Effective HR software is mandatory for intelligent working, irrespective of whether you’re a growing startup working manually with spreadsheets or a 1000-staff organization with an extended product portfolio list. Human resources software is primarily designed to assist HR managers and employees in performing tasks more effectively, ensuring compliance, minimizing errors, and boosting productivity. Businesses of different sizes use it to manage employee information and HR-related functions through the central cloud system.
More than half of the industry has adopted HR management software to fulfil their payroll application needs or benefit from a sophisticated suite of technologies that integrates onboarding, document management processes, and benefits administration. In this blog, we have covered everything about the hows & whys of HR software, and at the end, you will get answers to the question – ‘Which HR software is best in India for your business?
1. What does HR Software do?
HR software manages the end-to-end HR processes by automating, streamlining, optimizing, and accelerating them. It acts as a central employee management system that stores all the data at a single location rather than multiple areas such as Google Sheets, Files, Microsoft Excel, Email, etc. HR software encourages the HR teams to ‘Value Addition, Improved Results & Achieving Business Goals.’ It may arrive in the form of higher engagement, decreased turnover, enhanced creativity, higher organizational growth & improved organizational strength.
The cloud-based all-in-one HR software digitizes the entire employee cycle hire-to-retire from Recruitment, Onboarding, and Employee engagement to learning & development progress, payroll, and Offboarding. Employees can check invoices, stay updated with holidays, submit time-off requests, or modify their information at one click through their cell phones.
2. Why is HR Software essential?
HR software plays a vital role in organizations nowadays by giving them a new direction for managing HR tasks irrespective of size. Due to the presence of cloud-based HR software, the complex Human resource processes are broken into an efficient workflow system. It streamlines various processes & automates employee data management, compliance tracking, payroll processing, and benefits administration. It saves enormous time and effort of staff that was previously wasted in manually coordinating each other & waiting a long time for approvals. Moreover, the scope of human-made errors is reduced by a significant number.
In the context of India, where businesses are rapidly evolving, having the best HR software in India becomes crucial. The critical strategies companies design might only be fruitful if created without analyzing the trends. Henceforth, HR software covers this gap through its aspects of analytics and reporting that provide insightful data for better decision-making and developing impactful employee management strategies in alignment with the organizational goals. Although it involves the initial investment, the long-term benefits organizations get through improved efficiency, compliance, and employee experience are worth it.
3. How much does HR software cost for a small business?
Cloud-based HR software in India is available at varied pricing, from INR 20/- per employee per month to INR 3000/- + per employee per month. If you are a small-sized business with less than 50 employees & minimal requirements, your cost would be between INR 20/- to INR 100/- per employee every month, billed monthly, quarterly, or annually. This price varies if you need specific customizations & personalized integrations to the HR software.
After you evaluate the core features offered by such HR software in India under a particular price tag, you will be better positioned to choose the right software for your firm. Once you understand the pricing & features offered by specific software, you can decide Which HR software is best for your company for long-term growth.
5. Pros and Cons HR Software
Here are the Pros and Cons of HR Software:
PROS
1. Accuracy
HR software automates the core HR processes so we get accurate data results. It is achieved by minimizing the human-based errors from manually handling tasks such as salary calculations, data entry, etc.
2. Compliance
The HR software sends timely reminders and tools for legal requirements. With the help of HR software, companies perform every task in compliance with labour laws and regulations.
3. Centralized Data
Data access & its overall management gets more straightforward with the centralized database provided by the HR software. Such a cloud-based system stores the entire employee information at one location & the authorized people can retrieve it in seconds whenever needed.
4. Efficiency
HR software widely increases efficiency as manual working gets reduced due to the automation of multiple tasks such as payroll processing, employee onboarding, leave management, attendance tracking, etc.
5. Analytics & Reporting
Most of the HR software solutions have the feature of data analytics & reporting. It allows the firms to generate automated reports & make informed decisions solely after evaluating the insights & trends.
CONS
1. Data Security
Although HR software providers ensure that the stored data is safe, it might lead to several fraudulent activities or security risks if it is not managed effectively.
2. Learning Curve
Employees who have always worked manually might need to help understanding & getting comfortable with the new software. It might take weeks to months, resulting in a learning curve.
3. Technical Issues
Irrespective of how efficiently the HR software is prepared, it might have glitches or downtime at certain times. Such dependency on cloud-based software might lead to severe technical issues and disruption in the day-to-day HR operations.
4. Cost
The overall maintenance & implementation costs could be a timely recurring amount & an additional burden, especially when you are a startup or a small business.
5. Customization
HR software is designed in a way that only partially fulfils every organization’s personalized requirements. Henceforth, customization shall be required to meet the firm’s intricate details.
Which is the Best HR Software in India?
Evaluate your organization’s budget, size & specific needs before finalizing the right HR software. Now, let’s deep dive to understand Which HR software is best for your firm.
Here is the List of the best HR software in India:
1. KekaHR
KekaHR is an employee engagement HR software in India best for small to mid-sized businesses. This modern software has helped companies enhance productivity and make informed decisions. Its pricing starts from INR 60/- per month for an employee. The basic plan pricing is INR 6,999/- monthly for 100 employees.
