After spending the past two months at various industry conferences, it has become clear that we are entering a period of economic recovery and growth in the talent acquisition space. Organizations are making talent acquisition a top priority not only revamping their strategies but also rethinking their technology options. The talent acquisition systems market, arguably the most mature market for HR Technology, is on fire as more and more companies are now entering RFP mode. And I am talking about BIG companies…global enterprise companies looking for technology solutions that will enable them to become more strategic in how they identify, attract and onboard new hires.  

Over the years, we have offered these companies looking to select and implement talent acquisition systems a long list of recommendations including price, delivery model, technology infrastructure and customer support. One item on this list continues to be a sticking point for most buyers…the issue of market consolidation. As most providers look to build out their talent management capabilities, should companies be cautious about possible acquisitions of their providers? While former customers of Vurv or BrassRing might argue a unanimous “yes”, Peopleclick Authoria customers are singing a different tune.

Over 100 days into the acquisition of Peopleclick, (a leading talent acquisition provider) by Authoria, (a leading talent management provider), market consolidation is proving to be positive for both customers and prospects. Characteristic of the Peopleclick culture, they are not sitting around waiting to figure out how to make this new relationship work. They have taken immediate action by announcing new leadership positions, establishing a clear strategy and launching new product lines. As a leader in innovation, Peopleclick’s team is continuing to set the pace.

How is this acquisition different? What should customers and potential customers expect? What can other providers learn from Peopleclick Authoria?

1. Different Playing Field- This is not a story of one provider acquiring another provider. This is a story of a private equity firm acquiring two providers in the talent management space just at different times. This situation fosters more collaboration between the two teams.
2. Organizationally Aligned- Unlike other acquisitions, the two departments (sales, marketing, and professional services) have been brought together immediately throughout the entire organization. Through a series of town halls and conference calls, no changes have been made to the account management team from either organization.
3. Customer Satisfaction and Engagement- After a customer satisfaction survey for their two flagship products, customers responded that the new merger met or exceeded expectations. Peopleclick Authoria has provided transparency throughout the entire process with continuous client communications.
4. Defined Strategy- Sales and marketing departments have a clearly defined strategy from early on in the acquisition. Pulling together two budgets is an enormous undertaking and Peopleclick Authoria has accomplished this and set a roadmap for both individual products and how these products come together.
5. Execution- Peopleclick Authoria is moving quickly through announcements of vertical solutions (TalentForce early this year and pharmaceutical, retail and insurance solutions in the works), a client user conference scheduled for October and customer appreciation groups

While organizations should still consider the staying power of their provider, market consolidation no longer needs to be a frightening experience. We will continue to cover market consolidation over the next year through our talent acquisition systems research..stay tuned.