In the world of modern tech, a right HR tech makes a huge difference in deciding the pace of success for the companies.
For a lot of companies, the journey to adopt modern tech starts when the traditional spreadsheets, manual files, and scattered tools are no longer making their process more efficient as compared to the rest of the competition. To solve this, many companies turn to an HRMS software solution that can serve as a one stop destination for employee data, workflows, and analytics. But when we talk about modern HR tools for Indian firms, the spotlight falls on the SaaS HRMS, the software that runs on cloud, is flexible, and scalable.
This guide walks business leads through everything they need to know about SaaS HRM software with respect to the Indian market, containing important insights, real-world benefits, deployment considerations, and comparison with on premise solutions.
Why do businesses in India actively adopt cloud HRMS?
Indian companies face unique HR and regulatory challenges falling within diverse workforces, changing labor laws, remote hybrid teams, and growing expectations from employees. A strong cloud HRMS India solution solves these challenges by bringing the records to a centralized place, automating the processes, and delivering real-time insights into workforce metrics.
As per a well known publisher, HRMS helps “with collecting data, automating workflows, and adding visibility through analytics, identifying trends, and planning KPIs for the future.” Plus, with more distributed and hybrid work models, the ability to access HR tools on the internet from any device gives companies a competitive edge.
Key benefits that SaaS Based Human Resource Management Software brings to HR teams
A major question that comes to mind is what does a company get when it selects a SaaS Based Human Resource Management Software India so here are the main advantages, that starts with the effectiveness in cost.
SaaS HRMS solutions do require a less upfront investment because infrastructure, maintenance, and updates are all taken care of by the vendor. Then the benefit of real-time access and mobile support comes out strongly too, as employees and HR managers can log in from anywhere for self service approvals, leave requests, etc., much faster.
HRMS also lets HR teams automate and streamline their workflows right from onboarding to performance reviews because the repetitive manual steps are removed, letting teams focus more on strategy. Compliance and data centralization are other benefits because for the Indian businesses, compliance (PF, ESI, TDS, etc.) remains a key burden, which modern HRMS software solves.
Finally, HR teams also get the benefit of scalability and constant updates because as you grow or add remote sites, you can scale features and users without any IT burden. To make it easier, SaaS Based Human Resource Management Software brings a range of benefits to HR as it is more than “just software” and reshapes how HR engages, plans, and drives value in the business.
SaaS HRMS features checklist for enterprises
When evaluating SaaS HRMS software, enterprises (in the Indian context) must look for a strong feature set so here are the important features you can use:
- Employee databases and profiles that are centralized, searchable, and secure.
- Onboarding or offboarding workflows have key sub-features like digital forms, e-signatures, and integration with other systems for easy sharing.
- Time, attendance, and leave management with mobile support and geo-tracking functionality if needed.
- Payroll and statutory compliance support having support for key compliances like PF, ESI, and TDS as per India.
- Performance management and constant feedback with functionalities like goal setting and review templates.
- Self-service portal for employees with important functionalities like viewing payslips, updating data, and applying for leave.
- Analytics and dashboards have key functionalities of real-time metrics, attrition analysis, and also a solid hiring pipeline.
- Make sure that your system integrates well with all your other modules like payroll, ERP, CRM, etc.
- Don’t forget the data security, encryption, and vendor upgrade so that companies keep on running smoothly.
Why does deploying cloud HRMS software in India save you costs in the long run? (with considerations)
Well, deploying cloud HRMS software in India requires careful planning, especially in the cost department, as you have to be clear to plan an effective budget. There are a lot of vendors in India whose price modules are defined by the number of employees, features, and customizations.
For example, if you have 5 or 50 employees taking care of your HR department on the traditional model, then the cost will surely be more, as you have to pay them salaries and provide them the infrastructure. But, with SaaS models you save the cost due to the fact that they are subscription-based, letting you avoid large upfront costs for hardware, maintenance, and licenses.
So, in place of that, you can be clear with a predictable budget (monthly services). If you are wondering how costs are saved, then you must know that the foremost benefit is faster implementation, as you can deploy a SaaS solution much more quickly than having on-premise systems. Your HRs have reduced workloads where they do not have to spend time handling manual tasks like spreadsheet work and compliance reporting.
