Halogen Software Review

PROS: Quick and efficient functions with well-maintained online resources for the client

CONS: We'd appreciate if it takes fewer clicks to move from one thing to the next, so it's easier to use in the future.

PROS: Saba/Halogen has the flexibility to be configured into our devices and admin backend. Your specialists are perceptive and innovative when it comes to resolving issues.

CONS: We're looking forward to an improved UX design that is flexible with an improved payment system. It would also be useful in the future to improve transparency in reporting.

PROS: I appreciated that Halogen's ability to build unique forms aligned with our team's needs for performance management.

CONS: It would be great to ease up on red-tape clicks in the admin and back-end side so we can avoid slowing the process down.

PROS: We were able to create a variety of performance process that fit our requirements, plus survey forms that we can use to collect feedback from the team.

CONS: More of a wishlist in obtaining employee data: it would be great to add a filter for six months, apart from just the default one year filter.

PROS: I like that I'm able to manage it easily and quickly, completing admin tasks within two weeks

CONS: More intuitive tasks and options that align with our requirements would be appreciated in the future.

PROS: For an international company, handling performance reviews is like the most challenging task ever! We struggled very much in the past, 'jumping' all across the country, but then Halogen appeared and sorted all those tricky, annoying moments out. We don't lose valuable information any more, and we get useful feedback to help us improve our work. Documents are easy to access, the flow is organized, and I am so relieved that i can't even explain it!

CONS: Even if the program is up to every expectation, I wish it had been more customizable. I am not saying it is not useful this way, it absolutely is! I just wish there were more detailed design options for perfectionists as myslef.

PROS: I'm going to keep it simple, otherwise I'd have to write a novel. To start with, they are an incredible team that is always there to help you. I've used it as an adminstrator and an employee, so I can give a reliable critic on the system being the most comprehensive one ever. Then, the same as now, I get answers to all of my questions, because I know who I should contact, how, and when. The list of team members I've contacted is quite long, and they were all friendly and helpful. What I mean is that support is so good that it almost feels like the system is a human being that responds to your demands! Greatest benefit: Being able to navigate updates like a pro!

CONS: I asked for more customization in the 'User Portal', I had the idea of making our company's site appear 'more external'. I mean, sometihing like a chance to expand branding, few more colors or a proper personal logo. We want our customers to feel the same way as if they were visiting our website, I might be wrong, but I think this is a strong reliablity asset.

PROS: There are just too many admirable modules and too many pros to mention here. I personally like the new feedback capacity on the Performance Appraisal process, because it shows me that I am dealing with a transparent, open-communication program that helps employees and supervisors to communicate and to assume responsibility. We used Magentation before, which managed performance on the basis of documents and deliverables, and which is not even close as good as Halogen's disciplinary roles. This program simply opens your eyes on accomplishment and failure, especially if it refers to you. It is the new cornerstone of our organizational culture, and I can't help giving the most positive feedback ever. Ah, almost forgot: we developed a nice award section recently (Golden Star Award), just in order to appreciate special employee achievements on weekly basis. I am mentioning because I think it could be a helpful idea for you too.

CONS: To be honest, nothing. We love everything about this program.

PROS: Halogen provides more opportunities than you can possibly wish for, I'm telling you. You get the Learning Module, present it to your employees, and you will see how everybody in the company will start loving it. I am an incredible fan of its customizable Learning Units/Paths because they streamline the needs of my department and the organization in general. The numerous E-Learning bundles allow me to mix e-Courses with Instructor led trainings, which is a unique combination I didn't have before. Then, every employee has its own Development Plan, where all units are listed and associated to indicate his status, flags, and parameters. Oh, it would take me days to tell you all the good stuff Halogen could do for you.

CONS: It is a great system, but I'm struggling to embed learning paths within each other. The idea behind it was to create a single learning path for the department by importing 'New Hire' content from specific paths, but that was not possible. I am still looking for a solution to this problem, and I am compensating with Business Rules and Catalogs in the meanwhile. Decided not to give up on my idea, I shared it with the developers during the last user conference, not so much because of me, but because of the many future users that will face a similar problem.

