On February 11th, HRIZONS® was invited to participate in CITI’s (Citibank) first ever Smarter Worklife Challenge to showcase our JDMS® | Job Descriptions Made Simple SaaS solution.
Citi’s challenge was intriguing and innovative because it solicited leading edge HCM solutions to submit an application for consideration to be included in a live onsite challenge in NYC to find solutions that could further their focus on improving the employee journey. I’m proud to say that out of 133 submissions, from 21 countries, where only 19 were selected, our JDMS® solution was one of them.
Preparing for the event was more challenging than the typical prospect demo for various reasons:
- The demonstration was limited to 8 minutes, yes, I did say 8 minutes;
- There were 200+ live audience members and the presentations were streamed using live video to 230,000+ employees;
- Many of Citi’s HR Leaders were present live in NYC, which made it a very high profile event;
- The presentations had to clearly articulate the value the product created as it relates to Citi’s objective: to find creative solutions to engage and empower employees, simplify the way we manage our company, and take our execution to the next level;
The challenge itself was innovative, a new age, “crowd-sourcing” type initiative to help Citi find HCM technology vendors to further its mission and vision vs. the traditional vendor market research or vendor selection approach. To be fair, they did entice vendors with a cash prize for the winner(s), and being a fan of NYC, a trip to NYC and the chance to present to senior level executives and strategic HCM advisors didn’t hurt to sweeten the pot and entice vendors to apply.
What was especially interesting about the event was the amount of involvement, support, feedback and transparency Citi provided to the finalists. We were provided the opportunity to present our pitch the day before for feedback, and we were provided with insight into Citi’s challenges with how it manages job descriptions today and its overall perspective on job description management.
For HRIZONS, it forced us to really think through how we showcase the value proposition of our job description solution and how it could positively impact a large organization of 200+ thousand employees.
What did we gain from the experience?
- Validation that most, if not all organizations, large or small, struggle with job description management and how to integrate job content into their HCM technology strategy;
- An appreciation for the effort required to encapsulate a pitch that includes an overview of one’s product and a demo, in a very short timeframe, with no room for a time extension – we’re talking buzzer with the proverbial “hook” to yank you off the stage;
- Renewal as it relates to why we do what we do; to improve the lives of employees and to enable organizations to get better results through people, one of our core values;
- An appreciation for the innovation in the HCM technology marketplace. We got exposed to solutions we had no idea existed, from various parts of the world, and from different approaches, perspectives and backgrounds. Lookout HR, HCM technology may be maturing but it sure ain’t dead, it’s alive and well and sure to bring new and innovate ways to add value to organizations around the globe!
All in all, Citi’s challenge, while challenging (pun intended), was a great experience and one I’m glad we were able to both participate in and experience as it truly forced us to improve how we showcase and pitch the value our JDMS® solution offers.
As a growing HCM solutions company, finding new and creative ways to bring HCM products and solutions to market has never been more challenging, nor more rewarding. Human Resources, as a function, is in the spotlight more so than ever before and its clearly well positioned, in the eyes of the “C Suite” to better enable its workforce to be engaged, to innovate its own products and services, to improve how it serves its customers and patients, to ultimately create and bring value to the markets they serve.
It’s a great concept and one that we at HRIZONS are truly proud and honored to be a part of as we strive to help our customers achieve new horizons in HR with innovative HCM solutions and services!
Jim Newman, CEO