Features
1. ESS Portal
2. Onboarding
3. Time and Attendance Management
4. Hiring and Applicant Tracking
5. Core HR Functions
6. Performance Management
7. Payroll and Expense Management
2. greytHR
greytHR is the leading comprehensive suite of cloud HR solutions for Medium to Large Organizations. The package starts from INR 1495/- per month & it charges an extra INR 25/- for every additional employee.
Features
1. ESS and Mobile App
2. HR Compliance
3. Onboarding Software
4. Employee Lifecycle Management
5. HR Reports and Analytics
6. Document Management
7. Payroll Management Middle East & India
3. Zimyo
Zimyo is India’s all-in-one cloud-based HRMS and Payroll provider best suited for startups and small to medium enterprises with its 40+ modules. Its pricing starts from INR 60/- for every employee per month, billed monthly as well as annually. This pricing is customizable as per your unique requirements.
Features
1. Payroll & Expense Management
2. Bilingual Mobile Application
3. Timesheet Management
4. Automated Announcements
5. Goal Setting, Tracking & Management
6. Applicant Tracking Software
7. Asset Management
4. Qandle
Qandle is an intuitive HR software in India best for small, medium & large organizations. The minimum package of Qandle HR software is INR 2450/- per month for 50 employees. You have to pay an extra amount of INR 49/- for every additional employee.
Features
1. Payroll Management
2. Travel and Expense Management
3. Recruitment
4. Onboarding & Offboarding
5. Attendance and Leave Management
6. Employee Self Service
7. Learning and Development
5. Spine HR
Spine HR is India’s best HRMS and Fixed Asset Management solution provider best suited for SMEs. It automates & streamlines everything from employee demographics to TDS, challans, & pay structures. Its pricing varies as per the customer’s requirement.
Features
1. Employee Life Cycle
2. Leave Management
3. Performance Management System
4. Workflow
5. Integrated Statutory Compliances
6. Time & Attendance
7. Loan Management
6. Paybooks
Paybook is the cloud-based leading HR software majorly famous for its outstanding payroll outsourcing services that simplify core HR functions. Its pricing starts from INR 2,999/- INR monthly for 30 employees covered under a regular plan. You must pay INR 50/- per month for every additional employee. Their premium plan costs INR 4,999/- month for 30 employees & INR 75/- month for every extra employee.
Features
1. Biometric Devices
2. Auto-Generated Salary Slips
3. Digitally Signed Form 16
4. Mis Reports
5. Compliance Reports
6. Payroll Management
7. Self Service App
7. Zoho
Zoho is the cloud-based HRMS platform best for medium to large businesses. Its starting package is INR 42/- per employee monthly, where billing is done annually. The five users can also access essential HR functions for a lifetime, according to their free plan.
Features
1. Performance Management
2. Employee Onboarding
3. Employee Self-Service
4. Reporting & Analytics
5. Time and Attendance Management
6. Case Management
7. Customized Core HR Solutions
7. Integration and Compatibility
HR software integrates with other essential business tools such as payroll software, applicant tracking systems (ATS), time-tracking solutions, etc. Integration capabilities are crucial to streamline processes for a seamless workflow, improved efficiency, and enhanced data accuracy. Here is how HR software integrates with other essential business tools:
# Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
HR software integrates with the Applicant tracking systems (ATS) that help streamline the hiring process, from online job posting and candidate application tracking to interacting with the applicant for scheduling interviews.
# Payroll Software
HR software solutions automate payroll processes such as employee salary calculation, disbursement & other benefits by integrating with the payroll software. It helps in eliminating human-made errors & saves enormous time for the HR department.
# Performance Management
HR software solutions integrate with various other performance management tools apart from what it has by default for streamlining the entire process of goal setting, employee work progress tracking, and giving constructive feedback to employees.
# Time and Attendance
HR software generally integrates with time and attendance systems for tracking employee attendance such as vacation time, total working hours, sick leave, & other time offs. Such an integration allows accurate & timely payment to the employees.
# Benefits Administration
HR software generally integrates with the benefits administration tools for creating, updating & handling employee benefits such as liaising with suppliers, new employee enrollments, invoice generation, etc.
The HR software integration with various business tools is quintessential nowadays. Such an integration centralizes data and automates repetitive tasks, saving a considerable amount of time for HR staff. As a result, it lets them focus on more strategic decision-making processes for driving overall business success. Furthermore, it helps organizations streamline the core HR processes, curtail the scope of human errors, and improve efficiency.
8. Industry Specificity
Finding the right HR software that caters to all industries and business sizes is helpful in the long run. All such software provides unique advantages to meet your industry-specific needs. Moreover, such customizable HR software is a pro when you modify your HR requirements, such as changing employee size, needing additional security, etc. In such cases, you can jump to premium plans or customize the current strategy instead of changing your existing HR software provider. It is a cost-effective & time-saving solution that will add value to your business. This way, your employees will not have to go through the entire process of understanding the new HR system from scratch.
9. Final Recommendation
Based on the online ranking and our analysis, we recommend KekaHR as the best HR software in India for small businesses. What makes it the number 1 choice among small businesses is its cost-effective pricing, user-friendly interface, and all-in-one HR management platform from payroll to talent management. Try out this software with a free trial initially to understand how it will benefit your business in the long run. Visit StartupHR Software‘s official website and fill out the form stating your personalized requirements & we shall get back to you with a free demo session of the software that best meets your needs.