PROS: The main idea behind purchasing Halogen was to get a program that can 'pull out' valuable information from our previous experienes, and turn them into incentives for future employee productivity decisions. My favorite module is Performance, because it gives me absolute control over the entire process of evaluation. I also like the customization of forms, the multiple review levels, and the overall relevance this system has to offer to our employees. Another very good module is Learning-I use it for creating entertaining learning programs, and to manage participation in them (employees are assigned a specific learnign path upon arrival). Once they're supposed to start training, they module enrolls them automatically.

CONS: There is only one thing I don't like, but not something that can be underestimated. I lack a general view on the connection between our long-term goals as an organization and the performance of employees or groups of employees. We have our alternative methids, obviously, but I don't understand why such a perfect product doesn't provide this for us. It feels like having your hands tied to each other, you're simply not able to influence changes that affect the purpose of your work.

PROS: When a great company is launching a new product, nothing can go wrong! I was convinced that Halogen will be a total success, and it was right-I am absolutely overwhelmed by its functionality! They have a 24/7 customer service, which we rarely use because the product is quite simple to swallow. Nothing is difficult to achieve, even if you have no epxerience with similar software. While implementing the program, you're assigned with a special advancement consultant that assists you even after implementation is completed. We worked with a great expert, and we're still maintaining a friendly relationship. I love being able to make improvement suggestions, or at least to have my enhancement requests reviewed.

CONS: I know Halogen was not made for the purpose, but I wish they reconsidered the idea of setting up an onboarding module for newcomers. We already have a program for that, but being able to rely on Halogen's efficiency for the matter would be just amazing. If you ask me, I think Halogen should take over every aspect of our performance management, from the beginning until the end. Another thing I'd like to see introduced is a request tracker, that would be really valuable for important and urgent enhancements.

PROS: After you've invested some decent time in mastering it, Halogen becomes the perfect front end software. My initial impression was perfect and I admired the interface, but with years it only got better and better. The progress is amazing, not just because of the speed with which they're introducing updates, but also the scope of those updates. There are many options that weren't there before, even such I requested myself and were kindly taken into account by this responsible support team. They are full of resources and creative ideas for talent management, which inspires me each and every time I work in the system.

CONS: We didn't solve all of our connectivity issues, especially in the case of our Africa offices. I think the reason is too much data, knowing how painful importation can be with low-quality Internet connections. aApprisal is one of my favorite features, but I wish it provided a way for doing self-appraisal instead of relying on the manager's one 100%. We have our alternative ways to get around it, but using it under the Halogen hat would certainly feel much better.

PROS: Versatility is my top notch priority when it comes to corporate software, and I was able to find it in Halogen. Halogen TalentSpace offers all sorts of tools and modules, and if you implement all of them, you'll get a comprehensive platform that offers robustness and configuration all in one. Performance management becomes everybody's concern, and all team members are involved in training and development. I think that's the logical precursor of the success of every company.

CONS: As I said, Halogen is robust and configurable, and it gives you all the features you can imagine. The question is that there are so many of them, that one simply gets lost and can't understand how to work with them. We didn’t know this at the beginning, so we didn't even ask for specific information or furhter assistance. That's why I am drawing your attention towards it, I think you need to make use of their customer support prior to facing problems like that.

PROS: Halogen provides the most amazing customer service. I think that what makes the team so special is looking outside the box-they always know how to deal with our issues, and provide creative solutions and improvement ideas. The fact that they are always available increases their value even more, and we are happy to work with such a helpful and friendly crew. We couldn't have imagined a better service, especially during implementation.

CONS: What I dislike is the procedure for receiving new login credentials, we are dealing with it over and over again. For instace, when a user tries to change his password and enters a wrong email, the system doesn’t report invalid action with any pop up screen or textual message. We notified support, but they told us that this is a security precaution, aiming to prevent hackers from braking into somebody's account. This is quite fair and we understand it, but we think that companies with personal emails (especially government issued ones) should have these type of messages. The safeguard really doesn't make sense to use.