PeopleFluent vs SumTotal

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Our analysts compared PeopleFluent vs SumTotal based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Talent Management Systems, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

SumTotal Software Tool

Product Basics

PeopleFluent is a comprehensive talent management software designed to cater to the needs of large and mid-sized organizations. It excels in streamlining processes such as recruitment, performance management, learning and development, and compensation planning. One of the key benefits of PeopleFluent is its ability to enhance decision-making through robust analytics and reporting features, allowing businesses to manage their talent more effectively. Its user-friendly interface and customizable workflows make it a popular choice among HR professionals. When compared to similar products in the market, users often highlight PeopleFluent's flexibility and the depth of its features as significant advantages. However, pricing considerations can be a deciding factor for some organizations, as costs vary based on the size of the company and the specific modules required, typically involving a subscription-based model. Overall, PeopleFluent stands out for its comprehensive suite of features designed to optimize talent management strategies.

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SumTotal is a cloud-based HR Management software catering to mid-sized to large organizations. It packs a comprehensive suite of features covering talent acquisition, learning & development, workforce management, and performance management. Users praise its robust reporting & analytics, rich learning library, and mobile-friendly accessibility. However, the extensive customization options and powerful tools come with a steeper learning curve for administrators. Additionally, SumTotal's potential for high integration costs and higher price point compared to basic solutions make it less suitable for smaller companies. While some users struggle with complex content creation tools and limited instructor-led options, SumTotal shines in its ability to scale and adapt to dynamic needs, making it a strong contender for organizations seeking a feature-rich, customizable HR management platform, especially those with substantial training requirements and a dispersed workforce.

