Here we start to discuss Workday vs SuccessFactors. Enterprise organizations seeking to implement human capital management (HCM) solutions must compare Workday with SAP SuccessFactors.
Workday and SuccessFactors lead the pack in HCM applications, but they take different approaches to solving HCM challenges.
This blog post will compare Workday and SuccessFactors in terms of their cost, market share, consultant training, and other key differences such as features, target market, implementation time, user interface, customer support, deployment, etc. By the end of this post, you should have a better idea of which one is the right fit for your needs.
What is Workday?
Workday is a leading provider of cloud-based enterprise software solutions for human resources and finance. The company was founded in 2005, and its products are used by over 2,700 organizations worldwide.
Workday cloud HCM was designed with the modern workforce in mind. It’s mobile-friendly, cloud-based, and integrates with other business applications.
That makes it easy for employees to track their hours worked, review their pay stubs, and access their benefits information on the go.
Workday HCM stands out as a comprehensive solution that goes beyond traditional human capital management. It leverages cutting-edge technologies, such as machine learning and augmented analytics, to drive workforce agility, engagement, and productivity while offering flexibility in rewards planning and addressing the specific needs of frontline workers.
- Adaptability for the Future:
- Workday HCM recognizes the evolving nature of work, helping organizations adapt to shifts in workforce dynamics, work locations, and skill requirements.
- Skills Intelligence Foundation:
- Workday Skills Cloud, integrated into the core of Workday HCM, employs machine learning to align talent with opportunities, enabling organizations to enhance workforce agility on a large scale.
- Engaging Experiences:
- Workday focuses on creating positive employee experiences by facilitating feedback mechanisms and delivering tailored experiences that contribute to workforce satisfaction.
- People Analytics for Informed Decisions:
- Augmented analytics within Workday HCM extracts insights from extensive data sets, presenting understandable narratives to guide decision-making and understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind workforce trends.
- Intelligent Automation:
- Workday HCM streamlines the attract-to-pay process through intelligent automation, reducing manual tasks and empowering employees to maximize productivity.
- Flexible Rewards Planning:
- Compensation and benefits tools in Workday HCM allow organizations to design plans that cater to the diverse needs of their workforce, ensuring that employees receive the rewards they deserve.
- Frontline Worker Optimization:
- Leveraging AI and machine learning, Workday HCM provides a seamless solution for managing frontline workers, optimizing demand, and creating schedules to enhance engagement and efficiency.
What is SAP SuccessFactors?
SAP SuccessFactors is cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software that operates based on a Software as a Service model (SaaS).
This management suite is designed to help businesses manage their employee data, engagement, and talent. The company was founded in 2001 and has over 37 million users in over 190 countries.
The SuccessFactors management suites include modules for core HR functions such as benefits, payroll, time and attendance tracking, and compliance.
Additionally, the SuccessFactors platform offers modules for more strategic HR initiatives such as performance management, succession planning, and recruiting.
Let us start comparing.
Workday vs SuccessFactors: Cost
The Workday starts at $1000 per month for the base plan, including payroll, HR, and benefits. SuccessFactors pricing begins at $850 per month for the base plan, including HR, talent management, and performance evaluations.
| Price | Workday | SuccessFactors |
| Month for the base plan, including payroll, HR, and benefits. | $1000 | $1300 |
| The mid-tier plan’s month adds on talent management and performance evaluations. | $2000 | $850 |
| Month for the top-tier plan, which includes all features | $3000 | $2100 |
According to analysts, Workday is the Human Capital Management (HCM) market leader, 24.4% share. Meanwhile, SuccessFactors has a 21.9% share of the HCM market.
However, in the overall Talent Management System (TMS) market, SuccessFactors has a larger share with 28%, compared to Workday’s 20%.
So what explains these different shares? A big part of it has to do with each company’s focus. For example, Workday started as an HR management software provider and only later added talent management features.
So for them, HCM is still their core business. On the other hand, SuccessFactors was always focused on talent management and only later added HR management features. So for them, TMS is still their core business.
