SuccessFactors Q4 2013 Release: SuccessFactors Mobile

2013 has been a great year for SuccessFactors Mobile. We have launched a new iPad app , we have seen mobile usage multiply exponentially across our customer base, and, most importantly for us, our customers seem to love what we are building for them.

But hold on, the year is not over yet. There is more! For our last release of the year we have an exciting set of new features that we believe exemplify the vision we have for mobile HR.

Take the cloud with you even when offline

Nowadays connectivity is so pervasive that, if we choose to, we could be online all day long. In spite of this, cloud skeptics still like to point out that you need to be online in order to use cloud applications. Well, that’s not true anymore for mobile HR apps. We are proud to launch our first set of offline mobile features: Learning, and Touchbase.

Offline mobile learning allows employees to complete learning courses from a mobile device anytime, anywhere and on any connection. Users can download, store and encrypt learning content on the mobile device to play offline. They can finish coursework while on the road and without a network connection. And once they are back online they can synchronize their learning progress with the Learning Management System (LMS).

Touchbase items are now always ready to be viewed offline without the need to download them. Users can create and modify Touchbase items anytime while disconnected and sync changes when device goes back online.

The benefits for our customers are multiple. Productivity goes up since users don’t depend on connectivity. Mobile costs go down because mobile data consumption also goes down. And overall SuccessFactors usage increases because employees have more occasions to use the app throughout the day and not just when they are online.

We are just scratching the surface of the possibilities that offline mobile scenarios provide and our plan for the next releases is to extend this capability to more and more modules. If you are a SuccessFactors customer and are passionate about mobile HR we encourage you to visit our SuccessFactors Mobile community site and share your thoughts about where you do you see offline mobile features playing a bigger role in the future of your company.

Safely share devices among employees

We often think about mobile devices as something very personal and private. We always have them close to us and very rarely do we share them with others. But it doesn’t always have to be like this.

In the enterprise, many forward-thinking companies have started thinking about tablets as lightweight and cheap computers that are ideal as shared devices.

Think about a day 1 session with new hires or a learning class with trainees. In both cases you can provide a better experience for everybody if you can distribute tablets with content and apps are already installed so people just need to log in and consume the content.

This is just one of the scenarios we are addressing with our new ‘Multiple profiles’ feature. Users can now create multiple profiles on the same device to securely share use. They can also quickly access separate SuccessFactors instances. And SuccessFactors admins can swiftly switch profiles on their mobile app when accessing test and production environments.

We have also made sure that an extra layer of security has been added when enabling multiple profiles. You can enforce secure PIN to all users, delete cache when logging out, and deactivate on-device push notifications to protect user privacy.

Give new hires a better first-day experience

Of all the HR processes, onboarding is probably one that is most ideal for mobile scenarios.

Common situation: a new hire has already signed your offer and is excited about starting in her new position. She won’t have any corporate device connected to your systems until the day she officially starts but in the meantime she needs to exchange HR information with you.

Why use email back and forth? Why wait until day one for sharing? Why not offer to your new hire a great mobile experience that provides the necessary information to start her new job with confidence?

The new mobile Onboarding experience for iPhone alleviates new hires’ anxiety and helps them feel prepared and confident on their first day. New hires can use SuccessFactors app to enjoy preday 1 access to manager and buddy contact info, look at their first week meetings, see a countdown to day 1 and even see a map with the exact office location where they need to appear.

Such seemingly small features can have a considerable impact for your company. A great initial employee experience can increase employee engagement. New hires are connected with the right people and relevant content before they even start. And you can also improve process efficiency and compliance.

Looking ahead

As excited as we are about these new unique features and capabilities, this is just the beginning. We are already working towards next year’s releases and our plan is to continue pushing the boundaries of what mobile HR can be. Stay tuned for more.

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Availability:  All product updates are available to Enterprise Edition customers on November 15, 2013. Please note that for customers on the Premium release schedule, these features will be available December 13, 2013. For Professional Edition customers, some features may not be available or may become available at a later date.