Pros
  • Comprehensive learning library
  • Robust reporting & analytics
  • Scalable for large organizations
  • Mobile-friendly learning
  • Customizable user experience
Cons
  • Steep learning curve for admins
  • Limited instructor-led options
  • Complex content creation tools
  • Potentially high integration costs
  • Pricey for smaller companies
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$20,000 Annually
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Chromebook
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On-Premise
Mobile
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On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
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Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Improved Communication: Share essential files, training materials, career paths and data on skill gaps and core competencies. Help everyone in an organization stay on the same page.
  • More Significant Equity and Transparency: Handle compensation management payment, benefits and rewards in a more fair and transparent process. Engender trust across the whole team.
  • Better Employee Engagement: Demonstrate investment in employees with development tools. Design bonus programs that motivate workers better and get feedback to mine for future improvements.
  • Less Turnover: Invest in employees with a wide range of development tools. Empower them and help them achieve all professional goals. Create a happier workforce, which increases productivity and decreases turnover.
  • Welcoming Company Culture: Collaborate by communicating a higher vision to all staff members. Let them be a part of the larger company plan. Build an inclusive, inviting and welcoming company culture.
  • Easier to Find Assets: Centralize necessary forms and training materials so all team members can pull up what they need when they need it. Put policy documents front and center to improve compliance and cut down on disconnect.
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  • Employee Retention: Provide tools for employee development, management and learning practices that encourage employee retention. 
  • Enhanced Productivity: Talent managers can continuously onboarding to speed up overall productivity. 
  • Organizational Stability: Learning-centered employee development builds an agile workforce that is adaptable to changing business environments. 
  • Learning Ecosystem: Invest in research and development on the latest learning trends, which managers can leverage to enhance employees' learning experience. 
  • Talent Engagement: Engage top talent while moving through the recruitment process, understand the workforce, identify the best talent and build a seamless experience for candidates as well as hiring teams. 
  • Enhanced Candidate Experience: Offer smartphone-optimized sites with intelligent and automated interview tools, candidate matching, and an easy-to-use mobile app interface. Keep applicants informed about upcoming interview details via a user dashboard. 
  • Accelerated Time-to-Performance: Seamless onboarding training helps new hires get up to speed quickly. Provide unique company policies and work culture for them to become familiar with the company. 
  • Smooth Role Switch: Access onboarding plans for new roles that include defined goals, new teams and KPI’s that ensure a more seamless transition to new responsibilities. 
  • Robust Manager and Admin Capabilities: Managers and administrators can easily view, schedule, filter, mark up and share reports from a mobile dashboard. Leverage reporting tools, advanced reports and dashboards at a single click. 
  • Informed Compensation Plans: Create smart, data-driven compensation plans according to preset or custom parameters. Real-time performance insights and budget modeling make compensation informed, fair and cost-effective. 
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  • Compensation Management: Ensure a transparent employee compensation process that’s both equitable and in line with industry expectations. Streamline budgeting, the approval process and the creation of business models.
  • Recruiting: Choose from a large pool of candidates, vet potential hires, carry out video interviews and then add them to the database. Give recruiters access to tools for collaboration, scorecards, texting and more. Handle the entire job requisition and approval process from one location, and scan a job description library to ensure the process is streamlined and accurate.
  • Onboarding: Streamline, centralize and standardize the onboarding process. Create several lists, rules and tasks for new hires, then assign them out as necessary. Send important paperwork and get the needed electronic signatures to start fast.
  • Staff Development: Let employees track and measure skill sets and identify skill gaps. Examine overall trends in employee performance and notice who is performing well and who needs extra help.
  • Organizational Charts: Break down data and assign it to the appropriate department, team, office or location. Look at real-time insights on productivity and other activity in the office. Clarify to everyone how the business structure works and where they fall in the lineup.
  • Succession Plan: Chart goals, progress and skills, so employees understand the roles within the organization and opportunities for future growth. Then, identify strong performers who best suit the executive track. Prepare the leaders of tomorrow, address gaps in leadership and continuously scan the staff for potential management material.
  • Integrations and Partners: Integrate with learning tech, diversity and inclusion programs and workforce management tools such as Affinity, Breezy HR, CognosOnline, E-learnmedia, Govo Learning, GVM, NTT, Vector LMS, Watershed and more.
  • Learning Experience Platform (LXP): Manage and deliver company-wide training with its native learning platform. Increase motivation, close skill gaps and make teamwork easy across the workforce.
  • Employee Rewards: Monitor and manage incentives, tailor rewards plans and analyze the best ways to compensate and retain top performers.
  • Analytics and Metrics: Look at all relevant data such as hard and soft skills, productivity and career paths. Use the organized information to strategize hiring and learning decisions, look for organizational weaknesses and see who stands out in the organization.
  • Cloud-Based: Host content online as a Software-as-a-Service. Provide access to workers and managers at multiple locations across the globe.
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  • Talent Development: Provides combined functionality of talent onboarding, talent management and learning management solutions to cater to talent development requirements. 
  • Talent Acquisition: Helps create a streamlined hiring cycle, hire the right talent, engage fresh recruits and drive productivity from day one. 
  • Learning Management:  
    •  Helps provide a customized, personalized and engaging learning experience tailored to the skill and competency of individuals rather than the whole team. 
    •  Ease of access on all devices, along with an offline mode, ensures seamless and consistent access to content and courses. 
  • Talent Management: Personalized and intuitive tools help employees pursue career growth and development. Capabilities include performance management, 360-degree feedback, succession planning and compensation management. 
  • Performance Management: Provides comprehensive feedback and tools that make feedback actionable, constructive and insightful. Measures workforce productivity, progress and priorities in real time. 
  • Succession Planning: Enables talent managers to identify and assess skill gaps, build agile talent pools, and align employee success with business goals and objectives. 
  • Compensation Management: Simplifies and streamline compensation plans, and helps build competitive packages to attract and retain top recruits. Workflow automation and compensation management tools aid compliance with complex global policies. 
  • Workforce Management: Bundled payroll, benefits and expense management minimize time, cost and efforts while maximizing accuracy. Features include automated scheduling, time and attendance, absence management, and compliance. 
  • Applicant Tracking System: Includes real-time alerts and notifications for offer approvals, a unique dashboard and reports widgets, customizable requisitions, and a consolidated requisition workspace. 
  • Mobility: Provides access to tools and reporting capabilities at all times and from any location. The dashboard can be operated using a tablet, desktop, mobile app or a phone browser. 
  • Growth Edition: Caters to the needs of fast-growing small and medium-sized businesses. Includes webinars, instructor-led training, approvals, and additional learning resources that users can access and configure anytime. 
  • Extended Enterprise: Helps build a brand image, accelerate growth and drive new sources of potential revenue. Facilitates an enriched and optimized learning experience for distributors, partners and customers. 
  • Gamified and Collaborative Learning: Helps: 
    •  Assess and accelerate learning with gamification capabilities that include leaderboards, points, levels and badges. 
    •  Enhance employee engagement by identifying and rewarding the right learning behaviors. 
    •  Enrich the knowledge of new hires with collaborative learning, up-to-date content, feedback and social ratings. 
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Product Ranking

#32

among all
Talent Management Systems

#62

among all
Talent Management Systems

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

92
93
56
93
100
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Compensation Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Employee Communication
Mobile Capabilities
Onboarding
Employee Communication
Learning Management
Onboarding
Performance Management
Succession Planning

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

PeopleFluent
SumTotal
+ Add Product + Add Product
AI-based Capabilities Compensation Management Dashboard And Reporting Employee Communication Learning Management Mobile Capabilities Onboarding Performance Management Recruitment And Applicant Tracking Succession Planning 56 100 100 100 86 100 100 92 99 100 93 40 0 100 100 0 100 100 96 100 0 25 50 75 100
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86%
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

67%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 155 reviews
Fair User Sentiment 132 reviews
85%
of users recommend this product

PeopleFluent has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 155 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

69%
of users recommend this product

SumTotal has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 69% when considering 132 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.0 (48)
3.2 (39)
4.3 (34)
2.7 (7)
5.0 (27)
4.0 (56)
4.0 (46)
2.9 (30)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated PeopleFluent and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Compensation Management, Dashboard and Reporting and Mobile Capabilities.

