I’d focus on effectiveness, scalability, integration, compliance, support, and ROI. Here are the key questions I would ask the vendor:
⚙️ Product Capabilities
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What HR functions does your platform support?
(e.g., payroll, leave, attendance, performance management, recruitment, onboarding, learning, compliance, offboarding) -
Is your HRMS modular or all-in-one? Can I pick and choose modules?
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Can you walk me through the employee lifecycle experience on your system?
🧩 Integration & Compatibility
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Does your system integrate with our existing tools?
(e.g., payroll, ERP, Slack, Outlook, biometric systems, background checks) -
Do you offer APIs or connectors for custom integrations?
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How do you handle data migration from our current HRMS? Is this included in onboarding?
📈 Scalability & Customization
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Can your platform scale as we grow — say to 5000 employees in the next few years?
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How customizable is the platform to our HR policies and workflows?
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Do you support multi-location, multi-country setups with local compliance needs?
🔒 Security, Compliance & Data Privacy
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Where is our employee data stored? Are you compliant with data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, India DPDP Act)?
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What security protocols are in place (encryption, access control, audit logs)?
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Do you offer role-based access and audit trails for sensitive data?
👩💼 Employee & Manager Experience
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What does the employee self-service portal look like? Can we see a demo?
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How intuitive is the mobile experience for employees and managers?
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How do you improve employee adoption and reduce resistance to change?
🤝 Implementation & Support
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What is the typical implementation timeline for a 1000-employee company?
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Will we get a dedicated customer success manager or implementation partner?
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What kind of training and onboarding support do you provide for HR teams and employees?
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What’s your SLA for support requests? Do you offer 24x7 support?
💰 Pricing & ROI
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What is your pricing model — per employee per month, tiered, or flat fee?
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What’s included in the base pricing vs add-ons? Are there hidden costs (e.g., implementation, customization, data storage)?
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Can you share customer case studies or metrics showing cost savings or efficiency gains?
🧾 References & Credibility
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Who are your other customers in our industry and size range?
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Can you share 2–3 references for us to speak with?
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How often do you release product updates or new features? Can you share your roadmap?
Would you like me to also help draft a scoring matrix or RFP template to compare multiple vendors?
