Speeding HR Interactions

PeopleSoft Inc. is working on software that would integrate its CRM and human-resources management applications. The goal is to make employee interaction with HR faster and more of a self-service activity. HR HelpDesk is due early next year.

The new software would let HR personnel view and update employee data in real time, as opposed to entering information into a database that's later synchronized with an HR-management system, says Hanif Ismail, PeopleSoft's director of global human-capital management business strategy.

Even though "business won't come to a screeching halt" if companies don't purchase PeopleSoft's latest HR application, it could help frustrated employees in large companies get their benefits or payroll-related questions answered efficiently, says Katherine Jones, managing director of enterprise business applications at the Aberdeen Group.

HR HelpDesk features a database of answers to frequently asked questions that both HR staff and other employees can access. The application can be configured to work with Oracle, PeopleSoft, and SAP human-resources systems. PeopleSoft did not reveal prices for the software.