What's new in HR Technology?

The market is constantly inundated with new products. Often these products are based on different application of existing technologies, and occasionally some new technologies. The group below represents a large number of the former, and a few of the latter. The authors have relied on information provided by the vendors, and mention here does not imply any endorsement or recommendation, nor is it intended to cover all of the news releases and/or new or revised product offerings since the last column on this subject.

ASSESSMENT
RealTime Performance launches 360-degree e-Assessment service. Totally online and customizable, this service addresses leadership skills and employee satisfaction.

This service replaces paper-and-pencil survey methods, reduces total assessment costs, and eliminates the need for software installation and maintenance. It also tracks historical trends and links directly to e-Learning courses. Surveys are customizable to meet organizations’ needs.

Contact: 1-877-343-2284, www.realtimeperformance.com
Presenting Solutions Inc. develops easy-to-use software to create computer and Web-based tests. Authoring system offers nonprogrammers in an easy-to-use tool for developing workplace and educational assessments.
Contact: 1-800-547-7554, www.prevaluate.com.

HR Matrix Consultants announces FeedbackMatrix.com, a premium Web-based 360-degree performance management system including: goal setting, performance ratings, behavioural feedback and career planning. FeedbackMatrix.com focuses on productivity, competency and work-value measures customized to organizations.

The system provides extensive reporting and analysis capabilities, and comprehensive e-tutorial training.

Contact: Karen Clark at (250) 653-9951, www.feedbackmatrix.com.

SURVEY SYSTEMS
Catapult Systems Corp. unveils Inquisite 3.0 an electronic and Web-based survey system. Enhanced features assist companies to gather strategic intelligence necessary to make effective business decisions. Inquisite 3.0 enables asking questions via the Internet, intranet, network, e-mail, diskette or scannable paper form.

Inquisite provides powerful drill-down analysis and the export of data to popular file formats such as Excel, Word, HTML, or SPSS.

Contact: (512) 328-8181, www.catapultsystems.com, www.inquisite.com.

Scantron introduces eListen 3.0 survey system, a fully integrated Internet/paper survey solution. This new release provides integrated tools for all major survey deployment and collection methods, including optical mark read (OMR) technology.

The software is a 32-bit Windows-based application. Using the Internet, email, network or OMR during the survey building process, the user can distribute the survey then collect responses in an eListen database for reporting and analysis.

Contact: 1-800-722-6876 ext. 2993, www.scantron.com.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Worklinks announces new Workplace Portal to help employees integrate working, learning and living. It extends the content of existing intranets by identifying, organizing and delivering best-in-class content, tools and services in to the emerging business-to-business-to-employee market.

Contact: Ann Gildea at (212) 228-4027 ext. 15, www.worklinks.com.

Virtual CEO announces new software to accelerate the corporate action planning process. Virtual CEO Validation and Action Planning software is for use at the executive level. The program accelerates the corporate action planning process by electronically facilitating the action-planning sessions. It provides the executive with an actionable, quantifiable business plan that is tied to corporate objectives, strategic data and ROI.

Contact: 1-877-367-8236, www.virtualceo.com.

Criterion Inc. announces Workforce Vision, an enterprise-wide, analytical planning software application. It provides HR professionals, managers and executives with crucial business intelligence about talent at all levels of the organization. This software pulls together all critical information including performance management, competencies, educational history, training and development plans and details, career paths, succession plans, job requirements and reporting relationships.

Contact: 1-800-782-1818, or www.criterioninc.com.

eBUSINESS
SoftQuad significantly upgrades its award-winning XMetaL software. XML content is the key to successful content creation for e-commerce, e-publishing and knowledge management. New software features deliver XML content creation and a more rapid deployment of effective content solutions.

Contact: (416) 860-3899 ext. 3607, www.softquad.com.

RECRUITMENT AND STAFFING
Worldsites launches Online Employment System as a recruiting solution for small- and medium-sized businesses. By turning any business Web site into an online recruiting centre, this complete Web site utility helps businesses recruit today’s best applicants online. Administrative features include: intranet administration, job listings, postings and categories, résumés searches, and reports.

Also from Worldsites is the Virtual Agency for Human Resource professionals. The power of the Internet brings employers and applicants together. As an addition or as a complete Web site, it has everything HR professionals needs to extend their reach into the largest pool of technically savvy applicants.

Contact: 1-888-678-7588 or (905) 678-7588, www.worldsites.net.

RecruitSoft.com, a leading Application Service Provider (ASP) for Web-based hiring management systems, announced Version 3.1 of its Recruiter WebTop. Recruiter WebTop powers the career Web pages of large corporations and supports all aspects of the corporate recruitment process. Included in the enhancements of this release are: My WebTop recruiting portal and control centre for organizing all recruiting activities, a database of 15,000 technical skills, enhanced workflow and automated requisition approval, skills-based search tool for data mining and progressive applicant tracking and matching.

