble!” Zane added.
As excerpts from his professional journey, Zane shared valuable advice to the budding entrepreneurs venturing into the HR Tech space, saying, “Have a documented plan, share your plan regularly. Research as much as you can; just because someone else has it doesn’t mean you can’t. Clients willingly pay for quality and service, don’t compete on price. Choose to go niche or to go large – don’t go middle road. If you go niche, go very niche, and expand from there. We never fail, we either win, or we learn! And finally, celebrate every success.”
Voyaging towards New Horizons
Sharing his vision for scaling ConnX’s operations and offerings in 2021, Zane says, “There is a lot that continues to happen in the HR world. We have two new modules launching this year for clients to get on board with. Both modules continue with the vision of single solution operations. We plan on four software upgrades this year – this is one more than usual. We continue to evaluate and partner with new businesses too.”
URL: https://connx.com.au/
Zane Knight, the Director, ConnX