Compensation Management Award
Dashboard and Reporting Award
Mobile Capabilities Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Streamlined Recruiting: Many users appreciate the ability to easily post jobs to multiple job boards, manage candidate applications, and track hiring progress within a single platform. The system's automation features can save time and effort for recruiters.
Performance Management: PeopleFluent offers tools for setting goals, tracking performance, and providing feedback. This can help managers have more productive conversations with their employees and identify areas where additional support or training may be needed. The platform also facilitates regular check-ins and performance reviews, fostering a culture of continuous feedback.
Learning & Development: The platform provides a learning management system (LMS) that allows organizations to create and deliver training courses to employees. This can be helpful for onboarding new hires, providing compliance training, or developing employee skills. PeopleFluent also offers a course library with a variety of pre-built courses that can be used to supplement an organization's own training materials.
Compensation Management: PeopleFluent can help organizations manage employee compensation, including salaries, bonuses, and benefits. This can ensure that employees are paid fairly and competitively. The platform also provides tools for modeling different compensation scenarios and tracking the cost of employee benefits.
Succession Planning: Organizations can identify and develop high-potential employees for leadership roles using PeopleFluent. This can help to ensure a smooth transition when key employees retire or leave the organization. The platform also provides tools for creating and tracking development plans for employees.
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Robust Tools: All reviews on this feature suggest that SumTotal provides a robust set of talent development and management, payroll, and workforce management solutions.
Effective Tracking: According to 80% of reviews on tracking, the software optimizes talent management by tracking development and career growth.
Self-Service: Managers and employees can access and complete training courses at their convenience, according to all reviews on self-service.
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Usability Issues: The user interface can feel outdated and clunky, leading to a steep learning curve and frustration for users who expect a more modern experience. For example, navigating between different modules or finding specific information can be cumbersome.
Performance Concerns: The system can be slow at times, especially when dealing with large amounts of data or complex processes. This can impact productivity and user satisfaction, particularly for organizations with a high volume of employees or frequent performance reviews.
Limited Configuration: Customizing the system to fit specific organizational needs can be challenging. Some users have reported difficulty tailoring workflows, reports, or data fields to align with their unique talent management processes.
Integration Challenges: Integrating PeopleFluent with other HR systems or third-party applications can be complex and may require additional technical expertise or custom development. This can hinder data flow and create silos of information.
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Outdated Course Content: About 70% of reviews on course content reported that some modules aren’t frequently updated, resulting in an outdated learning experience.
Non-Intuitive Functions: Most features and functions aren’t intuitive, making it difficult to navigate, according to all reviews on this aspect.
Access to Reports: Accessing and pulling reports is extremely tedious and slow, according to 100% of reviews on reporting.
Customer Service: All reviews on customer support suggest that customer service is very slow and unresponsive.
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User feedback from the past year paints a picture of a platform with strengths and weaknesses that should be carefully considered before making a decision. PeopleFluent shines in its user-friendly interface and diverse features, encompassing recruiting, performance management, compensation, and succession planning. This breadth of functionality allows organizations to consolidate their talent management efforts within a single platform, promoting efficiency and data-driven decision-making. Users appreciate the platform's integration capabilities with other HR systems, such as Workday and Cornerstone OnDemand, enabling seamless data flow and a unified HR ecosystem. However, some users express concerns about the platform's cost, which may pose a barrier for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets. Additionally, while PeopleFluent offers a robust set of features, some users find it lacks the flexibility to adapt to unique organizational needs or complex workflows. PeopleFluent distinguishes itself by emphasizing communication, equity, and employee engagement. The platform facilitates transparent communication by sharing essential information, such as career paths and skill gaps, across the organization. It promotes fairness and trust through its compensation management tools, ensuring a clear and equitable approach to rewards and benefits. Moreover, PeopleFluent fosters employee engagement by providing development tools and opportunities for growth, empowering individuals to take ownership of their careers. Considering these factors, PeopleFluent appears well-suited for mid-sized to large organizations seeking a comprehensive talent management solution with a focus on communication, equity, and employee engagement. However, organizations with budget constraints or highly specialized requirements may need to explore alternative options that better align with their specific needs and financial considerations.

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SumTotal users paint a mixed picture, praising its robust functionality and mobile accessibility while critiquing its clunky interface and steep learning curve. Many laud its comprehensive suite, encompassing everything from onboarding to performance management, finding it a one-stop shop for HR needs. One user gushes, "It's like having a whole HR department in the cloud!" However, ease of use seems to be a major sticking point. Comments like "The interface feels outdated and unintuitive" and "Learning curve is a mountain, not a hill" pop up frequently. This is often contrasted with praise for competitors like Workday, lauded for its sleek design and user-friendliness. One user sums it up: "SumTotal has the depth, Workday has the polish." Mobile accessibility shines as a bright spot, with users appreciating the ability to manage tasks on the go. This stands out compared to some competitors, making SumTotal a good fit for companies with a mobile workforce. Ultimately, SumTotal seems to be a powerful tool for organizations willing to invest the time and effort in mastering its complexities. As one user puts it, "It's not perfect, but it's incredibly versatile. If you can handle the initial climb, the view from the top is pretty good."

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