Analyst Perspectives

I recently got an update on mobile applications and strategy for smartphones from ADP, the $9 billion provider of applications and services in human resources, payroll and benefits. By acquiring and partnering with organizations, ADP has become the largest provider in this segment while focusing on providing added value and new offerings to its customers. For some companies, being such a large business  human capital management and talent management software could inhibit its agility, but ADP has quickly made progress in bringing its first generation of applications to the Apple iOS platform for iPhone.  

The company’s RUN Powered by ADP Mobile for the small business owner or CPA helps implement payroll activities and address human resource issues. It can be put in place for 50 employees or less, since usually as an organizations gets larger it turns to other accounting support to cover these types of needs. This mobile application, launched in 2010, is gaining users. It operates on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. It provides a simple way to enter and review payroll data and wages for contractors, and provides quick access to employee information, reports and ADP’s HR Checkup and HR Dictionary to answer quick questions on employer/employee needs and provide weekly HR tips. The application includes security and integration to support an organization’s information privacy needs. The mobile application layers on top of the ADP payroll services are packaged for small, midsize and large organizations. Its approach is a plus for small and on-the-go businesses that have little time for spreadsheets, paperwork and email reviews of payroll and pay-related services. 

Another application, ADP Mobile Solutions, is an employee self-service environment for the iPhone that makes it easy to launch applications covering timesheets, payroll, retirement, calendar, company news and contact directory. It provides simple ways for employees to see their pay, enter timesheet information and, for hourly employees, use the clock function to punch in and out. ADP encrypts all information transmitted between its servers and the mobile application, and employs additional timeout and security methods – a significant plus when sharing sensitive information about an employee. For the next release, ADP plans to include capabilities to support talent management and social media and collaboration for employee and manager interaction. Just announced and released last month, ADP Mobile Solutions already is gaining attention within the company’s large customer base. 

ADP’s approach is to provide this common set of applications across smartphones to connect to its variety of back-end applications to make it easier for employees to operate. ADP provides native support for Apple iPhones and a browser-based application for Android and other smartphone systems. The company also promotes its advancements in mobility with a blog to create dialogue around its offering.  

ADP addresses workforce management needs with this set of solutions that layer on top of its Vantage HCM offering, providing an efficient way for its customers to manage their workforces while away from their desks. This kind of mobility and collaboration are part of what we see as the next generation of workforce management. It will dramatically streamline scheduling and interactions in the workforce and make it simpler to implement employee and manager self-service. I expect ADP will eventually support tablets as well. While you can operate the applications on tablets like Apple iPad today, they are not dynamically sized and don’t take advantage of the larger form factor yet. ADP says to stay tuned; I will, since the company has a viable approach to mobility that I can download and try directly from the Apple App Store, unlike many vendors that still provide only screenshots or videos and fail to offer interested parties a chance for immediate access and usage. 

Regards, 

Mark Smith 

CEO & Chief Research Officer