Also, you get better data visibility, where everything stays in your dashboard with accurate analytics, helping you make better decisions. And, all of this comes with support for remote convenience, where your HR as well as your employees can access the portal right from anywhere and anytime.
Considerations
Now it is tough to pick the right SaaS platform so start by ensuring that your vendor has a good track record and support. Do plan your training for HR staff and employees so that the adoption of ESS portals and other important platforms stays fast. Then do migrate your data carefully, as old records, spreadsheets, and paper files require you to perform proper cleanup. At the end, define your change management plan, which is a system only valuable if people use it constantly.
Comparing SaaS HRMS vs on-premise HRMS India
For many Indian enterprises the natural question is, “Should I go on-premise or adopt a SaaS model?” So here is a comparison helping you pick SaaS HRMS vs on-premise HRMS in India. We will be dividing this into the factors and then talking about both the models in respect to that factor.
Upfront cost
Now the major challenge in adopting any technology in a business drops down to the upfront cost and if the initial costs are too high, then it is a problem for startups that have limited funds to start with. In this factor, SaaS Based Human Resource Management Software clearly wins due to their lower subscription-based model as compared to the higher on-premise HRMS. The on-premise HRMS demands you license and requires proper hardware with the right infrastructure to run that hardware and you also need a whole team to implement and keep things running.
Maintenance and Upgrades
For this factor again, the SaaS HRMS has a clear edge because vendors who provide you the software handle everything and have already made super smooth workflows with the fastest updates dropping. Whereas on-premise HRMS will require your IT team to manage patches and upgrades, which again costs you time and effort, limiting you a lot if you are trying to start as early as possible.
Scalability
Now coming to the scalability part, the SaaS Based Human Resource Management Software again wins because, of course, everything is on the cloud and can be easily scaled up or down considering users and all the modules anytime you want. Whereas in the on-premise HRMS, you are tied to the network of the company or even VPN if your team members are away from the infrastructure you have set up.
Data control and security
This is the part where the SaaS Based Human Resource Management Software may get limited because you have to rely on the vendor for the security due to their multi-tenant architecture. If they do not update the security model, then you are going to wait until their team actually performs the patches. Whereas with on-premise HRMS, you have full control of security, and you can change the security protocols as per your needs and at any time.
Fit for Indian SMEs/Startups
A lot of companies, especially the small and medium enterprises, want to get a straightforward answer to what is best as per their startup. In this case SaaS HRMS clearly wins due to its low cost and fastest start as compared to the on-premises HRMS, which is more suited to big enterprises with internal IT strengths.
Meet CloveHR- HRMS SaaS platform for startups and SMEs in India
We know that selecting the best SaaS HRMS software for Indian businesses comes with its own challenges because you have to pick one that is easy to use yet powerful, intelligent, and scalable. If you want a solution that is built specially for the Indian workforce, you can go with CloveHR, which handles payroll, attendance, performance management, compliance tracking and so much more with a single, cloud-based solution.
In case you want to experience this truly connected HR ecosystem, you can book a demo right now and step towards right digital transformation.
FAQs
What exactly is SaaS HRMS software and is it any different from the normal software businesses have been using for years?
Just think of SaaS HRMS software as just a normal one but it works completely on the cloud, so it can be accessed online, on any device, and right from anywhere, which was a limitation in the traditional HR software for businesses.
What is the cost of cloud HRMS in India that I can expect?
The pricing part remains specific to software so it matters which software you are using. In case you plan to use software like CloveHR, then you can book a consultation call with the sales team and get the final quote.
While deciding on the best SaaS HRMS software for Indian businesses, are there any key features that one must look for?
There are a bunch of features we can mention, but payroll, attendance and leaves, employee self-service, and recruitment tools are a few of them that you cannot miss at any cost because that’s what makes software the best.
What are the best benefits that I get with SaaS HRMS?
At the forefront, you are getting automation of all your repetitive tasks to free your HR teams with much better compliance and real-time employee insights that help you make better business decisions. These benefits are the reason why Indian companies are adopting cloud HRMS software.
Are there some implementation challenges of SaaS HRMS software in India that startups can take care of?
Most of the time, data migration remains an issue, followed by the adoption rate of new workflows but this can be solved by choosing easy migration and user-friendly software like CloveHR.