Consultant training of Workday vs SuccessFactor
Organizations are increasingly turning to cloud-based solutions for their HR needs, and two of the most popular platforms are SuccessFactors and Workday.
Both offer training programs for consultants who want to help implement and support these systems, but the two approaches have some key differences.
SuccessFactors is a subsidiary of SAP, and its consultant training program reflects that heritage. However, it tends to be more traditional in structure and content, focusing on classroom learning and expert lectures.
There is also an emphasis on practical experience, with consultant trainees working on projects during the program.
On the other hand, Workday takes a more hands-on approach to its training program. Trainees work directly in the Workday system from the start, learning how to configure and use it to solve real-world problems.
The program also includes a vital element of mentorship, with experienced consultants working closely with trainees to provide guidance and feedback.
Key compare Workday and SuccessFactors
| Workday | SuccessFactors | |
| Features | Offers payroll, HR, benefits, talent management | Offers HR, talent management |
| Target market | Small to midsize businesses | Larger enterprises |
| Implementation time | It can be up and running in as little as two weeks | It can take up to six months to implement |
| User interface | Designed for simplicity and ease of use | More complex and challenging to use |
| Support | Offers 24/7 support | Limited support outside of business hours. |
| Deployment | On-premise or in the cloud | Only available as a cloud-based solution |
| Integration | Offers native integration with various third-party applications | Offers limited integration options |
| Reporting | Robust reporting capabilities | Limited reporting options |
| Customer satisfaction | Has a customer satisfaction rating of 97% | Has a customer satisfaction rating of 84%. |
Gartner reviews
Gartner peer insights reviews compared Workday vs SuccessFactors in talent management, core HR, and enterprise HCM.
In the subjective opinions of individuals, they found that Workday performed better overall, with particular strengths in performance management and succession planning.
SuccessFactors did have some advantages in the area of recruiting. However, Workday and SuccessFactors offer great functionality and are suitable for large organizations.
Features differences between Workday and SuccessFactors
| Features | Workday | SuccessFactors |
| Human resource management | HRIS makes it easy for HR professionals and staff members to access the needed features. With its intuitive dashboard, busy HR reps can keep up with data-driven insights while empowering team members through a convenient self-service portal. | With this, HR professionals enjoy a tailored experience with personalized dashboards and easy access to their data – all at their fingertips. In addition, they can quickly make edits to maximize productivity through web or mobile app connectivity. |
| Payroll management | It can only do international payroll processing in the US, Canada, the UK, and France. And tells you how payments are going through a dashboard | That lets users run payroll in more than 40 countries. And offers ways to see your payment information in real-time and notifies you if something is wrong with your payment. |
| Compliance | Workday’s compliance features have security aspects like data encryption and visibility permissions. | This feature is outside salesforce, but SuccessFactors collects staff employment information that is needed based on local regulations and what is considered the best way to do business in that area. The information is displayed based on local customs. |
| Learning and development | This software has things to help individuals with their work goals and get better at their job. | This software has educational resources to help people learn more and get promoted. |
What is the purpose of the Workday?
Workday serves as a unified platform that seamlessly integrates actionable, real-time analytics, offering organizations a comprehensive view of their business encompassing financials and workforce data. This embedded analytics feature enables users to securely access insights instantly, fostering collaboration and facilitating prompt decision-making—all within the Workday environment. By providing a centralized hub for critical business information, Workday enhances efficiency and empowers users to take informed actions without the need to navigate away from the platform.
Conclusion
The best way to decide between Workday and SuccessFactors is to assess your needs and see which platform offers the features you’re looking for.
Workday HCM is a good solution for companies that operate in multiple Western countries and need detailed reports and visualizations of their data. Workday is the better choice for small to midsize businesses that need an all-in-one solution that includes payroll, HR, and benefits.
If you do business in many different countries, you should use SAP SuccessFactors. SuccessFactors is the better choice for larger enterprises that need a comprehensive HR solution to help with talent management and performance evaluations.
Workday might look nicer, but SAP SuccessFactors can do more and work in many countries.
