According to Towers Watson’s 2012 HR Service Delivery survey, 46 percent of respondents in APAC, including India, identified talent and performance systems as their number one challenge hindering effectively HR service delivery. Despite the many challenges facing an HR leader in India, it is surprising to find that talent and performance systems emerge as the main concern. What could be the possible underlying reasons driving such a response?

Visibility or a lack thereof, is almost certainly one of the key reasons.Managers today are flooded with data from multiple sources. However, this stream of information often fails to provide actionable, forward-looking insights.Indian companies face the difficult challenge of competing in a market that offers significant growth while simultaneously placing severe demands on profits. When an HR professional is shown hiring-related metrics from the recruiting system, turnover metrics from the core HR information system, employee engagement metrics from automated survey tools, cost data from the payroll provider, and performance data from the performance management systems; a few compelling questions arise: How can I identify, nurture, and promote our top performers from an early stage? How can I dynamically assess the key drivers of engagement? How can I improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of HR delivery from mundane tasks like payroll and leave management to complex challenges like driving succession planning?

As a leading performance and talent systems provider, Towers Watson believes there are three key factors to be considered:

1) Automate the entire employee lifecycle on a common platform with user-friendly, functionally “deep” applications. Many companies today are operating ten or more separate HR systems.This largely results from deploying “best of breed” applications to supplement the functional limitations of global ERP and Human Capital Management (HCM) tools. Most innovative technology providers today are leveraging consumer-centric interfaces and cloud-based platforms to provide complete visibility, control and engagement with employees from recruitment to post-employment.

2) Drive employee engagement and productivity via HR portals. It is critical to ensure that employees, whether using tablets, mobile phones, desktops, or kiosks, are apprised on a day to day basis of the information and systems that they need access to. Leading portals provide a single launching point into various corporate systems and automate work to the greatest extent possible.

3) Remember that when determining which HR systems to use, technology is the LEAST important consideration. According to Bersin & Associates, 70 percent of the right HR technology decision is based on identifying a vendor that can partner with its customers to properly address change management, determine the right organization structure and create efficient processes that are then automated.

For the nearly 50 percent of Asian human resource professionals,who identify HR systems shortcomings as a top challenge, adopting a new approach, based on the above guidelines, can quickly uncover new routes to providing world class HR services.