Contact: 1-888-922-5665, www.recruitsoft.com.

ORG CHARTING
Nakisa has released Corporate Directory Services Version 2.0, Org Charting and Directory Listing Intranet solution. For a live demo trail, visit www.intranetorgchart.com/en/feature.htm.

Contact: (514) 499-2823, www.intranetorgchart.com.

TRAINING
InfoCast Corp. announces the launch of e-Learning Solution. This comprehensive software package provides enterprises, educational institutions and virtual learning organizations with the integration of “best-of-breed” courseware. e-Learning Solution includes a hosted technology platform, learning management system, live online learning support, learning communities and portal development.

Contact: (416) 867-1681, www.infocast-corp.com.

AlignMark announces LeadersMark, a new Web-based manager-training tool designed for first-time managers and other supervisors with little or no formal leadership training. This cost-effective and convenient self-study training solution actively engages the learner at the desktop.

Contact: 1-800-350-5419, www.alignmark.com.

Trainersoft enables trainers to create online training and testing material quickly and easily. Trainersoft 6.0 is a new version of online authoring tools. Materials can be accessed by any browser on any platform without additional plug-ins or downloads. The program also creates CD-ROM and network-based training.

Contact: 1-800-561-2098, www.trainersoft.com.

Learning Solutions Alliance launches a new business learning program for fast growth companies called LearnSmart for Fast Growth Companies. This new series of business learning solutions is designed to get fast growing companies up and running quickly in five critical areas: organizational communications, management development, sales productivity, customer service and personal performance.

Contact: (408) 727-2332, www.learningsolutions.com.

Pathlore launches ASP solution for Internet-speed e-Learning. Within days, companies are able to accelerate deployment and provide e-Learning. An ASP solution allows companies to use enterprise solutions while avoiding the up-front-hiring, software and hardware investments and ongoing maintenance costs of hosting their own technology. Customers can connect to the Pathlore ASP Solution via the Internet and manage e-Learning through their Web browsers.

Contact: 1-888-728-4567 ext. 7230, www.pathlore.com.

ReadyGo announces new version of its eLearning authoring tool ReadyGo Web Course Builder v1.1 (WCB). This software places eLearning course creation firmly in the hands of the subject matter expert. The new version provides testing capabilities, including the ability to save test scores, import slides from PowerPoint and merge multiple WCB courses.

Contact: 1-888-732-3946, www.readygo.com.

TIME & ATTENDANCE, LEAVE MANAGEMENT, SCHEDULING
Simplex introduces eForce Workforce Management System. A next-generation, enterprise-wide workforce management system, Eforce offers the flexibility, technology and tools that business needs to succeed in today’s competitive information-based economy. Designed for Microsoft Windows NT platform, eForce includes collection and reporting of time and attendance data for payroll generation and benefits administration, and produces staffing forecasts. The software automatically generates schedules and extracts key workforce and business data to create management reports.

Contact: (905) 212-4430, www.simplex.com.

HMS Software announces TimeControl Express for Palm Handheld Organizers — a Java-enabled enterprise application for the Palm. Working in conjunction with HMS Software enterprise timekeeping software, TimeControl allows users to quickly and easily update their activity-based timesheets.

Contact: (514) 695-8122, www.hmssoftware.ca.
Ti3 Inc. announces the availability of FasTimeTM, an application allowing employees to enter time, expenses and availability information via phone, fax and the Internet. The software gives staffing agencies and human resource departments access to view and authorize timesheets online.

Contact: 1-800-491-4994 ext. 21, www.ti3.com.

HRMS
People-Trak Software announced their new 7.0 version of their popular HRMS software. Tailored to fit the size and needs of the customer, People-Trak provides full functionality to companies ranging in size from just a few employees up to 10,000 employees.

Contact: 1-800-809-5731, www.people-trak.com.

EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE
ABRA ESS announces a self-service application that enables employees to access and update their personnel information through a standard Web browser. To compliment the Web access application to HR information, Best Software also announces Abra Alerts, the module that delivers automated e-mail notifications to HR managers and employees about key events and required actions.

Contact: Tony Berardine at (905) 333-5552 or 1-800-490-3711, www.bestsoftware.on.ca.

Ian Turnbull is a senior consultant with the Toronto office of CSC Pinnacle Canada (www.pinnaclegroup.com). He may be reached at (416) 618-0052 or [email protected].

Al Doran is president of Phenix Management International, a Toronto-based management consulting firm specializing in HRMS issues. He may be reached at (416) 505-2604 or [email protected].

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